Coming Full Circle: prayer flag #12

Honoring Diversity.

A dozen prayer flags in as many days.  (The 12th follows) So beginning left to right,  Freedom of Speech, The Sacred Hoop, Encouragement, Transformation, Freedom from Persecution, Metta, Standing Firm, Honoring Diversity (above), Into the Stillness, Holding Truth and Warrior Women

holding seeds

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Today’s releaser-of-prayers marks the end of a series–the end of an effort that has traveled full circle.  There may be more.  Or not.   Their mission has been accomplished and eco printing calls.

Although externally nothing has changed, internally I am more centered.  (I was going to say “on solid ground” but still reaching for that place.)   But I find myself better able now to stand and face the is-ness of #45 without totally losing my center–or my mind.

Today’s flag Coming Full Circle started as usual with no name and no real plan.  Handling scraps.  I came across the body–a pure white woven rectangle and the process began.   Initially I thought about purity.  Cleansing.  So they are embedded in this irrepressible sprite who refuses to be boxed in–thus the opening in the sky—a passageway–a portal for transcending.  She begged for color and before I knew it, her headdress and heart were  in place.  And a light-hearted cosmic dance was underway.

Hand dyed indigo backing.  

Thank you for accompanying me on this journey.

Thoughts on the Bias

Somewhere along this stitching trail I’ve developed the opinion that somehow “slow cloth” is more–what?–authentic? meaning FULL? moving, intense, honest?  And I’m looking at that now because I have no idea where that notion comes from.  Actually I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the polarity of ideas and opinions we all seem to have and promote.  And I’m always amazed that say two people can have diametrically opposed opinions on the same topic and each believe in their heart-of-hearts that THEY are right.  And something has been niggling away at me presenting the notion that perhaps the truth lies outside–or within– this seeming duality of thought.

So what started this off today–I’ve been digging out old pieces from months ago, pieces I clabbered together by the seat of my pants–feeling what I wanted to stitch down but tool-less in a sense.  I painted and dyed fabric to get the colors I was after–with little idea of what I was doing.    I free motion stitched patterns because that’s all I knew in terms of how to sketch image.  I embellished with bead–and some hand stitching only after I saw it executed by Susan Sorrell over in Greenville, SC.   http://www.fibermixedmedia.com/   And some of the work was really o.k.  But lacking in some THING.  And now I’m realizing what that THING is–STORY.

So then I stumbled upon the mother lode of slow cloth as executed by amazing artist’s such as Jude Hill–I thought “yes”  this is what I’m looking for.  This is the way I want to proceed.  This work has guts and blood.  Aha.  And because I loved it so and wanted to grow up to be just like THAT–slow cloth became branded on my heart as THE way to go.   I still feel very much inclined in that direction.

But today I pulled up this piece.  I call it “One World” and it’s been in a drawer for many months.  When I held it and looked carefully, I was surprised.  It feels GOOD.  Resonates with energy and intent even though it’s not slow cloth.  It was executed on a machine using free motion stitching with only a spattering of hand work.  Yet I really like it.  And there IS a story here.  And, again I’m realizing that I don’t have to see through the filter of always “this” OR “that.”  In fact, I can embrace both with equal passion.  And I can continue to notice this dogmatic tendency I have to label things into division.  One world.  Cloth is teaching me THIS.

One World