Prayer Flag Project Day 6: Mothering & Success

 Today's flag is a prayer for the success and visibility of a documentary film, The Mothers of Bedford.  I hope everyone who reads this post has a moment to pop over to the website, see the trailer, and ultimately, view the film.

My friend Jen McShane is the film maker, and it has been her project for the last five years to document the lives of 5 amazing women as they struggle to become better mothers, active mothers, loving parents and good examples for their children while serving time in a maximum security prison.  It is a moving film that is simultaneously funny and sad, serious and uplifting, and ultimately celebrates the bond of mother and child.


Many parents find it hard to imagine being away from a child for a week. Imagine being separated for ten or twenty years? Mothers of Bedford explores the effects of a long-term prison sentence on the mother-child relationship.  (quote from MOB website)

Day 6's flag, Mothering & Success, is created from a piece of vintage doily that was edged with yo-yos. The photograph in the background is hand colored, and depicts my grandmother, Ruth Thogerson, as she holds my mother in her arms. A piece of vintage tulle is placed over the photograph, and bars of felted wool are tacked in place to represent the prison experience. The tag reads, "She is to keep that child of hers".