Prayer flags have been around for thousands of years, but today’s fiber artists are putting their own spin on the ancient tradition. A growing number of artists are using these small but meaningful flags as an outlet for expressing their hopes, dreams, and concerns—and the design possibilities are endless. You can use shibori techniques, sun printing,…
Prayer flags have been around for thousands of years, but today’s fiber artists are putting their own spin on the ancient tradition. A growing number of artists are using these small but meaningful flags as an outlet for expressing their hopes, dreams, and concerns—and the design possibilities are endless. You can use shibori techniques, sun printing,…
Norlha’s Spring Summer scarves and capsule clothes collection for 2024 borrows inspiration from the prayer flags of laptse as they succumb to the elements, symbolising...
August 19th is the International Day of Hope, a day which celebrates the lives of children and babies lost at any age or gestation. If you would like to learn more about this project, please visit CarlyMarie's Project Heal. This is my first year participating, and I felt like it would be a good creative outlet for me. It was actually a really fun project to work on and the possibilities are truly endless. You can make them colorful, simple, big, or small. It's totally up to you and how you feel is the best way to honor your grief. Prayer flags originated in Tibet thousands of years ago. The monks wrote prayers on small flags and then strung them up high in the mountains to allow the wind to carry their prayers around the world. Most of them were written on very bright, small pieces of fabric and the whole flag was filled with prayers and religious imagery. Since then, prayer flags have become popular around the world and you can find them in many shapes and colors, some with words and some without. It's all up to you and what you want to create. I believe that your intention for each flag is as good as any written prayer. I went to Joanne's for my supplies. If you don't have a Joanne's near you, you can visit any craft store as long as they also sell fabric. Look in the "Remnants" section to find leftover pieces of fabric which are discounted and most are about the size you'll need. You can purchase more than one kind of fabric if you wish. Supplies: 1 yard of fabric (you can get away with less, depending on how many flags you want to make) Scissors Fabric ruler Twine Paint or Fabric Pen (I used multi-surface acrylic paint) Paintbrush Hot glue gun Appliques or decorative touches I spent a total of $25 on all of my supplies, some of which I already owned. I chose a white colored, thin cotton fabric to use for my prayer flag. Step 1: Steam or iron your fabric. You don't want to end up ironing multiple smaller pieces, so this needs to be done first. Step 2: Decide how large you want your flags to be. I cut mine 6 inches wide by 10 inches high and got 9 total flags out of the fabric I bought. I ended up only using 8 of them. You want to add an extra inch to the height of your flag because you will be folding over the top to create a pocket for the twine. Step 3: Cut your flags. You can cut them as rectangles, squares, with curved edges, or with pointed edges. It's totally up to you. Just remember to keep that extra space at the top for the twine. Step 4: Once you have your flags cut out, you'll be ready to start decorating them. You can put words, pictures, whatever you want. This is where you can get really creative and make your flags meaningful to you. Step 5: If you have any appliques or other embellishments, add them after you've finished with the paint and the paint has dried. I used a hot glue gun for this step. Step 6: Once your flags are all complete, arrange them in the order you would like them when they hang. Step 7: Get a piece of twine and cut it longer than you think you need. I had 8 flags, 6 inches wide, and I wanted about an inch or two between each of them. So I cut my twine about 8 feet long to allow extra room on the ends to tie it up. Step 8: Get your first flag, and about 3/4 of an inch below the top, put a line of hot glue across the fabric. Lay the twine above the hot glue, and then fold over the top piece of fabric to stick to the glue. This way you don't have to worry about threading the twine through the hole, and the twine should still be free to move back and forth. Continue this step with the rest of your flags. Step 9: Hang it! Here's how my flags turned out: This post is linked up with Amateur Nester here:
Prayer flags have been around for thousands of years, but today’s fiber artists are putting their own spin on the ancient tradition. A growing number of artists are using these small but meaningful flags as an outlet for expressing their hopes, dreams, and concerns—and the design possibilities are endless. You can use shibori techniques, sun printing,…
A STUNNING collection of scarves have gone on display inside St David’s Cathedral to raise awareness of a silent killer.
Between working, shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking and somewhat keeping the house clean, I worked in a few minutes to create these little pocket prayer cloths. My friend and neighbor asked if I would make her a few to give to some people she knew that might want one. Once they were completed, I held them in my hands and prayed a little prayer over them, then packaged them ready to give. What is a prayer cloth? A prayer cloth is used by an individual or group of people that are praying for an ailing or sick friend or family member. The prayer cloth is usually prayed upon by the individual or group, and then given to or wrapped around the sick person. The ones I made were small pocket size. They can be kept in your pocket, or purse. They are small enough to hold securely in your hands when you want to feel comfort. I remember a church group giving one to my mother-in-law when she was sick. I thought it was so precious. It meant a lot to her. My neighbor wrote me the other day and told me that the little prayer clothes were appreciated and loved by those that received one. She said it also brought tears to one of the receivers. This touches me heart. In the world we live in today, we all need to know someone out there is praying for us. Now keep in mind, a prayer cloth does not heal. It is only a token of prayers said for the person it’s given to. Prayers, believing, and faith in God brings healing. “So that from his body were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them”. Act 19:12. You can find the free pattern HERE. Prayer cloths are not to be sold, only given.
My webmaster has assured me that the workshops for the February 2012 retreat will be posted on the website for viewing this week, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Like many of us, she's had some unforeseen family issues come up, but I'm hopeful! She's done a wonderful job for me as she juggles a full-time job, new baby and family life. You can look forward to spending 4 nights up at the Presentation Center in the redwoods of northern CA, and 3 full days with one instructor, just soaking up the creativity. The retreat will be held February 23-27, with registration opening online on July 12. Just look what you have awaiting you! Sumptuous Papers--Albie Smith Nourishing the Creative Heart--Katie Kendrick Santos Sensations--Tory Brokenshire The Ultimate Art Book--DJ Pettitt Bloom True!--Flora Bowley Once again, I'm so honored to be hosting such talented instructors—it's the combination of instructors, attendees, and the sensational venue that makes An Artful Journey so magical. I'm working on other fun details and dreaming up some inspiration, so stay tuned. I'll post again as soon as the classes are up! (and oh YES...we'll be doing the Prayer Flag project again!)
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Hearth.Earth.Herbs.Words.
The Prayer Flag Project ~ A collective project spreading peace, good will and kindness, one flag at a time...
it's been a while since i posted a flag. but a swap at "the trodden path" got me going again. i sometimes switch mediums and participate in lots of challenges so get side tracked sometimes. i also read about the oceanside museum exhibition coming up in october and wanted to contribute to it too, so pulled out some unfinished fabric collages and completed it just in the nick of time. this is the one i'll be submitting to the museum. constanza berger last minute changes and additions of beading resulted in the flag ultimately mailed out to my swap partner in new zealand http://www.poramoralarte-folklorista.blogspot. com
Lenna Andrews has arranged an exciting new swap on her Creative Swaps site and it's for prayer flags. I have lots of Tibetan ones hanging in the garden so was immediately enthusiastic about this idea and then discovered that there was also a free class about them on the Creative Workshops site, another example of great synchronicity. Lenna too provides an extensive PDF with imfo about them when you sign up. So after absorbing all that I set to work. First of all I painted some white cotton in my painting shed (actually half of it belongs to John and is dedicated to all things tool related and some of them get painted too in the process!) and layered that up with hand-dyed fabrics to form a 5 x 11" piece of which I folded over the top edge to finish up with 5 x 8" flags. I then rummaged around in my box of imagery printed onto fabric sheets. When I do this printing, I always make sure that the sheets are completely full of pictures as the fabric sheets are quite expensive so you might as well make the most of them and this is how I use up the images I didn't need at the time. I layered these with lace, ribbons etc. and made arrangements I was happy with. You have to remember that the top will be folded over so keep that in mind when arranging your lay-out. I mostly sewed everything down, including some transparencies I also came across as that to me as a quilter is the most secure way of attaching things together. And these flags are supposed to be hung outside so it's important it's firmly secured. When that was done I added buttons as and where shown by hand.. For Lenna's swap you only need to make 3 (and get 3 back) but I knew I wanted to keep two myself so that I will eventually end up with 5 to hang up once my returns arrive and I also wanted to make an extra one as a hostess gift for Lenna, so in total I produced 6 flags. I chose the one below and John the one at the very top to keep. I'm leaving Lenna's choice to her out of the remaining 4.
The Memory Keeper is finished back & inside detail of fringe I will give it to Maggie tomorrow at Lindsay’s funeral, he was a hero with the driest sense of humour, a wicked wit & suc…
I hope for PEACE for all in the new year. This is the second prayer flag I made for the current Prayer Flag Swap on Cra...
