hope wish prayer flags
March 10, 2009
The traditional Tibetan prayer flag is a colorful panel or rectangle of thin cloth in many colors and strung together. Traditionally they are woodblock printed with prayers in the form of text and images. They are often found strung along mountain ridges in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside. The thought is that the breeze blows through and around the flags thereby spreading the prayers far and wide.
Here at Future Craft, we have made many a version of prayer flags that offer a similar intention – to spread prayers, wishes and good thoughts far and wide.
Last year, in our mama’s group, we used the prayer flag template to make “birthday wish flags.” With pinking shears we cut printed fabric for a background square, and then a smaller square of plain white fabric – either muslin, cut up white cotton sheet or some such similar plain, recycled fabric. Each person in the group wrote our messages, wishes, thoughts and feelings for the birthday girl onto a piece of white fabric, which we then sewed onto the background piece. We then strung them all together for the words to catch the breeze and bring good wishes all year long. We each have them hung up in some special spot and, nearly a year out, they still make our hearts sing.
During election time last fall we participated in an Obama Mama rally and family picnic and were asked to bring a participatory craft. We had already done the birthday flags and thought a flag would be a great project for a large group. For the kids, we wanted to present something that would conjur up hope, pure and simple, rather than a partisan declaration. Kathie cleverly came up with the term Hope Flags and at that rally for Obama on a beautiful fall Austin day, that sentiment resonated LOUDLY!
We pre-cut a couple hundred background fabrics in a wide variety of patterns and colors. We also pre-cut a same amount of the smaller, white sheets. As a nod to the traditional Tibetan flags using wood blocks, Kathie made rubber block prints that offered Hope themed writing prompts: I AM HOPE… Hope to me sounds like… Hope to me looks like… and, What I can do… We also had some blank flags for people to come up with their own statements.
Rather than machine sew the white onto the patterned, we brought buttons and embroidery thread and needles to sew them together by hand. Kids and adults could write out their prompts using the colored pens, select their background fabric, choose a button for the anchor at the top two corners, and either sew them on themselves, or have us do it for them.
The response was amazing and colorful and thoughtful and hopeful and accessible for all. We then strung the flags from tree to tree for all the messages of hope and commitment and peace and diplomacy to waft on the breeze and spread to all the surrounding countryside. After the rally we took them back to the studio where they now hang the length of the building and from wall to wall. They illuminate the studio still with their drawings, scribbles and words – all serving as clear and continuous messages of hope. And I guess they worked!
We continue to ponder the prayer flag, birthday flag, wish flag, hope flag as a design that is full of amazing possibilities – each one full of sentiment and love and hope and each one full of ideas for more ideas!
So whether you are a master seamstress or someone who has never before held a needle and thread, you can whip up a prayer flag to suit your own needs and creative desires. Make it detailed with embroidery and buttons and all the bells and whistles, or make it simple with plain cloth and thread and pen. It’s yours to do with what you like and yours too to share meaningful messages over and over and over again.
If taking this on still seems too complicated, please head over to our shop page for your very own Future Craft Collective Prayer Flag kit – which includes everything you need to make your own string of flags.
Thanks to our dear friend Jote for these amazing pictures!
Posted in Tutorials, Uncategorized
March 10th, 2009 at 11:20 am
AWESOME KATHIE!!! Love the pics. Thanks Jote!
March 17th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
i did this with my kids (ages 5 and 2-1/2) and it came out wonderful! we did our own version — things we love: apple trees, snowmen, lots of birds). thanks for the inspiration!
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:06 am
What a great idea – things we love. Seems you could add a new flag monthly! Until your string went across the yard and back again.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I’m asking to do this at our Annual Picnic! This is a great idea and truly inspiring!
May 19th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I love this idea. The term “Hope Flags” really struck me, too- my family and I participate in the American Caner Society’s annual Relay for Life and as the Relay’s theme is Hope, I thought these flags would be perfect! I’ve decided to make them in pieces and have the Relay participants assemble their own (like you did at the Obama really). I’ve also carved some stamps that say “Hope” and “Cure.” I really like the idea of adding more flags every year we do the relay- I can’t imagine what it will loook like in a decade or so! I do have a quick question for you, though. I’m just wondering if you used regular ink for the stamps, or some kind of fabric ink?
Thanks again for this great idea!
June 12th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I’ve been thinking about how to do flags for our sexual abuse therapy programme and as activism against sexual exploitation of youth in our community. Seems a good way to let young people know that others care about what they are going through and believe in their healing, at a time when they can feel pretty alone. Also, it can give kids the sense that they have valuable knowledge to share with other people. Thanks for the images.
Maybe starts like, “What helps me is”, “Healing is”, “Respect feels like”, “I care for myself by”…
June 15th, 2009 at 3:44 am
I love this idea Alison. Here are a few other prompts I thought of: I am… I appreciate… I feel safe when…
Please keep us posted!
July 17th, 2009 at 4:22 am
I like the idea of creating these one at a time to document heart-felt prayers and then to join them in a bunting. Thanks!
July 17th, 2009 at 9:47 am
These are wonderful! What a fantastic craft for all ages. This is my first time at your blog and I love it.
~Alicia
July 17th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
i love this idea! as a girl who is… uh, buddish
… i have prayer flags in our backyard, but i would reeeally love to make my own with my daughter! what a great idea for a birthday or a wedding, too! very sweet. thank you for sharing this.
July 21st, 2009 at 8:28 am
Fantastic,
I love the goodness that is spread through these beautiful heartfelt flags!!
August 13th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
So, what kind of pens/ink did you guys use? Regular ink pads for the stamps? Fabric pens or regular markers? Can’t wait to see what the 3-4 year olds come up with!
August 14th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Hey Nicole,
we used super skinny sharpies which worked great. As I said, just make sure you have the kids write them out before they get sewn on the background cloth. Also, make sure the kids attach them in the correct direction – the slip for the string goes at the top.
Have a great time with them. Can’t wait to see some pics.
September 10th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
This is such a lovely idea and it looks beautiful blowing in the wind.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:53 am
These are lovely! We’ve been having lots of fun carving lino blocks lately – and weren’t really sure what to do with our pictures – now I know.
Thanks for the wonderful inspiration.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:25 am
Oh perfect marriage! Lino block and prayer flags YES!!! We too have making stamps – using rubber tires mostly. I have a few lino blocks tucked away I think I’ll have to bust them out.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
[...] much and don’t go without many things. I remembered seeing a blog post about making your own prayer flags and decided to go with a gratitude theme instead of the hope wish theme shared in the other [...]
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:42 am
I think this is such a gorgeous idea – and have linked back to it from our blog as we’ve been doing a bit about flags:
http://www.playingbythebook.net/2009/11/02/vexillology/
Thanks for the inspiration!
June 11th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
These are incredible! Adding to my tumblr – would be such a wonderful project to do with friends this summer!
June 14th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
We are creating prayer flags for my “Blessing Way.” We are sending flags to people who can not be there and stringing them at the event.
June 15th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
That is so awesome! We’d love a picture from your blessing way to post on the blog. Thanks so much.
July 5th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I saw these on your site last summer and have been itching to create them – we are creating “peace flags” at our Unitarian Church youth camp this year (our theme is Peace). Each camper will take home a string of 10 flags at the end of camp. I can’t wait to see the results!!!
November 5th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
this is such a beautiful idea. i appreciate you sharing it. i will be making “gratitude” flags with my students for the thanksgiving holiday. i just know they will love it. thank you again.
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