Worship Banners-You Can Do It!

A client recently inquired to see if we had resources Carrot Top Studio could share for her congregation to make their own worship banners. We love to share, so here you go:

Simple yet meaningful.

• Worship banners don't need to have complicated imagery to be effective. Bold color can make for great impact. One of my favorite sets of Lent banners are simply a solid purple fabric with a gold cross on one and a gold rooster on the other. These are just little tidbits of the Lenten journey story but they are enough to draw the congregation into the season in worship.
• 
  
• Unless the sewer is going to quilt the banner it should be kept narrow. Wide banners tend to sag. Therefore sometimes creative solutions need to be thought of. For example, if you are filling a large wide space in your sanctuary you would be better served with several narrow banners.
• 
  
• Turn to books for inspiration. Here are a few that I have found useful.

• Banners Without Words by Jill Knuth
• Spaces For Spirit by Nancy Chinn...this has a great section of guidance for worship arts committees
• Banners For Worship, Carol Jean Harms
• Textile Art in the Church, Marion Ireland
• Banners for All Seasons, Joyce Pike and Anne Robinson
• The Patchwork Pilgrimage, Jill Liddell
• Raise the Banners High, Pamela Hardiman 

These torn fabric stripped banners were used during
a processional and then "planted" into holders by the
church windows so the fabric moved with
the breeze. The armature was PVC pipe.

• It's best not to invest millions (ha, ha--who has that!) into the supplies for banners. If congregations spend a lot they tend to be reluctant to invest in new banners. The danger in this, besides not being good stewards of our resources, is that the visuals become stale. If we look at something for too long then our brain takes it for granted and the message is no longer effective. 

• Banners don't have to be made out of fabric. Think outside the box....paper, ribbons, or maybe a unique gem found in the recycling bin.
• 
  
• We get calls saying that churches no longer have sewers and artists so they are thankful they can work with us. Honestly, despite being thankful for the business, I always have a hard time believing this! The church should reach out to quilt guilds, art guilds, 4-H clubs and home economics classes (or family consumer science as they call it  in my neck of the woods today).

If you take on your own worship banner projects within your congregation we'd love to hear your stories and see pictures. Now, go forth and conquer!