In This Issue:

• Sewing with Marguerite
• MiracleBond^TM
• Banner Ministry Websites

Supplies for a Happy Banner Ministry

By Marguerite LeBlanc

As the summer turns to autumn our thoughts turn to "giving back". A fun and helpful method to do this is through the banner ministry at your church.

In order to share your creative gifts with others your banner ministry must be organized. Along with your pattern and fabric you need to assemble the follow items:

• Sewing Machine
• Cutting Board - if using rotary cutter - this protects your work surface
• Chalk - regular chalkboard chalk(not Tailors chalk) It is easier to remove from fabric.
• Iron- Dry iron, no steam
• Extension cord - just in case!
• Fluffy towel - use this on a table for an ironing board
• For measuring - tapes, rulers, T squares
• Scissors - large and small
• Pinking Shears
• Scotch tape
• Glass head pins
• Thread
• Paper towels - to clean up any messes

Find a bright area with a large, clean work surface and you are ready to get started. Having the right equipment keeps tempers calm and "gets the job done". Be sure to photograph your completed banner for a picture book to be used as an index for your pastor.

Happy Stitching! Marguerite

For information on sewing classes in the Nashville area, contact Marguerite's Sewing School at Sew Cool or (615) 269-0453.

Brilliant Metallic MiracleBond^TM

This is a great material to add some glitz and glamour to your Christmas projects. It is more "brilliant" than our Polished MiracleBond^TM. You do not need a Teflon sheet with this fabric. The edges need to be finished with DimensionalBond or fabric paint as it will fray after it is attached.

For those who don't know, PraiseBanners^® is the creator of MiracleBond^TM. It is not sold in stores. This is a heat-sensitive, low-melt adhesive. It is offered in a wide variety of colors: Copper, Royal, Silver, Red, Gold and Kelly.

For instructions, visit Brilliant MiracleBond^TM instructions page.

Banner Ministry Websites

Thanks for the response from our readers. I really enjoyed looking at these sites and hope you will too. This project has made me realize that the Internet can be a wonderful tool to bring Christians together to glorify the our heavenly Father!

Here are some of the sites:

• Bowmar Avenue Baptist Church, Vicksburg, Mississippi (I love the way they have used both front and back of their banners)
• First United Church, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Have you thought about putting your banners on the web? It is getting easier to set up home pages and some sites let you have one free. Just remember to size your graphics so that they do not take a long time to load.

• Angel Fire
• Geo Cities