Prayer Flag # 7 and a tutorial

I'm in The Prayer Flag project and want to share a little tutorial on making your own flag, using your drawing skills.


 
We've lived in our house for 8 years, and these blooms appeared for the very first time ever a month or so ago. They're outside my office window and I watch the hummingbirds visit them everyday.

In preparation, I ironed a piece of good quality white muslin (left over with a rabbit drawing on part of it) onto a piece of freezer paper. The freezer paper keeps it flat and easier to draw on. I went outside and quickly drew the new bloom in town with a fabric pen. Straight to pen, a quick, nearly continuous line drawing.
      
For the flag itself, I used a scrap of one of my monoprints, tearing it into a 5 x11" piece. I folded over the top 3 inches to make a sleeve on the back for hanging.

I removed the freezer paper from the drawing and ironed the drawing onto fusible webbing with a paper backing. Then, I cut out the drawing, with the fusible backing paper still on.
Once it was cut out, I removed the fusible backing paper and ironed it on to the flag.

I embroidered french knots onto the blossoms, and then machine free-motion sitched the lines of the drawing in black thread.

This is the back of the flag (I added a piece of plain muslin to the back before I free motioned stitched) I also wrote a few lines that moved me.



I added some more contrast in the negative areas with color pencil, so the plant drawing would show up.

I printed out a sheet of labels, so now all my flags are dated and named on the back.


Flag # 7: For everything there is a season.




The lyrics from The Birds song "To Everything there is a Season"
To everything - turn, turn, turnThere is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together


To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven


A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!