Prayer Flag Two

Good morning!  :)  I made my second prayer flag yesterday and I am here to share the tutorial with you.  If you remember last week's focus was on gratitude.  This week we are focusing on family.

The method I'm using is from a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine from 2007.  Kelly Rae Roberts wrote the article and I basically tried what she shows in the magazine.  So, let's get started!

Step 1: 

Using canvas paper as a your base, collage some scrapbooking or any other decorative papers on.  I cut out squares and rectangles and laid them out.  Use gel medium to glue them on, and then paint a layer of gel medium over the whole thing when you are done.  Let it dry.

(Just in case you love it, my scrapbooking papers are from an Amy Butler set that I bought at Michaels two years ago)

Step 2:

Pour two different colors of craft paint on a tray.  Using a brayer, roll it through and saturate the roller with your paint.

Step 3:

Roll your brayer all over the papers, spreading the paint around.  While it is still wet, use a paper towel to pick up some of the paint.  There is no exact science to this.  Just play around until you like what you see:)

Let it dry.

Step 4:

Kelly Rae uses a charcoal pencil, but I didn't have one.  I just used a regular pencil to draw a shape of a house.  When I think of my family, I think of "home", so that is the image I chose to convey.  Paint it in with gesso, or I just used white craft paint.  Use a paper towel to wipe off paint to let some of the papers show through.  Let it dry completely.  You can't see it here, but I also glued a heart on top of the roof.

Step 5:

I played around with different decorative stitches on my sewing machine to outline the house.

Step 8:

Cut out a door from a magazine or draw your own.  When I went to sew my on, I thought it would be clever to leave it open so I could leave a message behind the door.  In that case, sew just down the left side of the door.

Step 9:

Using a permanent marker, I wrote the words to a song that I really love (The Words I Would Say, by Sidewalk Prophets).  When I hear it, I always think of my children.

Step 10: 

 Using instructions from Week One, make the back of your flag and your pocket.  My pocket turned out a little wonky, but that's ok

Step 11: 

After sewing the front and back of the flag together, I added these little wooden discs to spell out family.

Step 12:

Add your little message behind the secret door :)

Now you can write your prayer to slip in your pocket. 
I wrote prayers for everyone in my immediate family.  Prayers for my husband, prayers for each of my children, and prayers to keep our family strong in Christ.  This was so enjoyable.  Every child had very unique prayers from me.

Please remember this:  If you are playing along, please don't get too caught up in the instructions.  Feel free to follow your artistic instinct.  You don't have to create exactly what I'm doing.  My instructions are just a guide and to act as a sort of inspiration. 

Have fun!  If you have any questions at all, leave a comment and I will answer them there.
xo,
Chrissie

Prayer Flag One

Welcome to the first week of my prayer flag series.

I am making prayer flags for a few reasons.  One, because I love the way they look!  I think they are really beautiful.  Two, I am treating them all like little canvases, which gives me an opportunity to experiment with different techniques.  Last, I want to be more intentional in my prayers.

Below is a picture of the first one I made.  The theme this week is Gratitude.  I think that all prayer should begin with gratefulness.

If you are playing along, please don't get too caught up in the instructions.  Feel free to follow your artistic instinct.  You don't have to create exactly what I'm doing.  My instructions are just a guide and to act as a sort of inspiration. 

Let's get rolling with the tutorial!

I am using canvas paper for my flags.  I decided to go with 4.5 x 6", but of course go with any size you desire.

Make sure you brush all the salt off, and then you will the grainy texture left behind!

If you don't have a free motion foot on your sewing machine, there are so many other options for the word gratitude.  You could paint it on, use scrapbooking letter stickers, collage it with magazine cut-outs, etc.

You can use any fabric you'd like for the back.  Think about whether you will want each one to be different, or the same.  I found this colorful bedskirt at Goodwill and I love the colors.

Don't sew down the top or you won't be able to put anything in your pocket!

Do this when you have some quiet time.  Be intentional in your time.  Thank God for everything that you can think of.

Yay!  That was really fun.  I worked when I was all alone today so I could really reflect on my gratitude. It was a nice time.

 I can't wait to start on the next one.  Next week's theme will be Family.

If you have any questions at all leave a comment, and I will answer you in the comments as well.

Maybe when we're all done we can have a prayer-flag party and show each other what we made!:)

Do you want to make some prayer flags with me?

I love the work of Karen Michel.  I am so inspired by her prayer flags that I've been planning on making a set for our home.

Do you want to make some with me?  If anyone is interested, I'm going to use this opportunity to explore and experiment with lots of different techniques that I've been wanting to try.  We'll do embroidery, painting, collage, sewing, and the use of photos.  If anyone else wants to do it, I'll post a tutorial every week for 6 weeks.  My plan is to make six panels for my prayer flags.  Every week will have a different theme and a different technique to share.

In the words of Liz Lameroux, "Each flag represents a prayer to be sent out into the world. The pockets on the flags are intended to carry your burdens, hopes, dreams, worries, and so on that are then released into the world as the flags blow in the breeze."

If you want me to share what I'm doing, will you leave me a comment?  It would be fun to do it with my bloggy friends.

1. prayer flags : in progress, 2. prayer flags, 3. http://flickr.com/photos/45797155@N00/4829388356/, 4. mixed media wood collage, 5. Prayer Flags (workshop), 6. prayer flags: seek series