July Prayer Flag - Learning to Live with Ease

This month’s prayer flag is different from the ones I’ve created so far. July was different than the previous months too! My practice has been to select a color scheme based on what I see around me. Early in July my husband and I drove to Connecticut for a family reunion. We stopped in several states along the way. There was no color inspiration that caught my eye. When we arrived home, we got Covid. Quite badly. We spent a full week inside, mostly sleeping. Then another week still resting. The grass was getting really tall and the weeds were filling in the flower beds. And we could not do anything about it! So, unlike other months, I had no outdoor inspiration to inform my flag for July.

I looked through my stash of fabrics and found pieces of a vintage calendar printed on a linen towel. These symbolized the days moving on as we watched them go by. The running stitches represent tick marks to count the days until we were better and able to return to our regular routine. I chose colors that make me happy.

Stitching this flag was a joy. The fabric is very soft. It is from a well-worn linen tea towel that belonged to my husband’s grandmother. Moving the needle through this fabric was so easy. Several times in past months it could be a struggle to get the needle through heavier fabric. The running stitch is uncomplicated. Since I was not feeling well and lacking energy, this was the perfect method and materials.

As I stitched, I prayed for myself and husband as we recovered from this Covid infection. I prayed for the events going on in our country this month. The attempted assassination of a former president, followed by much political and world news. Too much to hold in my head and heart, so these were transferred to the cloth in stitch.

Reflecting on this flag I see that it is mostly stitching. The past six prayer flags have been fabric collages hand stitched together. I like this new style. I think I will continue to create this way for a few months.

Another observation is how easily I was able to create this one, even though I did not have a plan other than to get started. I realized that I tend to complicate things. I heard someone talking about choosing to do things that are easy. I want more ease in my life. The world is complicated enough!