Prayer Flags ... Inspiration Flags

I have been having such fun creating a small set of prayer flags as a class sample for my upcoming workshop at Sorrento Centre!  I just know that it will be an enjoyable class for the participants as they work on a theme that suits them using techniques that I will teach during the workshop.

This is a set of three contemporary prayer flags that are double sided, but have no batting between the layers. Some of the stitching has gone through both layers, but each side is unique.  I will show you the second side of this set next week, but for now I'd like to share side one of the three flags. They are approximately seven inches square.

These flags have been created on a piece of my hand-painted fabric that has been awaiting inspiration for a couple of years.  I wish I had taken a photo of the piece of fabric before I tore it up, but you will notice the variations in colour throughout the flags, including little bits of white showing where I had not painted the entire piece of fabric. 

The hues of watermelon and chartreuse have been continued in the threads I chose for the stitching as I really wanted these to be peaceful and harmonious flags.

I chose "hope" for the first flag and the images of hearts.

The next flag will hang as the centre of the three and I chose "peace" for the theme and included a peace symbol that I created in pointillist style.

The tiny buttons (about 1/4" in size)  that cascade down the flag are symbols of something that holds us all together.

The third flag is "believe" and it is represented by a screen-printed tree that is anchored in the earthy part of the flag.

A sprinkling of seed stitches in a variegated thread drift across the flag and in the lower left corner there are three little patches with beads and hand embroidery.

Here is the link to the workshop where I will be teaching inspirational flags and buntings at Sorrento Centre

Welcome Bunting

I have been working on samples for new workshops I will be teaching in 2014 and I am having a really good time with those I am creating for Quilt Week at Sorrento Centre.  My workshop this year is called "Creating Inspirational Flags and Buntings" and it will be five days of playing with surface design techniques with the objective of creating some flags and buntings.

I will be showing you some of the contemporary prayer flags I am creating in a future post, but for now I would like to show you the bunting I made which incorporates a few of the surface design techniques we will be using.

Each of the little flags in the bunting is quilted and the backing fabric is a holly leaves print, so it could be reversed and used as a Christmas bunting, too. Some flags are appliqued, some are painted, there is couching, beading, hand stitching, and painting after quilting, too. Click on the image below to see more details.

If you would like to know more about Sorrento Centre's Quilt Week, there are three concurrent workshops offered, two of which are more traditional quilting courses so your not-quite-ready-for-art-quilting friends can join you for a week of stitching fun. Here is the link to my workshop http://www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca/2014/2014-0425a-kinsella.html

I'll be back in the New Year with some of the inspirational flags that I am creating on my hand-painted fabric.