Blowin' in the Wind...

It's been some time since my last post. I've been busy, followed by a three-day layup with a cold. Fortunately, one of the prayer flags I recieved in a recent swap with Creative Swaps was for healing. I needed some of that, and am doing better now. After making and swapping three prayer flags, the next stage of the swap is to post photos of the flags in our yards or gardens. I haven't decided on the final location for mine, but meanwhile they look pretty good here in the honeysuckle arbor. The first three flags from left to right are from the swap, and the fourth is one I made. I really enjoyed this project, and have several more prayer flags waiting in the wings, so the display is going to grow.

This photo shows a bit more detail. The fuchsia flag at left was made by Siri Hauge Opdal from Norway, next is the healing flag made by Julie Wolkoff from Massachusetts, the red "love" flag is from Sabine Schnieder from Germany. And the fourth is my "sanctuary" flag. All of the flags include a vareity of fiber techniques such as beading, stamping, piecing, embroidery and embellishing. The small size (about 5" x 8") makes them quick and easy, and yet a great place to explore techniques and make use of snips and scraps.

As part of my busy week, I spent a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom with quilting friend Joanne. We rode the Kali River Rapids attraction in the Asia section of the park, and I was taken by all of the many Tibetan prayer flags festooning the entry building. I might have noticed them before, but this time I was really taken with them, having just participated in this swap. If you have a few minutes, check out this video by Undercover Tourist ... it shows the ride (wear a poncho if you go!), but also has many shots of the prayer flags. Quite impressive. If you don't have time for the video, try this site... it has a photojournalist's pics of the prayer flags. There was another display in the nature walk that had strips of various fabrics tied to branches. It represented answered prayers according to the accompanying info. From knowing very little about prayer flags to discovering a wealth of information about them, this has been a most enjoyable journey.