My new colorful banner

Aloha,
Well, now that you know that I love to create things from the top of my head.  Hee Hee!  I decided that if I would be selected to have a booth at a craft fair, one of the things that I would love to have is a colorful banner.
LEI JOLIE would be in big and bold letters in different colored aloha print fabric.
First, I drew out the letters on a regular sheet of paper until I came up with a style that I liked.  That took about 30 minutes.
Then I decided how large I wanted the letters.  And drew them out and hung them outside, on the ceiling beam of my porch to see if I really liked it.  Made a few changes.

a little windy

My next move was to decide on the different color choices and arranging them to flow nicely.  That took longer than figuring out the font.  Once I made my choice, I colored the letters and hung them out for a final review before selecting fabric.

constant wind

Fabric selection was the hardest and longest task.  I needed the letter the flow and feel right next to each other.  I actually cut out 3 letters that I didn't feel like they belong.  So, off to the fabric store I went.  Hunting for over an hour finding the right fabrics.  And only purchasing 3/8 of a yard each, I sighed, thinking that this is crazy.  Trying to be cautious about spending too much money on this project I decided to use an old stretch sparkly denim for the background and a green calico for the backing.

The second hardest task, of course, the sewing of the letters.  I decided (just kick me) to hand sew the letters on.  The problem was the denim proved to be really thick and I had a hard time getting the needle through the denim.  Also, made the letters a little lumpy in some places.  And, of course, I was too lazy to find my leather thimble.  I had tender fingers for a couple of days.  Sometime during the hand sewing process I decided that the next banner I make I will be fusing the letters on or use a different fabric for the background.  I added tabs for hanging and machine embroidery around the edges.  Which also didn't work well over the thicker areas of the banner.  Also, I should have made it wider, next time.  But, all in all, I love the look of the banner and it's still nice to use.

colors from the left; red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, orange, green and fuschia.

Well, that's all for now.

Trying to complete a caftan style top for myself and maybe a dress for the CCH Annual Membership Meeting on October 1st (LOL).  Didn't I say I love this kind of stress, which is not really stress because I thrive on creative stress.  The other types of stress I could do without.
I also have to put together thank you packages for the volunteers for the event (I'm the volunteer coordinator and decoration coordinator), package a children's door prize or auction item, select greens for table decoration, etc. etc. etc.
Maybe I won't have time for the dress.

Aloha,
Lei