Prayer flags, journal pages, art quilt blocks...sometimes it's all the same.

I love painting with fabric. It just is so much fun to pull out all the scraps, tear strips, match or mismatch colors. Prayer flags, journal pages, art quilt blocks...sometimes it's all the same...a small canvas to send a phrase or a thought or an image out into the world. And we need messages of love, care, thoughtfulness, and lots of strength.

It's been how long?

A year and a half since my last post. So much busy stuff has happened, and I just keep rolling along. So let's see some stuff. Some of it is art journaling, but most of it is fabric art. I may have to change the name of this blog. I find that putting things in journals just means I can't see them on a regular basis, but then I tend to give or swap most of my items anyway. So.....

Last year I made myself a lap quilt. I now work at home and the corner I work in gets chilly in the winter. I can't see turning up the heat to make me comfy in one corner, so a lap quilt would be perfect. The one I was using was too short.

 I have to say, this turned out even better than I had envisioned. I love that.

We had a new arrival in the family and I made this for my grand nephew. I almost kept it. He loves it and even though it is rather bright, I don't think it keeps him up at night.

Check out the other pages for even more creations.

Fabric journal pages

Drawing or painting with fabric has become a love of mine. Selecting the colors and the fabric and the technique to "draw" the image on the canvas. Creating texture and layers. Appliqueing or reverse appliqueing, chenilling, painting, dying, ripping and layers of color.

In a recent fabric art journal page swap I created two pages to share with friends. Both make use of scraps of fabric to build up the colors and create the feel and mood for the page. Quotes are on the backs.

Art quilt blocks for community quilt

Every year I participate in the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival community quilt. Women from all over the world participate to create a themed quilt that is then raffled off at the final concert. It is always beautiful, inspiring and lots of fun. Women and girls spend the week of the festival embellishing the donated quilt blocks before it is bound and presented for the raffle drawing.

This year's theme was "What do you love about Michfest". Where do I start or end? I love the woods, I love the singing, I love the music, I love the ferns, I love the spirit and the women and the community. I love the drumming and the silence. It is a time of peace and healing and community.

I ended up making four 6" squares, Just because I couldn't stop at one. And they are also fabric journal pages...or prayer flags...or just art.

Prayer Flags send our wishes, intentions, and joy to the world.

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. ~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag

I recently participated in a prayer flag swap and received so many lovely flags. Too pretty, I kept thinking, to ever hang outside and let the wind and rain take them slowly out into the world. And yet, why must I keep them inside, pretty and inspiring to look at, but gathering dust. I want hold on to these flags, yet the spirit of them is with me no matter what I do with them. And do I really need more stuff?

Of course I created flags to send back with words of love and creation. It was a very restful and fun swap, I fell into quiet introspection as I worked on these flags. Enjoy this series of flags and note the unifying little green beads that scattered their way across the flags. I used cottons, silks, vintage fabrics and anything else I could in the process.

Create

Freedom

Renew v2

Perseverance

Renew v1

Silence

Jump

Time to pick up the journal again.

Soon you will be dancing on top of the world"

I'ts been one of those busy years, productive, fun, and just plain busy. The weather has turned cold, the holidays are over and peace is settling over the renewing season. Winter is a resting time, a time for seeds to sleep and get their winter treatment and a time for trees to dig deep into the earth and hold those buds ready for a bit of warmth.

I make a cup of tea, throw on another log, pick up the journal and work out a few thoughts.

Take advantage of a bit of ephemera to start a page. Last night's fortune cookie got me started. "Soon you will be sitting on top of the world." I like dancing better.

(This is an armchair shot. I held the journal out and took a few snapshots, no need to get up and waste all that warmth from my lap robe. I am really nesting!)

Another published piece

I got published! Submitted a piece for an art journal book. Just received the book and it's wonderful and inspirational. Page 61!. http://www.northlightshop.com/art-journal-kickstarter-grouped

It was created for a fabric art journal swap. I layered fabrics and stitched my pattern then snipped away layers to reveal  various colors. Birch twigs wrapped in thread frame the window. A scattering of beads adorn the new growth. Every birch grove holds a window into spring. 

Spring Window