How many of you have almost unlimited deposits of scrap paper, pieces of ribbons and thread lying around ‘just in case’? We know that every crafter is guilty of hoarding scraps just because ‘you never know, I might need it’. Well… now is the time when you can finally open the drawer/box of shame and put the bits and pieces to good use! Today, we want to share with you Jaine Drake’s brilliant idea on how to turn your scraps into a colourful flag banner where you can display your prayer, motto or just a phrase you like.
‘I was introduced to prayer flags by one of the students in a workshop I was teaching. Once she’d explained the idea to me, I was intrigued. After a bit of research, I discovered it was originally Tibetan monks who wrote their mantras or prayers on the flags then hung them up to allow the wind to take their prayers up and purify the air around them. I thought this would make a wonderful project to start off the New Year deciding to put my own twist on it by including an inspirational word or phrase to carry me through the year. It’s an easy project with minimal sewing so nothing challenging; by helping you use up scraps, it’s also economical.’ – Jaine Drake
Materials used:
Canvas Corp – Canvas fabric
Canvas Corp – Burlap Pennants
Canvas Corp – Scrap pack of papers and fabrics
Shannon Green – Manila Madness pack
Canvas Corp – Coloured Cord and ribbons
Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze – Blue Oasis, Paradise Pink, Desert Sun and Sweet Pea
White gesso
Tools: Stapler – All purpose glue – Grommets – Crop-A-Dile
Here is a quick tour of the project…..
Here are Jaine’s steps in making the banner:
Cut a piece of canvas to the size you want your flag to be. Instead of cutting my fabric, I ripped it to get a nice ragged edge. Gather any scraps together, paper and fabric alike, and arrange them on the canvas where you’d like them to be. Once you’re happy, glue them down with all purpose glue. Use a few staples as embellishments; hand stitching will make it look great, too.
For the fringing, make holes along the bottom with a punch, e.g. a Crop-A-Dile. Thread fabric strips, ribbons and cord through the holes.
For the burlap pennant paint, on some gesso to allow you to be able to draw and paint on the surface. Don’t make this layer too thick or heavy.
Hand draw simple images like flowers or stars. You could also try stamping your designs on the burlap.
Use Glimmer Glaze or an acrylic paint to colour the images. I chose Glimmer Glaze as it gave my flowers a gorgeous shimmer.
A few beads and some sparkle finish the banner.
To finish off the project, punch holes and add grommets at the top for threading a piece of ribbon or twine through. Add an inspiring word or phrase to the banner and hang above your workspace as inspiration for the rest of the year.
You can put your own twist on the banner and have an inspiration quote, bible line or even turn it into a birthday gift. There are so many ways in which you can make this project ‘yours’. We hope you will! If you do – don’t forget to tag us if you share it on your social media!
For more crafty inspiration, visit Jaine’s blog and Instagram.
'Make Your Own Prayer Flag Banner' has no comments
Be the first to comment this post!