Advent Banner

 My advent banner project went very well. I completed it in just a few days with minimal difficulties. My new sewing machine makes creating fabric projects trouble-free which is so refreshing!

I adapted a design I found on the internet that incorporates the symbolism of the advent candles.

For the candle flames I used this metallic thread, notorious for causing stitching snarls and snags. With a brand new (burr-free) needle in the right size, my snags were far fewer than I have suffered in the past.

I started out making flames with a darning type of stitch but decided it wasn't bold enough. I dug some gold metallic fabric out of my trunk and appliqued flames with the gold thread.

For appliqueing the lettering I found a wonderful tutorial on YouTube  for a method that was easy and precise. After printing the letters from my computer in the size and font I wanted, I made a "sandwich" of layers using the letter fabric that had been prepared with an iron-on fusible adhesive. This made positioning the letters so easy. They were perfectly spaced and lined up.

I then stitched through all the layers, sewing right through the paper on the letter outlines onto the banner. After finishing all the sewing I tore the paper away from the fabric.

This left the sewn outline of the letters.

With a small, sharp scissors I trimmed away all the extra fabric around the letters. After that was done I used a hot iron to press the letters and fuse the adhesive onto the banner. To finish, I used a zig zag stitch on the edges of the letters to secure the raw edges.

Ready for Advent in plenty of time!