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Please help...advent banner and I am starting to panic now!...

23 replies

Badvoc · 04/10/2012 10:05

My Sunday school club is making an advent banner for church (there are 7 in total all being made by community groups...)
It's 14 feet long and 54 inches wide.
It's in advent purple and has golden letters that need ironing on with bond web ( sp?)
I need ideas for hw the children can make stars (the banner we are doing is morning star) and his to attach them to the banner.
I can sew but only running stitch. My mil has a machine we could use.
I thought of the kids usi card/ paper and decorating stars of different shapes and sizes but then how would I attach them?
Would fabric glue work?
I have some spare material that I could make into star shapes but how would the kids decorAte them?
I also have some scraps of material with stars on/shiny.
They will be up for the whole of advent...I.e 4 weeks.
Help!!

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DrSeuss · 04/10/2012 10:27

Get some glittery fabric pens from somewhere like Hobbycraft. Fabric glue should work. Running stitch in pretty colours could be good too.

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flubba · 04/10/2012 13:50

You could be a little bit complicated and use two different kinds of velcro - one sticky velcro for the backs of the card/paper stars, and then sewable velcro for the banner, so you'd have the sewable velcro sewn permanently onto the banner (you can buy it in black so it wouldn't show up massively), then the sticky velcro on the stars, which would mean you could make new stars every year and replace them easily. (You'd just have to make sure that you gave the kids' stars all hook, and the sewable bits all loop - or vice versa). Hope that makes sense.

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Badvoc · 04/10/2012 16:03

Flubba...hmmm I like that idea...
So I would need a patch of Velcro on the banner then the other part in the actual star?
That's seems quite simple to am I being daft? :)
I (I.e mil) could sew in patched of Velcro where we want the stars then sew the Velcro to the stars and attach?
I like that idea!!!
Project has to be self funded so how much does Velcro cost?

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flubba · 04/10/2012 16:18

Not being daft - it is simple except for the fact you'd have two different kinds of velcro. You can, I think, buy just the hook side or just the loop side, and it's quite cheap. In my mind you'd buy a strip (they come in thin strips) of both kinds, and cut them down into squares or rectangles (of about 3cm squared or so) for each star.

It's not massively expensive if I recall correctly - I'll have a look at my purchase history in ebay as I bought sewable velcro on there recently. I think you should be able to get the sticky kind too from ebay, or homebase type places?

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flubba · 04/10/2012 16:21

Found the seller I used - you can buy just the hook or loop side from here and I reckon 25mm is wide enough and it's £1.19 a metre - probably only need a metre depending on how many stars you're having.

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flubba · 04/10/2012 16:23

I've just had a look and they do the stick on kind too - again you can buy just the hook or loop. You'd be looking at less than a fiver I reckon ~ free P&P (although if you were planning on making stars again next year, it'd be worth getting more of the sticky stuff now as it's free P&P so you have some for next year.

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Badvoc · 04/10/2012 16:51

Thanks so much flubba Flowers

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Badvoc · 04/10/2012 16:51

Oh! My flowers didn't work!:(

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Badvoc · 04/10/2012 17:04

Right

Have ordered the stick on Velcro.
Have also ordered 22 metres of purple ribbon to hang them with.
How would be best to make the actual stars?
Do a template and get mil to machine some and let the kids decorate them?
Or paper or card could be used couldn't it?
If using Velcro?

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flubba · 04/10/2012 17:26

Aww, my first flowers! Thank you! :)

I'd thought you'd stick the velcro on the back of the card stars and then stick each star to the velcro that you'd sewn onto the banner but ribbons adds a whole new element to it all! :o

Card stars would be easiest for the kids to decorate - lots of easy stickers and shiny paper etc to use for that, then the velcro on the back and you're done.

Where were you thinking of putting the ribbons?

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nickeldaisical · 04/10/2012 17:28

you don't even need to sew the velcro onto the banner - if you use a rough fabric as the banner background, and make sure that the stars have the hook part of the velcro on them.

and Velcro does a stuff called Stick and Sew - so one side is for sewing and the other side is glued.
(i don't know which way round, so you'd need to check)

I have got a roll of hook side that I got from Ebay, so you can get it separately.

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nickeldaisical · 04/10/2012 17:29

paper or card for the stars - make it plain card and get the kids to decorate it.

you've got the sticky velcro, so card is better for this than fabric.

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Badvoc · 04/10/2012 17:48

ahhh....thank you!
card is easier better!
the ribbon is for hanging the banners.

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Badvoc · 04/10/2012 17:48

I have some nice see through fabric...could the kids put that over white card??

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nickeldaisical · 05/10/2012 12:49

yep, that should glue on too (make sure you take bostik)

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fossil97 · 05/10/2012 19:06

I wish my church did projects like this!

I would say, have a pretty restricted/consistent colour scheme e.g. all purple, gold and a few silver or something, so however random the childrens' work it will all look matching together rather than explosion in a glitter factory. Only offer them materials in the matching scheme Grin

Very little children could scribble/paint/collage etc on bigger pieces of card and you could cut out stars of a variety of shapes and sizes later. Having some variety of size will look more interesting. Better to have plenty so it looks "full" than a few works of art.

Can you get some glitter pens or small stick on sequins/crystals and you could fill in any gaps with a scattering of tiny twinkling dots to give it a little texture.

You could try holographic or gold card as well, or gold foil Christmas paper - lots of different ones will look great.

You might also get away with sticking the background Velcro onto the fabric with Extra Strong Fabric Glue or something (see Hobbycraft) or is that the Bostik? Have a few star making sessions and then a big lay-out/stick on session.

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Badvoc · 05/10/2012 22:45

Hi fossil.
We have 2 banner making sessions at the end of this month :)
I have pretty much come to the same conclusion as you in that I will ask makers to limit stars to gold, silver, red, green and white?
I thought I would get some silver and gold foil, glitter, raffia and have some lovey prices of fabric.
Sound ok?
:)
Wrt the banners...you could do it!!:)

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fossil97 · 05/10/2012 22:56

Three colours max, I reckon, and only one of either red or green. Well, see how it looks obv. Because you already have the purple.

The last church I went to wasn't into decorations and we're "between" churches at the moment so I don't have a creative outlet - it will come Smile.

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Badvoc · 06/10/2012 13:33

Dh has bought me a spewing machine for my b day!!
I have got some gold satin fabric and wadding and a, going to so a large padded star at the top of the banner!
Whoo hoo!

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Badvoc · 06/10/2012 13:35

Hahahahahahaha ha
Obv that should read sewing machine!!
:)

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Badvoc · 07/10/2012 07:44

Any idea where I can get small glass/silver beads/blobs to stick on the bottom of the banner?
The plan is:
A large gold padded star at the top.
Smaller card stars in decreasing size as they go down the banner.
Small glass/silver beads/blobs at the bottom...
Colours are : gold, silver and red.
Ok?

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fossil97 · 07/10/2012 20:02

If you search on ebay for "stick on gems" there is lots of choice - don't be put off by the vajazzle option Grin although you might be safer to glue on with fabric adhesive depending on how good the self adhesive is. Possibly also Hobbycraft or a card making shop?

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Badvoc · 07/10/2012 20:25

Thanks have ordered some!
Can anyone talk to me about jelly rolls?
:)

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