the june giveaway and a prayer flag

i promised to share where the more intuitive approach/participation in needlework is now taking me . . .

i've been considering making a prayer flag for some time now and recently there was one of those 'perfect storm' of events and it's just what i need to catapult me forward. i think i've waited for so long because i knew that it could very well turn into a full out project and not just an experiment. i was right.  

i've done various searches for both prayer and prayer flags over the past couple of years. i've read and re-read information, pondered my time and energy restraints, and done a lot of thinking about it . . . recently it was brought up by a friend during a conversation without provocation from me, which felt like yet another little tug. i've seen the subjects pop up as articles in various magazines and briefly discussed within both books and blogs: more tugs.

once again i was back to the 'lots of thinking' stage . . .
do i have enough time and energy for this? exactly what will it involve? will my own spiritual beliefs (which are not the mainstream) 'fit' into the spirit (no pun originally intended) of the project? what is prayer exactly? am i any good at it?
and most importantly, how can i possibly turn all of this confusion into a gentle physical symbol of love? 

this is some of what i discovered while i researched prayer flags:

• in Buddhism, a flag on which prayers are inscribed.
• tibetan prayer flags in tibet are called lung ta (wind horse)
• Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to gods, 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.

this is some of what i discovered while i researched prayer:

• prayer is intended to train a person to focus on the recipient through philosophy and intellectual contemplation
• prayer is a catalyst for change in oneself and/or one's circumstances, or likewise those of third party beneficiaries
• There are many different forms of prayer
• Prayer may be directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping, requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing sins or to express one's thoughts and emotions.

this is some of what i personally discovered as i created my first prayer flag:

• i must be mindful of every single thought, action and personal perception of devine guidance as i move forward (aka: an intuitive approach/participation)
• i am beginning and continuing a dialogue of (mostly) silent prayers which become unexpected blessings within my own life as i create as well as within the life of others as they receive and use what i have created.
• the prayer flag itself is a process not a product. it is very personal, very beautiful, and is entitled to my respect regardless of where or how it may end up.
• my understanding and empathy are greatly deepened as i work/stitch/pray
• my own personal sense of faith is enhanced tremendously throughout the process.
• the prayer of serenity is a perfect addition to any prayer flag  that i may make.

the list goes on but you get the idea: it was a continual series of "aha moments" for me.
there will be more prayer flags as the guiding powers within my life make me aware of the need(s) and i'm willing to bet that every prayer flag i make will add more discoveries.
this process has already become a welcome part of my life that i want to expand upon and yes, i'm now completely committed to my very own prayer flag project.
a journey that i am anticipating with a happy heart.

i'm interested in your thoughts and experiences in regards to prayer flags if you would like to share them with me.
if you would like to investigate more in regards to this subject you might also be interested in the prayer flag project blog as a starting point.

i once again met my own personal goals within a challenge framework. so i'm doing a quick dance of joy as well as celebrating by offering three of my photo note cards (of my choice) as well as a few extra surprise goodies. if you are interested in winning, please leave a comment on this post telling me what you think my theme/challenge for may was. 
i think this last month was a huge challenge for myself as i didn't take a single floral shot and i think it's going to be a tougher challenge for all of you who are participating. it will be interesting to see your guesses but you don't have to get it right, you just have to take a guess within your comment. if you happen to have an idea for a future theme, feel free to share that as well.
i'll draw a name/winner on june 8th.
btw: i don't know whether you all missed those flowers or not but it was absolutely painful for me not to be shooting and sharing them with you. i'm looking forward to getting back to them~!!~


 
the cards were made by a company called snapfish. i'm not being paid by them but i happen to think they're pretty nice cards.

recent gifts include:

• the discovery of a birds nest within my favorite tree (the one that grows tiny crab apples that the robins like to eat during the fall and winter). this tree grows right by my front door and the nest is inhabited by . . . yep, you guessed it. robins~!
• being able to observe the parent birds as they built the nest and continue to faithfully lay and guard the eggs
• the dappling of light near the pond as it falls through the aspen's whispering leaves
• time spent reworking the area around the pond
• seeing the fish become friendlier as the season progresses

