Resources for Banner Makers
Tutorial for the district and zone podium banners
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Thanks to everyone who participated in the banner workshop at the fall retreat! This video summarizes the construction process for a podium banner.
If you are assembling a zone podium banner from the kits that were sent home to each zone, set your iron to “wool, no steam” and skip to timestamp 41:54. The rest is already done for you!
Materials for a Podium Banner
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2 rectangles of background color fabric 21 x 40 inches
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1 piece of interfacing 20 x 39 inches
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2 pieces of iron on adhesive tape 21 inches long
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2 pieces of iron on adhesive tape 36.5 inches long
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Enough fabric to fit your shape and letter appliques
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Enough fusible webbing/iron on adhesive to fit your shape and letter appliques
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Very sharp craft scissors or fabric scissors
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Ruler
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Iron and ironing surface
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Pencil and/or inkjet printer (NO LASER PRINTERS OR COPY MACHINES)
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Heat erasable pens (optional)
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Fabric [Joann]:
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Sew Classic Kelly Green
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Kona Tangerine
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Sew Classics Purple
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Better Solid Sateen White
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Fusibles [thermoweb.com]:
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HeatnBond UltraHold Iron-On Adhesive Tape, 3/8 in
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Heatnbond UltraHold Iron-On Adhesive (Fusible Webbing)
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HeatnBond Light Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing
Other places to find fabric and tools:
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Find a local fabric store!
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Online fabric retailers (ones who specialize in quilting are best)
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Amazon
How to buy fabric
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Fabric comes on bolts or rolls that are a certain width.
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The side label gives information about the fiber content, width, price, washing instructions, etc…
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Fabric is sold by the yard, so multiply the price you see by the number of yards you need
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Pick out a bolt and ask for a certain yardage. Most stores will cut in increments of ¼ yards.
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Always buy a little extra! Mistakes and shrinking in the dryer happens.
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Lay out your design pieces or write down their measurements to calculate how many yards of fabric you need.
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For example, The body pieces of the podium banner are 21 inches by 40 inches. You need 2 of them. So you need a piece of fabric that is 40 inches by 42 inches. The fabric you are using is 44 inches wide. 1 yard=36 inches. You need 1.2 yards. You ask for 1.5 yards of fabric so you have room for mistakes and shrinkage.
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Wash the fabric before using! No fabric softener!
Design
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Don’t reinvent the wheel! Use banner books, logos, and pre-existing art as inspiration. Just make sure to get permission!
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The national LWML releases a banner pattern every year for LWML Sunday:
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Examples of banner books:
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For things seen from far away, use bright, contrasting colors
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Consider a balance of large and small details
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If you are designing something to represent your zone or district, consult your officers to see what message they would like to send.
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Be flexible! Designing is a process. Be prepared to alter things as officers or team members re-think their message or availability of materials changes.
Construction tips
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Use a projector to size up elements
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Trace big pieces onto rolls of craft paper
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Print small pieces directly onto fusible web to save time (NO LASER PRINTERS OR COPY MACHINES)
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I use Publisher to keep track of the scale of pieces
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Label pieces!
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Use motifs on print fabrics
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If you need a big banner and don’t sew, buy a blank one. (test iron settings)
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Give yourself plenty of time. The 2023 national convention banner took 5 months from design to completion.
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Test new materials and techniques before you do the real thing!
When is sewing necessary?
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Fabrics that are not washable, slippery, or have thick threads may not stick well, or may unravel at the edges. These need to be sewn down.
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A large banner with heavy decorations may need the back and front sewn together to stay on the hanging pole. I have not tested this with fusibles.
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Designs with many overlapping layers may need sewing.
Did you make something? Post it and tag the LWML Atlantic District!
