A Banner is Born 2007

For several years this idea had been tumbling around in my head and I had even mentioned it to other presidents, but the time just wasn’t right.  Then finally last winter the call came from Celestine Darnell, the new president of DeKalb County Master Gardeners, stating that we needed a new banner for the club.  I must admit the idea was not original, as a similar hanging – though much larger and depicting scenes from Cobb County Georgia, was quilted in my basement about 25 years ago when we lived in Marietta.  Of course, being the needlework person I am and with appliqué being my love, there was no question about what medium I would use.

Since our hanging had to be much smaller, I debated at length about what to use at the various locations and had to put aside some good ideas that I really did want to use.  For example, I had wanted to use rhododendrons for Mentone, but just could not successfully work that into the final plan.  So with the help of my good artist friend in Geraldine, Jean Chadwick, the project was begun by her drawing the shape of DeKalbCounty which holds the appliqué figures.  Jean did all the drawings I used for the appliqué.

Representing Lookout Mountain and Mentone, I chose Desota Falls, Little River with pine trees and then I move across the valley, and up on Sand Mountain, to Henegar where I opted for a school located there many years ago called, Councl Bluff School.  Then the scene moves to Fort Payne and Union Park with the confederate soldiers and trees.  In Rainsville there once was a large apple orchard, so I decided to use apples trees depicting Rainsville.  Next on the banner is a popular spot — Point Rock, at Buck’s Pocket State Park, representing the south part of Sand Mountain and then off to the valley where a church portrays Collinsville and the south of DeKalb County.

After the figures were stitched on to the county, it was then appliquéd to the rectangular base – which is off white.  The border – also appliquéd – has vines and grapes, which I thought would represent the fruit and vegetable side of gardening and in the corners I used flowers which I tried to make look like magnolias.  With all that completed I called in another good Geraldine friend, Martin Ables, who free-handed the lettering which I then colored in with a fabric pencil.

Quilting alone, the tedious job was done in a frame that hung from the ceiling in my den, which took hours and hours.  My record of hours for 2007 will be something to behold; but I enjoyed every minute of it and I’m honored to have it travel with our club and hang for others to enjoy.