# 102 . . .

at pintangle week 21 is all about the butterfly chain stitch. this was another new stitch for me. it's worked in two rounds. the first consisting of straight stitches. i made a group of three (varying lengths) using three strands of floss. each strand was a different color. the second round is a sort of chain stitch that loops around each of the groups of straight stitches. i chose a single strand of a variegated cotton thread for that round.   i didn't find an area on any of the stockings that i wanted to work this stitch into so i practiced with it on a fabric postcard instead.

there is always some creative eye candy within the comments on TAST posts and this week is no exception.

Christine, Claudia  and Miriam have all gone whimsical with kites.  i LOVE this example of the stitch serving a purpose within clothing in a decorative way.
it turns out that one does not have to use three straight stitches for the first run of stitches as shown in Lins Arty Blobs. very cool~!!~


i have wanted to create my own carved stamps for a very long time. i've researched and read and daydreamed and i even bought all of the supplies i'd need over a year ago and yet i still hadn't actually done it.
what was my problem~!?
i was concerned about it being difficult and time consuming and yes, that i'd make some mess of a stamp that i could only use by hiding it cleverly in the farthest back part of some background work.

last week i finally did it and none of those things happened. it was extremely easy and the cutting of it didn't hurt my hands at all (i have puny hand strength). it took me about an hour and that was from my first "gee, maybe i could just unpackage the tools and read over things" thought to actually having used my very first homemade stamp.
AND it turned out absolutely fabulously~!!~

the first thing that has to be done (after the unpackaging thing) is a decision must be made in regards to what the stamp is going to be . . .
i had sketched a pear (this months challenge with The Sketchbook Challenge is fruits and vegetables).
i decided to give it a go using my small (app. 2" tall x 1" wide) pear sketch.
and then i transferred the sketch onto the pink carving material and got to work carving it.
as you can see i enjoyed stamping it out on various papers. see the image in the middle of my process collage? i turned it into this:

feel free to click on the images if you want to see them better.

i hope to be making another fruit stamp this weekend as well as all sorts of stamps eventually.

if you have been thinking about making your own stamps my advice is: jump in and TRY IT~!

i'm looking forward to my artwork being that much more original because i no longer have to rely on pre-made stamps. there are lots of beautiful ones to choose from but there is nothing like having a certain 'vision' for a project and being able to make that happen independently of what may or may not be available for purchase. 
i also really like the rough look of the hand carved stamps as opposed to manufactured ones.

now all of that having been said i'll show some of the tags that i've recently made, all of which used at least one purchased stamp.

as you can see, they can be really pretty and even very versatile. i loved the way the butterfly looked after having colored it in using my prisma colored pencils. 

leaf stamps are favorites of mine and i have several but i'm still looking forward to making a few of my own.
now i can pick up any attractive leaf that i find, carry it home, sketch it out and voila; i'll not only have another stamp to use but i'll also have the memory of all that went into it. being a creative person means that those are good memories for me~!


it may be a while before i carve anything as detailed as the butterfly or as cute as this little mouse stamp but i'm going to have  fun practicing.

i'm sure there will still be stamps that i decide to purchase. there are some awesome choices  designed by talented artists but i know that i'm going to enjoy making my own. i love that my artwork will be much more about my own personal visions.

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the 15 minute challenge this week included time spent on the the hexie quilt top and the TAST project (postcard) as well as the surprise applique project.

