Making banners is a hobby business for me. I do it in my spare time (a couple of hours each evening) alongside a very demanding full-time job as a secondary school teacher and my equally demanding role as a new father to my baby daughter. I try to be as professional as I can, but please don’t expect instant responses or to be called by my secretary or office staff – they do not exist. I am an avid supporter just like you, and I just happen to have an eye for design and I am pretty handy with a pair of scissors.
When you contact me, you may have an idea for a banner or you may be searching for inspiration – either way, I can help, and we can work together to come up with a design you are happy with. When you contact me, I will give you a quote for your banner, and 50% of this is payable up front. This reserves your place in my very busy order book, and also covers my outgoings (materials and sewing) and the time spent working on the design phase.
When the design is agreed, I print the design onto paper (72 pieces of A4 which I tile together with tape). after jigsawing this together, I hand cut all the shapes to create stencils. I then mark around these onto wool-rich felt backed with Bondaweb.
These shapes are then cut out of the felt, again all by hand. This is painstaking work and can take between 10 and 30 hours per banner depending on the complexity of the design.
When all the shapes are cut, they are laid out on the heavyweight cotton drill background and I measure carefully and mark the correct positions for each piece. These are then ready to be fixed in place by Bondaweb using a hot steam iron.
Finally, the flag is passed to trusted seamstress Debbie, who has more than 30 years experience – and it shows in her work. As well as stitching every single shape in place, she sews a long seam along the top, through which is threaded a colour-matching rayon cord for hanging, along with a sleeve up either end to accommodate wooden or telescopic poles.
If you want a quick job doing on a cheap flag, you’ve come to the wrong place. If you want to invest in something that your grandchildren will one day take to the match, I’m your man.
I hope you will enjoy looking at my work.
YNWA, Mark.
