More on Our Prayer Flags — Comment to Win!

Mixed Media flags displaying the traditional Buddhist prayer flag colors and order

The traditional blue (space), white (air), red (fire), green (water), and yellow (earth) color and order, created with various mixed media techniques and marked with wishes for each element.

As posted last week, we now have a wonderful string of Prayer Flags, made by Judy’s Altered Minds (JAMs) and Quilter’s Unlimited (QU) (Burke Chapter) Art Quilt Bee members, embellishing the front of the shop.

Members of the JAMs fiber/mixed media art group create prayer flags

The 4/27 meeting of the combined JAMs/Burke Art Quilt Bee group focused on The Prayer Flag Project, founded by Vivika Hansen DeNegre. During the meeting, a member presented five prayer flags (photo at the top of this post) made in the traditional blue (space), white (air), red (fire), green (water), and yellow (earth) style...with a twist. Each flag represented their traditional meaning but were made with various mixed media techniques and marked with wishes for each element.

From this presentation, the group then each took the general prayer flag concept, several “blank” flags, made from Vivika’s tutorial, and created prayers and wishes to their hearts’ desire.

The artists created a wide array of prayer flags, using many different types of mixed media and quilting techniques. Please view our gallery of individual flags at the bottom of this post.

JAMs members Jen Bell (left) and Linda Morgan create prayer flags

The flags are now flying proudly outside the Artistic Artifacts store in Alexandria, VA, spreading their positive thoughts and good cheer to all.

Submit Your Caption Suggestion!

Judy Gula, Artistic Artifacts owner and atop the ladder, begins hanging the prayer flags with the assistance of Liz Kettle. Post your suggestion for this photo's caption in our comments section!

Hanging the flags on a breezy day was a bit of an adventure! Diane Herbort took this great photo of the beginning of that process. She emailed it to us and noted that it “definitely needs a talk balloon.” We agree! So use our comments section to give us your best suggestion for what is being said!

Submitted captions that include a full name from a valid email address will go into a hat for a random drawing, winning a 5-pack of Gelly Roll Metallic Pens (gold, silver, blue, emerald and purple). The winner will be announced in next week’s posting.

Workshop Seats Still Available

It has been a busy week so far! SAQA’s 25th Anniversary Conference, “Capitolizing on Fiber,” concluded on Sunday at noon, and at 1:00 pm we welcomed a full class of students for Thermofax Printing, as well as conducted a vintage linen and flea market. Monday we had Gelli Printing, Monday and Tuesday was Indigo and Shibori Dyeing, today (Wednesday) concludes the 3-day (machine) Stitch Journeys class and began the 2-day (hand) Stitch Play.

There are still seats available in the final class of our post-SAQA programming: Mixed Media Mayhem! with Liz Kettle on Friday, May 9. Come join in the fun!