Solace

stitched and dyed wonders..........

A while back, India Flint sent out an invitation to................... "make a triangular flag or pennon [meaning a personal ensign, derived from the Latin penna meaning a wing or a feather] preferably using a piece of pre-loved cloth.

Stitch on it a word or a phrase or a sentence that might act as a wish for peace or an acknowledgement of beauty, imply a sense of stillness or simply something that  gives you solace. It can be as brief or as long as you like. A haiku, a snatch of song, a word that takes you where you want to be."

You can read what else she said here.

 So here's mine....... I read about the project  with only days to spare before the cut-off date.....India wanted them all ready to be hung for the Winter Solstice, and because they were going to very remote Andamooka in the South Australian desert, with irregular postal deliveries, I needed to allow almost a week for it to get there. It was a very quick whip together, with little time for slow stitching or embellishment, but as they say, it's the thought that counts.

Front

Back

I used the last of a thrifted linen napkin (serviette) that I'd used for very early plant dyeing experiments and added a favorite Mary Oliver poem. I love this poem for the solace it gives that every day is new, a new beginning and another opportunity for things to be different, another chance to be kind and happy. After I added the back, a scrap of silk from an old shirt this time, with a small dyed heart and the words " kindness" and "love", I did some kantha stitch in a spiral, and then a few rows across the top to hold the layers together.  A big wooden button and ties made with hemp string completed the flag.

And away to Andamooka it went.............and this came back............

On the back, India has written.... "solace - a collective impromptu poem recorded on cloth to sing in the winds"

........a postcard from India, one to each of the contributors, of our flags dressing up the desert, singing in the winds.  India had planned to dip them all in an indigo vat, but a shortage of water prevented this.  I'm pleased she left them in their original state, they glow beautifully in the desert light.

Go here to read India's post about all the flags she received, see the wonderful collage of them, and her response to them, and here to Christi's blog where you'll find links to some of those who contributed and the stories behind their flag, stories that are joyful and inspiring, incorporating wonderful memories on and about scraps of cloth that hold meaning, wishes and blessings.  It's worth making a cuppa and spending a little time browsing these blogs.

so till next time........