Sometimes the world is just so strangely tiny. In February, Vivika De Negre, editor at Interweave/Quilting Arts, and I were working on the details of filming my DVD for them and concurrently, I was asking a bunch of strangers via social media to sew some prayer flags for me with my new fabric collection, PAINT, for Windham Fabrics. These two events are seemingly completely unrelated. I googled prayer flags so that I could send people a link to see examples of handmade prayer flags. And what popped up was Vivika’s Prayer Flag Project blog! We had more in common than we even knew. Both of us love prayer flags. Vivika has been blogging about artful, handmade prayer flags since 2011 here. I am happy to be a part of her blog hop today and so excited to share the prayer flags made by my tribe:
I have a thing for Tibet. (You can read about my long lost Free Tibet t-shirt here.) And I love the spiritual significance of Tibetan prayer flags. We hang them around our house. We make them in my family and I have made prayer flags with the kiddos in my son’s school. I even lead prayer flag workshops. The idea of traditional Tibetan prayer flags is that the prayers (and mantras) imbued into the cloth are spread far and wide by the wind.
For my prayer flag request, I explained it this way in the letter to the 20 strangers: “honor the sacred creativity within you. As you work, be filled with love, let your work be like a prayer…for whatever you want…love, joy, peace, anything. Let the creativity move you. Your flag doesn’t have to look like your prayer. It can look like patchwork, art, or a design. But fill it with love from your heart as you work.” We’ll donate this creation to a special organization afterwards.
I believe in people’s inherent, limitless creativity. My brand is built on inspiring people and enabling creativity in many forms. Yet I wasn’t prepared for the works of art that started rolling in to my house. When you ask for something from your heart, filled with love, it is astonishing how people show up. I’m not sure what I expected, but what I got was sacred cloth–filled with an unexpected depth, and each one is so unique to its creator. Each one is a work of art all its own. People stepped up. They stepped in. They dug deep. I received a sacred stained glass cathedral window, an African symbol, a Hebrew Chai symbol, etc. I made a Tibetan Eternal Knot symbol. This string of prayer flags is a beautiful reflection of all of these women, all over the country. I am blown away. Thank you to the beautiful women who dug deep and revealed the face of human kindness: Carolyn Miller, Jenny Rekeweg, Rhonda Greenberg, Stacie Barrett, Brooke Sellmann, Cristy Fincher, Melissa Everett, Brittany Burton, Daria J. Sislow, Seema Saraf-Kini, Jayme Christensen, Laurie Christensen, Sharon Margiotta, Christen Barber
If you’d like to make some prayer flags but need some inspiration and ideas, here’s a great resource: Quilting Arts has a new 47-page e-book that is a collection of articles called Prayer flags: Make Banners of Hope & Peace from Fabric Scraps and Fibers ($6.99 on the Quilting Daily Shop). For a limited time, you can get a Moda Banner Set with the Prayer Flag e-book from the Quilting Daily Shop for $24.99). The banners are triangular pre-made prayer flags you can decorate as you please, with no sewing necessary!
Quilting Arts is offering one lucky winner a copy of this cool DVD called Design & Print Your Own Fabric! Leave a comment below by April 21st to be entered to win the giveaway.
I love your prayer flags, they are so colourful. I think prayer flags are a great way to develop and express creativity.
I love all the messages.
I am so into printing on fabric right now
WOW Carrie, what a wonderful explosion of color. I like that you left the salvage on one…I’m new to making them…I’ve been quilting a long time and now I love making flags.
Thank you for letting us be a part of such a wonderful project…all of them are just fabulous.
These are so inspiring in so many ways! Just incredible!
Love the Prayer Flag Project, and would love to win this giveaway–I’m just starting to print on fabric.
I have enjoyed this blog hop on Prayer Flags! I’m trying my hand at art quilting and the Prayer Flags is a wonderful art project to work on. The DVD would be an excellent resource to learn from. Thanks for the blog hop and the giveaway!
great project and some great flags
those prayer flags on the clothesline are gorgeous and inspiring! Congrats to all who made them.
What a beautiful collection of flags.
I do so like the idea of prayer flags swaying in the wind, colorful and heartfelt.
Prayer flags are such a wonderful way to be creative and soulful at the same time. I love to use my bits and pieces to create beautiful flags and then abandon them so someone else may enjoy their beauty.
The window frame one is my favorite.
The expressive nature of prayer flags is amazing. To send your own creative message to blow in the wind is to open yourself up to receive the inspiration that is already ‘blowing in the wind.’
