rose petal prayer flag…

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Susi Bancroft

Working on a prayer flag at Walcot Chapel. Torn strips of turmeric and tea dyed silk organza hand stitched with french knots

In my stitch language french knots are thoughts – like a prayer bead felt between the fingers.

The flags – and there are now almost 100 including the blue woad ones – are stitched onto withies – so pliable and supple dancing in the breeze

We were brought a beautiful bunch of flowers including roses which filled the air with scent – what a gift to bring! And so – as the petals gently drifted onto the tablecloth I gathered them to stitch.

A handful of petals..

Drifting in the breeze – https://vimeo.com/131747643

rose petal prayer flag from Susi Bancroft on Vimeo.

This week a little flag in a posy with roses and rosemary – remembrance

Bees Knees at Walcot Chapel

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Susi Bancroft

The 9 prayer flag pieces at Walcot Chapel last week will be on show indoors at Nature in Art in August (11th – 31st)… I experimented with framing them floating from wax backing pieces. I poured the hot beeswax onto scrim for some extra strength. The beeswax is chosen for the relationship in the work to protecting bees

The backing cloth from here I dyed with woad – gently squeezing the cloth so that there is a little faint white in places – like clouds in the sky.

Here is a little clip of film of it drying – woad drying in the breeze

And then – the golden yellow thread turned green from the dye bath, so I am adding more french knots. Last week it floated against the window of the chapel and I stood to stitch it, glancing through the cloth to the birds in the chapel garden

Meanwhile I am nearly up to 100 flags on withies for outside…