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Banner-making is the ancient art or craft of sewing banners. Techniques used include applique, embroidery, fabric painting, patchwork and others.
Trade Union Banners
In the United Kingdom, the first of these banners were sometimes painted by local
signwriters, coachpainters or decorators. More often than not, they were made by a
member of the local branch who was considered to be artistic. However, from 1837 onwards,
more than three quarters were made by the firm of George Tutill of Chesham in
Buckinghamshire. All their banners were made from pure silk woven by Huguenots in
London. At the height of banner production there were said to be 17,000 looms in operation.
The silk was stretched taut over a wooden frame and coated with india rubber, and the oil colours applied to it were 'old', i.e. had been standing around for a while. This allowed the paint to dry quickly and to make it more pliant or elastic.
There were many designs from the Bible (e.g.David slaying Goliath), from heraldry or from popular tradition, e.g. the "all-seeing eye", or symbols of truth, hope or justice. With the advent of Conservative governments in Britain and the dismantling of the welfare state, trades union banners lost their popularity, and many languished in damp cellars or lofts. In the last 10 years or so, the interest in these banners has been rekindled, and many books, videos, postcards and the like have been produced to help people rediscover and celebrate this part of the history of working men and women. There are special museums which restore, preserve and exhibit trade union banners, e.g. the Pump House People's History Museum in Manchester.
Church Banners
Design is all-important in a banner for ecclesiastical use. The banner maker needs a
sound knowledge of religious symbolism and iconography. There is also the question of
its use, i.e. indoor or outdoor. If outdoor, it needs weatherproofing and must be able
to be carried. Whether indoor or outdoor, proper storage provision must be made.
Today most banner making businesses make advertising Banners. Artisans that make banners are considered to be part of the Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills industry, which is NAICS code 314999.
There are a variety of ways people make money from banner making. Some sell their banners locally, at trade shows or via the internet. Others sell original patterns or kits they have designed themselves. And, still others teach banner making. The best way to learn more about the viabiiity of any of these business models is to participate in associations and workshops, subscribe to magazines that are related to your interests, and read books that give more in-depth information about the business.
Introduction | Books | Magazines | Professional Resources | Related Articles | Sample Business Plans | Start-up Issues
The Banner Book
Complete background on all the materials, supplies, and techniques needed to
create the six included designs or to design your own for any season or special occasion.
Banners With Pizzazz
A step-by-step guide to making banners.
The Basic Guide to Pricing Your Craftwork
Basic formulas for pricing craftwork, retail or wholesale.
The Basic Guide to Selling Arts & Crafts
Step-by-step help on over 150 topics for marketing your home made crafts.
The Basic Guide to Selling Crafts on the Internet
Unravels the mysteries of selling crafts online with clear, step-by-step advice.
Business and Legal Forms for Crafts
A complete set of business and legal forms designed to meet the active craftperson's every need.
The Business of Sewing, Volume 1
Sample price lists; lists of organizations and lending institutions; payment methods
you can offer your customers; how to get a merchant account for credit card sales;
how to collect money on past due accounts; buying in bulk with a list of
suppliers and a sample letter to contact them; business and financial plans;
studio design, networking; time management;
tackling your fears; turning sewing into a business and making the transition; how
to avoid getting frustrated; industry statistics.
The Business of Sewing, Volume 2
How to make a "Consumer Price List", and how to structure a "Working Price List"
and the use of both; what "Pricing" method is best for you and how to handle price
resistance; how to conduct production analysis with a time and motion
study; how to make a project inventory list; how to market your business;
subcontractors or fabricators and how to hire them; E-commerce and
on-line merchant accounts, web design, shopping carts and E-newsletters;
how to write books and articles, teach seminars and workshops, and produce sewing
audios and videos.
The Complete Banner Book
A creative guide for banner design and construction.
Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design
Textile artist Jane Dunnewold's secrets to creating visual complexity and depth in fabric.
Crafting as a Business
How to develop a thriving retail business.
Crafting for Dollars
Covers every aspect of starting and managing your own craft-based business.
Crafts and Crafts Shows
Good business practice in dealing with customers, pricing, and presentation in the show booth.
The Crafts Business Answer Book & Resource Guide
Answers to questions about starting, marketing, and managing a homebased business
efficiently, legally, and profitably.
Exploring Textile Arts
Guide to manipulating, coloring and embellishing fabrics.
Handmade for Profit
Hundreds of secrets to success in selling arts & crafts.
Make It Profitable!
The best ideas and information from 80 professionals in various fields of the craft industry.
Raise the Banners High!: Making and Using Processional Banners
Detailed patterns and how-to instructions for creating different types of banners.
Textile Designs
Two hundred years of European and American patterns organized by motif, style, color, layout,
and period.
Textiles
How textiles are produced and how appropriate performance characteristics are
incorporated into materials and products.
Your Crafts Business: A Legal Guide
Explains legal principles that protect a crafts business and help it grow. It also
provides practical advice on how to deal with day-to-day problems -- such as dealing
with delinquent payments. The book provides over a dozen tear-out contracts and other
legal forms, plus step-by-step instructions to fill them out.
Introduction | Books | Magazines | Professional Resources | Related Articles | Sample Business Plans | Start-up Issues
Beadwork
Beaded projects with clear instructions, articles filled with techniques, and features to
keep you up-to-date with the beading world.
Crafts
For the crafter seeking excellent original design, full-size patterns and complete accurate
instructions for how-to projects in general crafts, needle crafts and floral.
Decorative Artists Workbook
Each issue features step-by-step instructions for completing decorative projects on wood,
tin, fabric and other surfaces, plus tips on showing and selling artwork.
Expression
Paper arts, jewelry-making, fabric arts, and home decoration projects and ideas suited
to both the novice and professional artist.
Fiberarts : The Magazine Of Textiles
Reviews national and international exhibitions, and explores new trends and issues facing the field.
Piecework
Cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, quilting, crochet, beading, lace making, and crochet,
plus the stories and ethnic traditions behind the techniques.
Threads
First-hand instruction for creating beautiful garments and sewn home furnishings.
