Beautiful Chapel Decorations

(Topic: Religious symbols, fabric crafting, design)

Dear Friends,

Remember a few months ago, I did a series of posts about a set of three banners, including a follow-up post? In the follow-up, I had pictures of some banners that inspired me. I don't remember if I said, but they were in the Valparaiso University Chapel. They have a stunning space, and choose their vestments and decorations to match and support the space.

I recently had the chance to go there again, and they had some amazing decorations up on their staggered brick walls, which you can see the long view of, above in the top picture of this post. They were borrowed from another church, I was told, and made of felt - and, I believe, simply stuck to the wall like a feltboard!

Each decoration was a huge circle - maybe 20 feet across? That's totally a guess based on looking up at them. And each had different types of religious symbology, in some cases similar to the symbology I used in the banners I made, but fascinatingly these were all symetrically mandala-like. I took pictures of several, because their use of color and design was amazing. Please enjoy!

This was in a Lutheran chapel, and the symbol in the center here is the Luther Rose. This one has a Lutheran theme.

Easter theme.

Again, an Easter theme.

A Pentecost theme, which was when I was there.

See what I mean about a lovely use of form and color? I found them to be absolutely stunning.


Yours,

Sarah

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Patch Banner

Dear Friends,

I was recently inspired by something my mother-in-law made for my husband as a child. Everywhere they traveled, they got patches or pins as a souvenir, and in order to create a way to store and display them, she made him a banner. I have copied her pattern for my own patches, pins, and mementos.

Garment Data:
- Type: Patch display banner
- Date made: September 2016
- Pattern: Anne's design
- Fabric/Materials: 3/4 yard felt, cut to a 23" width, dowel, ball-shaped dowel ends
- Trim: Ribbon, braided cord made out of embroidery floss
- Time to finish: 1 hour?

The completed banner. I have it folded in quarters and just basted onto the rod, so that as I fill it up from the bottom, I can lengthen it (this is also in the original design!).

The items on here are: several civil war style cockades and several trinkets that are used to identify that a reenactor has paid the entrance fee for an event. I have patches too, but haven't found which box they are currently in!

Detail of the ribbon I attached by hand stitching. I finished the ends with Fray-Check. And I cut the bottom of the banner into a point (like my husbands) but instead of adding a fringe like his, I cut a fringe of about 2" or 2-1/2" long.

Detail of the dowel, dowel end, braided cord, and basting stitches.

As I hinted on Facebook, I am also working on adapting a t-shirt. I hope to make that the next post but didn't finish it this week.

Thanks to Anne for her inspiration and  design for this banner!

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah