How to Do Lettering for Worship Banners
Church banners harken back to the days of movable churches when tent churches moved from place to place. Today, church banners give sometimes dull walls color and texture and offer spiritual inspiration to parishioners. These banners represent church themes, Bible verses or special religious holidays. While the artwork creates an air of celebration, it's the lettering on the banner that brings the message. To create a truly praiseworthy banner, letter styles should be carefully selected and large enough for the congregation sitting in the back of the church to see.
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Things You'll Need
- Sketch pad
- Pencils
- Stencils
- Stencil chalk
- Material
- Scissors
- Sewing supplies
- Ruler or shaped cardboard
- Decorative accessories
Instructions
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Making Lettering for Church Banners
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1
Sketch out the design ideas you have on paper. Think about Bible verses, parables or church sayings that should go on the banner.
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2
Consider the visual message you'd like to convey through the banner. Banners can be formal or casual, but whatever style you choose, it should match the rest of the design on the banner.
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3
Buy supplies for your banner. You need to pick up lettering stencils. Choose stencils that are large enough---at least two inches---to be seen from far away. For the banner's headlines, you may have to go larger still.
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4
Make sure the material you choose is sturdy. Not only will this affect ironing later on, but also how other items that will be affixed to it (like lettering) will stand up. Additionally, make sure the fabric is color fast. Running dyes will make the lettering look sloppy. Felt works best for lettering.
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5
Pin the letter stencils onto the material. Pin the stencils on "backward" so that you're marking the rear side of the craft. This way, when you flip the letters over, the side that everyone will see will be unmarked.
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6
Draw in the stencil lines using stencil chalk.
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7
Cut out the letters once you're done marking them with chalk.
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8
Pin the fabric letters on the banner material for sewing using a ruler to line the letters up straight. If you want to create other shapes, such as letters that form an arch, for example, make that shape from cut cardboard and then do the same thing that you would have done with the ruler.
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9
Sew the letters on to the fabric, either by hand or using a sewing machine.
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10
Decorate the letters with ribbon borders, sequins or fabric glitter once they are sewn on and if your project calls for such adornment.
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Tips & Warnings
You can attempt to hand draw the lettering, but stenciling works best.
Be careful of which font you choose. While some old-fashioned fonts, such as Old English, are quite lovely, they can also be difficult to read.
Be sure to store your banners in containers that will keep them dry throughout the year. Not only can banners get wrinkled after being put away for a long time, some fabrics will grow mold if they get wet.