As our budget gets pulled tighter and tighter, and Babeleo's arrival creeps closer, I'm being forced to rethink a few things when it comes to decorating our nursery. I had a truly lovely list of gorgeous handmade decorations going on Etsy. Several months ago, purchasing those pretty things seemed totally reasonable. Now, however, reality has...Read More
My flags are usually created in an intuitive way and whatever happens in the process is the result, it sort of develops on the way. ...
Prayer Flags, Prayer Flag Project, To Boston With Love, OMA, Oceanside Museum of Art, Praying for a Miracle, With Heart and Hands, Michele Bilyeu, Quilting Arts Magazine, Viveca DeNegre
Explore appliquegoddess' 269 photos on Flickr!
The Prayer Flag Project ~ A collective project spreading peace, good will and kindness, one flag at a time...
I just made a new Prayer Flag. The prayer is "Never give up" and I hope my neighbor will draw force from it to keep on praying and 'fighting' his multiple health problems. I am hoping everyone on the Prayer Flag blog will join in prayer with us. The flag can be seen on my blog also where I explain in detail how I made it in both English and French. Thank you so much, Anja Kieboom from France near Grenoble http://scrapitch.over-blog.com/2016/07/la-force-and-hope.html
My flags are usually created in an intuitive way and whatever happens in the process is the result, it sort of develops on the way. ...
Darla Deiparine created her prayer flag on rice paper which was varnished and put on painted cheese cloth and attached to a twig with...
Ileen here, I was inspired by Jamie Fingal and her quilt prayer flags. so I dug around in my hoard of fabrics and found this piece of 1"...
At one time or another each of us is Challenged in life, by a BIG challenge. This is for a friend that is facing her challenge. Most days we are busy in our own worlds, other days, we know something takes priority and as artists we answer that call. Thank you Jamie Fingal for the creative way with wool felting to complete this prayer flag. Blessings for each of you.
Carol Farmayan from Houston, Texas shares with us a flag that she has recently made for a friend. In her words, "I wanted to give her some positive, cheerful healing energy ".
Welcome to Flag Friday! Starting today, each Friday here at The Prayer Flag Project, a post will be dedicated to a tutorial, challenge or link to fun things you might want to know about making and sharing the love and healing of Prayer Flags. This week I wanted to start out at the beginning: Prayer flags have a very long and beautiful history rooted in Tibetan and Buddhist culture. Vivika DeNegre and I covered a little bit of this history in a blog post at Quilting Daily, which I encourage you to read if you haven't already. If the history of prayer flags intrigues you can read more about them in this article, as well as this article. In their most basic form a Prayer Flag is nothing more than a piece of cloth printed with images and words, strung together and hung outside, however it is the love of the maker, that truly brings the prayer flags to life. Why Make a Prayer Flag? Prayer flags are just fun to make! There are no rules in the art of prayer flags and because of the small size, they are also an easy way to experiment with new art techniques, however, I find I enjoy making prayer flags for their loving qualities. Carrie Bloomston enjoys making prayer flags because it is a creative project with purposefulness, and meaning that is sacred and filled with prayer and intention. Although not religious in their modern format, prayer flags, like many sewing projects, act as a placeholder for the divine. We sew with love and give that love away to family and friends. They feel that love as they use the items we give. It is the same with prayer flags. Every stitch is a prayer for love if we hold that spirit as we work. Jane LaFazio likes to make prayer flags because it allows her to think of the person or cause as she sews the flags. Making the flags helps her to focus on the receiver and send positive thoughts to them. One of the reasons Jamie Fingal makes prayer flags is because she likes to have small flags with positive affirmations to inspire her in her art studio. They also make excellent gifts for friends. Jamie started making them when she had a couple of personal tragedies in her life. The flags gave her comfort and helped with the healing process. She was able to get her mojo back by making prayer flags. She still enjoys making and giving prayer flags. Get Ready. . . Come back each Friday for a new tutorial or challenge. This weeks challenge is to read over the flag making tutorials on the blog and think of someone you would like to share a flag with. Gather your supplies and come back next Friday for a tutorial on adding text to your flags. Feel free to share this post with your friends, and invite them to join the party. You can email me at prayerflagproject (at) gmail (dot) com if you have photos you would like to share on the blog.
