Stitching Prayers: Mending Life’s Tapestry

While I contemplated the state of our world this morning I received the inspiration to begin slow hand-stitching my prayers each day. The metaphor of this idea is that each stitch will become a gesture of prayer for God’s mending of whomever and whatever is torn, broken, and in need of God’s Love, Mercy, Grace, and Healing. I invite you to join me for this simple, yet powerful form of prayer.

 Here are a few suggested guidelines to help us get started, but be sure to follow your intuition to create your personal, stitched, prayerful expressions. There is definitely no right or wrong way to stitch your prayers. No previous sewing experience is required. Allow your creative spirit to guide the process.

 Suggestion:

Cut strips of linen, 6″ long by 2″ wide (or to a size of your liking). Focus on the person or situation you are praying for and using embroidery floss in colors of your choosing, simply stitch according to your inner guidance. A simple and repetitive running stitch (in and out, in and out) works well. Colors may be symbolically used. Contemplate how certain colors may apply to the nature of a specific prayer. Add beads, charms, or imagery, if you wish. You may be inspired to stitch things found in nature onto your prayer strips or write your prayer and thoughts with a fine tipped marker.

 The concept is to use the stitching process as a prayerful, intentional focus and meditation while you pray. You may wish to use one strip of cloth for your weekly prayers. At the end of the week, roll the strip and tie with a ribbon. Fill a basket with your prayer bundles or hang them in a favorite tree, or send to the one you are praying for.

 You could also hang your prayer stitchery out of doors as prayer flags or begin to create a prayer banner…attach each completed strip to a cord and hang in your prayer space.

The possibilities for stitching your prayers are endless. It’s all about the intention to create beauty as a form of living prayer.

 How are you inspired to express your prayers as creative offerings of beauty?