Believe and Begin - My January Prayer Flag

I began this flag based on the colors of winter, which around me are neutral tones and the colors of bark, lichens and moss. Turning to my stash of fabric scraps, I chose a medium weight gray cotton for the base layer. I came across a piece from on old t-shirt with the word “Believe” on it, along with some flourishes. I decided this could be the focal point of the flag. Other pieces of fabric include cotton colored with left over paint from a past project, some eco-printed cotton and some coordinating scraps.

I laid out the scraps and tried several compositions. When I decided what I liked, I pinned the pieces to the foundation cloth. I then attached the fabrics with hand stitching. I used vintage sewing thread in either a running stitch or back stitch. To create more visual interest, I used embroidery floss to adhere some of the fabric pieces. Lastly I added some washers as accents. I attached these with embroidery floss.

Since I planned to hang this outside for the year, I hand stitched a heavier weight fabric to the back to cover the stitches. I didn’t want birds tugging at the stitches to use as nest building material.

The finished size is approximately 8” x 10”. I folded over about an inch of fabric on top and stitched to create the pocket for the hanger. I’m using a long strip torn from an old sheet to suspend the flags. Right now the extra length is gathered up at one end.

During the time stitching this, I contemplated the season of winter. It is a time to rest and rejuvenate before the spring energy awakens the earth again.