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recent gifts include:

• rain
• the sunshine afterwords
• a tasty (homemade) pad thai
• a hot cup of ginger tea with honey

15 minute challenge report ~ may 22

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
Maria Robinson

jude hill from Spirit Cloth recently requested (from those interested in participating) small stones appliqued onto squares of cloth for her Magic Feather Project.

i've been very interested in this project and have enjoyed seeing it come along.

unfortunately, i was unable to create any feathers when they were being requested so when i seen that she was needing the stones to balance things out i was happy to contribute a few.

how many is a "few" anyway?

one seemed to lead to another and another and so i just kept on stitching . . .

i may eventually stitch some more.

this busy little ant was quick to inspect my stones as i was photographing them.

jude has fascinated me for quite some time with her unusual and intuitive approach to needlework.
observation of her blog has taught me a lot but what sticks with me when i go to stitch with my own needle is that one cannot properly "listen" to any given material or project let alone one's own thoughts if there is a constant worry about what is "correct" or what may have been planned previously.  this is important if i wish my work to be original. and quite often i do.
it does not mean that the work is done without thought to integrity (the skills it takes to carry out the work itself) but it does mean that any given piece could lead you on into territory that may not have been previously imagined as the work is being carried out . . . thus one finds oneself part of a spontaneous "story" that is being told through one's needle.
i enjoy it when i can tune into the work and relax enough to do it myself and i love seeing what jude has to share in regards to this process as well as being able to see what 'stories' her and her needle are telling.

i will be blogging in the near future about where this intuitive approach/participation in needlework is now taking me.

my weeks worth of 15 minute challenge work included time spent on the stones as well as the hexie quilt top. there was also embroidery done on the TAST project/christmas stockings, the surprise applique project is coming along and i made a prayer flag (my first). it was a busy but enjoyable week for me.

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recent gifts include:

• finding the red and white parrot tulips gracefully accepting their morning watering. bowing their heads in the early morning light.
• rediscovering that very special color: robins egg blue, while on my morning walk around part of the garden.
• perfect temperatures. not too cold, not too hot and breezes just when you need them most. 

TAST week 20 ~ wrapped bullion stitch

In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.

- shing xiong

at pintangle the stitch for week 20 with TAST is the wrapped bullion stitch.
i've used this stitch before and at one time found it very difficult to do. however, with practice and a bit of relaxation i eventually got it right. now it's one of my favorite stitches. 



it's quite versatile and you may remember that i have used it previously on the stockings as rosebuds when i did the barred chain stitch practice (week 12). 

this week i chose to use it as a simple wrapped bullion on my own stocking using three strands of a variegated silky thread (not positive of content). i did play around with wrapping it in both directions onto my needle in order to determine if it made a difference in the look of the stitch and/or the way that the thread behaved as i made the stitch.
i found there to be a definite difference in both the handling of it and the look of it. if you care to look closely at the photo you may be able to see differences in the stitches as well. i did this exercise randomly as i had no plans on taking any of it out and felt that it would probably not be detected by casual observation anyway, particularly if there was no set 'pattern' or rhythm as to how it was alternated.

i added the wrapped bullion to a previously worked part of the stocking. the red thread is a fly stitch and i placed my bullions right over the tops of the catch part of the stitch. i experimented with creating longer and shorter bullions as well as more tightly and loosely wrapped ones. on some of the stitches i also randomly 'overwrapped' (in relation to the space one chooses the stitch to fit into and how many wraps of thread around the needle are done in which to fill that space.). this 'overwrapping or excess of  loops wound onto the needle causes the stitch to bump up or curve when finished and properly in place.
you can really see the curve effect very well on the rosebuds. this is due to the contrast of one of the bullions (within each individual rosebud) being a bit shorter and straighter. the longer curvier bullion is what gives them a more realistic and graceful appearance.
i have also made rosebuds using three bullions tightly grouped, with the center bullion being the smallest and straightest.
it's very effective in creating lavender flowers as well.

there are LOTS of possibilities with this one~!
for starters, there is a very well done sampler showing what can be done with this stitch here.
HomeMadeByMe has created a beautiful stitchery using the wrapped bullion.
it can also be made in various sizes and here it's been taken to some great lengths.
All Kinds Of Needlework has created Astrakhan fur (aka Karakul fur).

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 recent gifts include:

• 'nesting' out some of the outdoor areas for the summer.
• making and eating the first potato salad of the season. yummmmmm~!
• seeing the hatching of some orb spiders as they almost magically disperse into the garden. they are so beneficial~!