Banner Project I: A Field of Daisies

I could say that I swear all heraldic art I do will be done cheerfully, but I would be a horrible liar.

As usually happens, we come back from Pennsic and are immediately plunged head-over-heels into another project.  This year, it is one of our nearest & dearest being inducted into the Order of the Laurel, and I have committed to make a banner of her coat-of-arms for this grand occasion.  

Banners are awesome.
(Pennsic 44 opening ceremonies; photo by Simon Pride)

I haven't made a banner before, though I have helped with the execution of several (like a certain muckin' big red one with a muckin' big white escarbuncle on it, ahem).  Banner-making has been on my list for some time, as it's a wonderful opportunity for Proper Medieval Display, but it's kept getting pushed to the bottom of the queue by other projects.  (Also, in my youthful exuberance I registered stupidly complicated arms.  Great job, Past Me.)

To return to the current task--the arms to be displayed are Azure, semy of marguerites argent seeded, on a bend Or a needle threaded azure.  For those of you who do not speak herald, that means a blue background with a wide gold diagonal bar across it; a blue threaded needle on that gold bar; and the rest of the blue background is sprinkled with white daisies that have gold centers.

Speaking of complicated.

Appliquéd trumpet banner, Charles II of England, 1660

Since the lady being honored is of early 16th-century France and specializes in the courtly garments of that time and place, and since this is a high ceremonial occasion, I am making a sumptuous banner for indoor display.   That means I'm choosing rich, heavy fabrics--were it a banner for outside use, like the ones in the photo above, I'd make it of painted silk instead so it could be all fluttery-in-the-breeze-ish.  I have lined up a sapphire-blue cotton velvet for the ground fabric, yellow-gold cotton brocade for the bar, and gold cotton velvet for the daisy centers.  (Cotton isn't exactly rich, no, but we are none of us so wealthy we can afford silk velvet or damask.)  I have some white brocade I could use for the daisy petals, but I have to haul it out of the stash and see what I think of the look of it with the other materials.  I have to decide what to use for the blue needle (quaere: would it be acceptable to embroider the needle onto the bend?) and choose something appropriate to back the banner with once the devices have been attached.  

I'll do a sketch using Visio or OmniGraffle to get a good layout of all the design elements.  Then the construction steps run something like this:

1. Trim the ground fabric to the right size plus seam allowance, making sure there's enough room at the top to loop over to hold a banner pole!
2. Chalk the designs onto the ground fabric.
3. Cut out the gold bend, appliqué it to the ground fabric
4. Cut out the blue threaded needle, appliqué it to the gold bend
5. Cut out the daisies, appliqué them to the ground fabric 
6. Use a contrasting thread to outline and delineate the daisy petals.  (Heraldic daisies have a lot of petals, so I'm not cutting them out individually.)
7. Cut out the yellow daisy centers, appliqué them to the daisies
8. Attach the backing fabric
9. Make the pole loop along the top of the banner
10. Make or acquire a pole and cord to use to hang the banner.  

If I have time, I'll couch gold cord to outline the gold bend and possibly the daisy centers in between steps 7 and 8.   If I have lots of time, I'll find some way to stick some pearls in...

Oh, and this has to be done by Labor Day weekend.  aheheheheh.