We made simple prayer flags at a recent retreat for women…. It was a beginning step for many of the women in expressing an aspect of their spirituality with the creative arts. Blessings!
I love creative flags in all shapes and sizes. This looks great!
Love, Love, Love
What a great project. I have always been fascinated with Tibet and their wonderful forms of religious art.
I find myself working more with smaller objects — and this is the logical/spiritual next step. I’d love to try making these flags.
Love all prayer flags, and yours are fantastic.
Before I knew that these were called Prayer flags, I bought some with the idea of creating some of my own. As a middle school counselor, I plan to have students design their own flag on paper and challenge them to recreate with fabric and other media.
This is something that I have never done, but admit that I am really intrigued by this process. I would really love to learn how to do this.
I, too, love everything Tibetan. I got to visit in 1984 and have been influenced by it in my own art and have included prayer flags and rock cairns in my quilts. The prayer flags you’ve shown are very inspiring.
This really resonates with me. I would love to have the DVD and explore different methods of creating art on prayer flags. We are celebrating a 30 year anniversary at an art school and I want to have students make the flags to hang around campus for the occasion.
We all travel pieces of the same path, at different times.
Hi, What unique and gorgeous prayer flags…I would be thrilled to win your video and learn
how to make these flags and share inspiration and hope with friends and family!
Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
I also love making prayer flags… for whatever meditation is in my heart while I’m making a flag comes through almost subconsciously and I feel better just for making one and passing it on… which I plan to do today, having just rec’d 3 new stencils that are itching to see paints!
I’d love to start making prayer flags, as a reminder of the things for which I am thankful..
After reading your introduction, I want to make one! Thanks for the chance to win some inspiration and ideas.
Prayer flags are a wonderful way to teach children some multimedia techniques/
I love prayer flags too! I have one, but am saving it for when I get my piece of land. Then it will go outside to grace the garden. Your prayer flags are wonderful!
Your prayer flags are beautiful, and I love the idea of the prayers and positive thoughts being scattered by the wind. I just read a book that you might like, here’s a link to Amazon where you can read the synopsis. Tibet (and Richard Gere) play a part in the book. I loved it and am sad that the story is over. http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Luck-Right-Now/dp/006228553X
I love printing on fabric and so I would love this book. Ever since moving to our first real home we’ve had Tibetan prayer flags in the garden and I’m excitedly planning the designs to make some of my own as well.
I love your line of prayer flags!
Love the fabrics…so bright and cheerful! This is a great Guild project! I want to make a set for my best friend. Happy Easter All!
I am just starting to learn about printing your own fabric. Winning this book would be a big help. It would be fun to create my own fabric for original unique prayer flags.
What a wonderful book, thanks for the chance to win.
Connie
cbquilts345@yahoo.com
Thanks for a chance to win this great book!
I have been wanting to learn more fabric techniques. We just made prayer flags for our outgoing president of our fiber artist guild!
What a beautiful way to express yourself or to celebrate someone. I really have to give this a try!
Love the Prayer Flags!
I plan to make these with our community youth group; thanks for the inspiration. And thanks for the chance to win that great DVD!
Shine on!
Kelley
The prayer flags are wonderful because each one is so different. This will inspire me to step up and create some! This looks simpler than fabric post cards, which I have made, and has the possibility of a broader use of materials and techniques. Would love the DVD giveaway! scotthoughtonatverizondotnet
LOVE the prayer flags! They are all unique and so colorful!
What a beautiful video to see the flags waving in the wind carrying their prayers to places near and far. It is a site to enjoy anytime you step into the yard or the room you hang them in.
rmgsummers@yahoo.com
I have long wondered how one can design their own fabric. This sounds like a great book.
Jane D. rocks! Would love to own this resource! Thanks!
i made a prayer crazy quilt and loved the process of hand stitching it all – i would love to make prayer flags. Yours are so beautiful, artistic, and colorful. thanks. (i hope i don’t show on this page as “anonymous”. i keep putting in my wordpress blog name but maybe the widget is broken because it shows as anonymous when i try to preview or publish it.)
I had never considered making prayer flags, until now!
I like this as a twist on pennant banner garland. Thanks for sharing and all of theirs are so beautiful!
The prayer flags are amazing! Wow!
Looks like an awesome book. Would love to learn how to make my own fabric.
This outdoor banner is really a common choice even for outdoor events because they can be displayed a variety of ways.
custom poster
Thanks for sharing…!!!