Ever since pinning these to my Prayer Flag board on Pinterest. I have been wanting to do something similar. Yesterday , while some lovely but rare Winter sunshine gave us a much needed reprieve from all the rain and gloom that has been with us for what seems like forever, I finally managed make some similar flags. Gratitude This one is to express my gratitude that my coastal home has come through unscathed from the huge storms that have been battering the British coast. We are high up, away from the danger of flooding and thankfully the roof tiles are all still in place. Many others have not been so fortunate. Springtime Dreaming I am sure that I am not the only one willing Spring to arrive. A gift from across the ocean did all the work for me with this one, as the threads and silks just fitted the bill for this wild flag. For now these are safe from winds and back inside, but I look forward to giving them a spot in the garden once conditions improve. ...and while I have your attention :D ... I want to thank those of you who continue to send us your prayer flags. If you are looking at this via a Reader come take a look at the new header that I have put together, and for those who have been asking for a blog button with code, there is now one done. Keep those flags coming. All kinds are welcome, whether you have spent hours or simply thrown them together in a lot less time!! Stay warm and safe, Deborah
August 19th is the International Day of Hope, a day which celebrates the lives of children and babies lost at any age or gestation. If you would like to learn more about this project, please visit CarlyMarie's Project Heal. This is my first year participating, and I felt like it would be a good creative outlet for me. It was actually a really fun project to work on and the possibilities are truly endless. You can make them colorful, simple, big, or small. It's totally up to you and how you feel is the best way to honor your grief. Prayer flags originated in Tibet thousands of years ago. The monks wrote prayers on small flags and then strung them up high in the mountains to allow the wind to carry their prayers around the world. Most of them were written on very bright, small pieces of fabric and the whole flag was filled with prayers and religious imagery. Since then, prayer flags have become popular around the world and you can find them in many shapes and colors, some with words and some without. It's all up to you and what you want to create. I believe that your intention for each flag is as good as any written prayer. I went to Joanne's for my supplies. If you don't have a Joanne's near you, you can visit any craft store as long as they also sell fabric. Look in the "Remnants" section to find leftover pieces of fabric which are discounted and most are about the size you'll need. You can purchase more than one kind of fabric if you wish. Supplies: 1 yard of fabric (you can get away with less, depending on how many flags you want to make) Scissors Fabric ruler Twine Paint or Fabric Pen (I used multi-surface acrylic paint) Paintbrush Hot glue gun Appliques or decorative touches I spent a total of $25 on all of my supplies, some of which I already owned. I chose a white colored, thin cotton fabric to use for my prayer flag. Step 1: Steam or iron your fabric. You don't want to end up ironing multiple smaller pieces, so this needs to be done first. Step 2: Decide how large you want your flags to be. I cut mine 6 inches wide by 10 inches high and got 9 total flags out of the fabric I bought. I ended up only using 8 of them. You want to add an extra inch to the height of your flag because you will be folding over the top to create a pocket for the twine. Step 3: Cut your flags. You can cut them as rectangles, squares, with curved edges, or with pointed edges. It's totally up to you. Just remember to keep that extra space at the top for the twine. Step 4: Once you have your flags cut out, you'll be ready to start decorating them. You can put words, pictures, whatever you want. This is where you can get really creative and make your flags meaningful to you. Step 5: If you have any appliques or other embellishments, add them after you've finished with the paint and the paint has dried. I used a hot glue gun for this step. Step 6: Once your flags are all complete, arrange them in the order you would like them when they hang. Step 7: Get a piece of twine and cut it longer than you think you need. I had 8 flags, 6 inches wide, and I wanted about an inch or two between each of them. So I cut my twine about 8 feet long to allow extra room on the ends to tie it up. Step 8: Get your first flag, and about 3/4 of an inch below the top, put a line of hot glue across the fabric. Lay the twine above the hot glue, and then fold over the top piece of fabric to stick to the glue. This way you don't have to worry about threading the twine through the hole, and the twine should still be free to move back and forth. Continue this step with the rest of your flags. Step 9: Hang it! Here's how my flags turned out: This post is linked up with Amateur Nester here:
Prayer flags have been around for thousands of years, but today’s fiber artists are putting their own spin on the ancient tradition. A growing number of artists are using these small but meaningful flags as an outlet for expressing their hopes, dreams, and concerns—and the design possibilities are endless. You can use shibori techniques, sun printing,…
Explore smmarrt’s 780 photos on Flickr!
