Prayer Flags
Carrie Bloomston and Rhonda Greenberg
Quilters and sewists are smitten by fabric in pretty much any form (and for any reason). We use it as much to express ourselves as to make useful items. Maybe that warp-and-weft conveys a message that we long to send, don’t know how to verbalize or may not even know we are sending. And fabric’s ability to communicate is exactly what’s at the heart of an effort, the Happy Flag Project, by designer Carrie Bloomston of Suchity Such (visit her blog here). She and friend Rhonda Greenberg of Studio Paradise, LLC are organizing a prayer flag drive in honor of the Dalai Lama’s upcoming visit in October to Birmingham, Alabama. And she’s inviting all us fabric-obsessed folk to join her.
The Dalai Lama’s visit is scheduled for Oct.-24-26, and in part, he will speak in a gathering at Birmingham’s Regions Field about human rights.
Why Birmingham? The city stands out as a hotbed of violence, the central location of the Civil Rights Movement here in the United States. Birmingham is also where the then-jailed Martin Luther King, Jr. called for non-violent demonstrations against civil rights problems in a letter to a local newspaper editor. The letter was in response to clergy members who hjad asked MLK to set aside his demonstrative, though peaceful, ways.
What is a Prayer Flag?
A prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along mountain ridges high in the Himalayas. Commonly strung at sacred sites, traditional prayer flags include woodblock-printed text (mantras) and symbols.
Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to gods, which is a common misconception; rather, the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.
Prayer flags have really caught on in our modern, western world. People are hungry for meaning and connection. Many are inspired to create handmade interpretations of traditional prayer flags. They may look different from Tibetan flags, but the spirit is the same. The act of creating a prayer flag is a blessing in itself. It feels wonderful to pour the love from your heart into a piece of art meant for the wind.
Flags collected from around the world for Carrie and Rhonda’s Prayer Flag Project will be hung in sacred civil rights sites in Birmingham during the Dalai Lama’s visit. Those fabricky prayers will join thousands of others in an artful display. It may only take you a few minutes to make, but you will become a part of something much bigger–a global conversation about peace, loving kindness and meaningful creativity.
Flags made in workshops across the country
Flags should be a finished size of 8 x 9 1/2″. You can sew, quilt, knit, paint, embellish, bead, embroider, draw, needle-point, duct tape, tie-dye, weave, crochet, collage, batik, type, stamp, silkscreen, etc! Use fabric markers, fabric paints, anything you want to Celebrate Your Inner Artist!™ (Just be careful that your flag isn’t too heavy.) FUN IDEA: Upcycle a piece of meaningful cloth or fabric from your family–a handkerchief, a favorite t-shirt, a special textile of any kind.
Finished flags should be sent to:
The Happy Flag Project
4340 East Indian School Rd.
Suite 21-216
Phoenix, Arizona 85018 USA
to arrive no later than August 30, 2014.
For more information, go to visit The Happy Flag Project.
Quilt. Sew. Live. Breathe.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a wonderful idea! I am going to make one to send in – thanks for the heads up!
THANK YOU, wonderful peeps over there (Jake, Melissa, Scott, Teri and EVERYONE else) for supporting our project and spreading he word! Means a lot to me. Thank you. xo