Last week, I introduced the suite of liturgical hangings I designed for the Chatham church. This week, we'll start getting into some details about each design.
The first design I'll share was made for the Advent season, but it serves equally well for the season of Lent, which began last week. For both Advent and Lent, the traditional liturgical color is purple. This banner uses textural purple prints in 5 graded values, from nearly-black to nearly-white.
The first design I'll share was made for the Advent season, but it serves equally well for the season of Lent, which began last week. For both Advent and Lent, the traditional liturgical color is purple. This banner uses textural purple prints in 5 graded values, from nearly-black to nearly-white.
At the center of the piece is a brilliantly white element, which reads as a star (for Advent) or a cross (for Lent). The narrow shapes and sharp points give the impression of slicing open the center of the hanging, admitting a burst of light into the purple darkness.
"...And God separated the light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:4)
The placement of the purple fabrics, progressing from the lightest values at the center to the darkest at the edges, continues the theme of spreading light.
Construction of the hanging is simpler than it looks. There are 24 6-inch blocks of identical design, differing only in color. I named this block design, “Genesis", for the dramatic way it divides the light and dark values.
The same set of 6 templates is used for both the lighter and darker halves of each block, with no left-handed/right-handed variations of the block templates to keep track of. Avoiding mirror symmetry in the blocks keeps the overall design dynamic.
The central star may look complicated, but it's really an easy trick. The "arms" of the star are added by machine on top of each quadrant of assembled blocks. Then the 4 quarters are seamed together. Slick.
The old pulpit hanging in the church had long drapery fringe on the bottom. Not wanting to use fringe, I opted for a row of prairie points to finish the lower edge.
Instead of the standard quilt binding, I used a wrap-around backing technique. That has the advantage of forming an integrated hanging sleeve, and means no binding to sew on.
The pattern, available now in my Craftsy shop, includes full-size templates for the blocks and the star, plus detailed piecing and assembly instructions and a clear color-placement chart.
Next week, I'll share my Easter hanging, which features lavish appliqué over a thousand-pyramids background.
"...And God separated the light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:4)
The placement of the purple fabrics, progressing from the lightest values at the center to the darkest at the edges, continues the theme of spreading light.
Construction of the hanging is simpler than it looks. There are 24 6-inch blocks of identical design, differing only in color. I named this block design, “Genesis", for the dramatic way it divides the light and dark values.
The same set of 6 templates is used for both the lighter and darker halves of each block, with no left-handed/right-handed variations of the block templates to keep track of. Avoiding mirror symmetry in the blocks keeps the overall design dynamic.
The central star may look complicated, but it's really an easy trick. The "arms" of the star are added by machine on top of each quadrant of assembled blocks. Then the 4 quarters are seamed together. Slick.
The old pulpit hanging in the church had long drapery fringe on the bottom. Not wanting to use fringe, I opted for a row of prairie points to finish the lower edge.
Instead of the standard quilt binding, I used a wrap-around backing technique. That has the advantage of forming an integrated hanging sleeve, and means no binding to sew on.
The pattern, available now in my Craftsy shop, includes full-size templates for the blocks and the star, plus detailed piecing and assembly instructions and a clear color-placement chart.
Next week, I'll share my Easter hanging, which features lavish appliqué over a thousand-pyramids background.
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