How to make a two stick banner!, Step-by-step guide by the RedBlueArmy...

[hibs1875]

Well i've finally finished off another flag and will describe each step i took to do it.

Step 1:

The Design: I've designed the flag on Word and printed it off.



Step 2:

From the design, work out how big you want the flag to be. Having measured it to scale i've made the flag up. (i've not gone into detail with the sewing techniques as it's not that complicated for anyone to do)



The Lettering

Step 3:

Working out the size of the letters: Knowing what lettering i want to put on the flag, i've measured the lenght of the Blue material to work out how big the letters can be.



I then printed off the word 'ULTRA' from the computer to a fairly large scale. I then measured the lenght of the word and worked out the ratio of that lenght to the lenght of the Blue material. With this ratio i can then work out what the hieght of the letters being used.

As these letters aren't that big, i'm able to print them off to the exact size on paper. To print them off to the exact size, i use just one letter and print it off however many times i need to, to work out the size of the font i need to use. I then printed off each letter which are of the exact size required:



Step 4:

Drawing the letters onto the bondaweb: Bondaweb is the stuff i use for all the flags i make. You can by it in department stores like John lewis. It's like a sheet of paper. But it has a 'smooth' side and a 'glazed' side. The 'smooth' side it to draw the shape on and the 'glazed' side is ironed onto the material being used.



You must first draw the letters out onto the smooth side of the bondaweb and then iron the bondaweb onto the material. Dont forget: when drawing a letter on you must reverse it otherwise when you stick/iron on the final product it'll be back to front!

So, with the letters i've printed off i need to draw them onto the bondaweb. In order to help me draw them on, i've made a light box which helps reverse the letter. I've simple turned the paper over and able to see the letter to be drawn:



Having cut off enough bondaweb to draw all the letters on from the roll, i started to draw the letters on:



and here's the result:



Now cut roughly around all of the letters, do not cut along the outline of the letters!!:



Step 5

Ironing the bondaweb onto the materail used for the letter: I'm using a white material for the letters. The reason to cut all the letters out roughly is to make it easier to iron onto the material. Place the letters onto the material with the 'glazed' side facing down. Iron over the bondaweb for roughly 10sec. Then iron on all the letters.



Roughly cut out the letters again from the material. The bondaweb must remain where it is on each letter. Now cut out the letter from the materail using the lines that have been drawn on. Once you've cut them out, line them up onto the material that they'll be going onto:



Using a ruler or something else with a long straight edge, position the letters in exactly the correct position, this may take time.

Once you're happy with where they are, 1 by 1 remove the letter from it's position and peel the 'smooth' side of the bondaweb off the letter (which will leave just the 'glazed' side on the letter). Then place it back into position. Once all the letters have been re positioned, you can start ironing them on.

To do this you need a damp cloth. With the damp cloth, drape it over the letters and then iron over it. Spend at least 30 seconds ironing the cloth for the best results. Once you've finished the ironing, take the cloth off and you should see the letters fairly damp all over. This is normal, all you need to do then is go over it again with the iron (without the cloth) and dry it out. If you find some parts of the letter have not stuck to the flag material, simply do this whole process again.

Once this has been completed it should look like this:





The image

Step 6:

Having chosen the image i want to use, i've printed it off.



As i want the image bigger than it can be printed off on A4 paper, i'll have to blow the size up a different way.

You can do this 2 ways: 1) by measuring every point on the smaller scaled picture and then scale it up and draw it free hand onto the bondaweb, or 2) use an overhead projector.

I'm using an ohp as it's much easier. Although i dont have any see through sheets to print it onto at the mo (which are used on ohps) i've just cut out all of the white parts of the image:



This can now be used on the ohp. I've set the ohp up projecting the image onto a wall. You may have to adjust the distance of the ohp from the wall to make it to the size you want. I'm making the projected image to the biggest size possible that i can draw onto the bondaweb:



Once it's set at the required size, i've cut the sufficient amout of bondaweb needed for the image. Then i've stuck it to the wall using masting tape:



Then draw around the the image on the bondaweb. This is the result:



I've also had to do a second one of just the outline of the shape. This because i'm using both black and white.



I've then taken these 2 bits of bondaweb and ironed them onto the material that is required for them (details of how to iron them is above):



Once the bondaweb is ironed on, cut the shapes out. The aline them onto the flag into the position that you wish it to be. Then take them off and peel the 'smooth' side of the bondaweb off the image. Then using the cloth again, iron onto the material (details of how to iron them is above as well):



And the image has come out like this:



So after all that, i now have a 2-stick which looks like this:




If you want to use bigger letters or images, simply (by using the ohp) stick bits of bondaweb next to each other on the wall to cover the image that's required.

If there's anything you dont understand or want more help, please let me know. I know i've gone on a bit but i hope i've explained it as fully as as i can!

This 2-stick isn't quite finished yet as the guy i'm making it for wants a few more bits here and there, i should have it completed by tonight.


© !FLAGBOY! - RedBlueArmy
-UltrasUK

[UltrasTifosi]

Very nice guide! There are some other ways to make it but this one seems good too.

[Brann]

Did just pin this topic so all our members who need some help with flags can come here and read

[lilmike]

Nice tutorial!I really wanted to know how to make one of those.

[Juve Leo Holanda]

hibs1875, I must congratulate you with this exellent guide of how to make a banner. I have made a lot of banners in my life but I never used this way to make one. I think I'm going to try it one time to see how it works out.

I dont have a ohp so that could be a problem.
I also don't know the Ducth name for bondaweb (I live in Holland) so I have to find that first.

Last thing, how well does that bondaweb sticks to the banner? Does it comes off the banner a lot?

[parkhead_bear]

The guide wasn't made by hibs1875 it was done by Flagman from Red Blue Army of Aldershot.

JLH i have used Bondaweb a few time and it is good for laying out the banner design but i wouldn't use it a long term plan. I normally use the bonaweb and then sew it on as this will make it last longer.

[!FLAGBOY!]

Here is that 2-stick completed:



The RBA will be making a new official group banner, over the next month or so. The method is the same as above and a diary of how it's made wil be put up on the net for anyone else wanting to know how to make a banner using bondaweb.

[CaMa]

**

[Brann]

Here is another metode for making flags and text banners (also large banners work great).

Will be a bit hard to explain with my english, but I try.

Start:

Buy textile you can paint on. No need for expenvie shit. I use to buy it at IKEA, very cheap. (10*1,5 meters is enough for 8-9 flags)
If your group have a bit money you buy a lot more and get a better price!


You now need a motiv. Use photoshop or something to make your motives and figures. After that you print it over on a paper used for "overheads" (box with light)


Hang up your banner/flag on a wall. Maybe you need plastic behind so you dont draw your motiv on the wall behind


Put your motiv on the overhead and start drawing on the banner. If you dont have a overhead you can buy a used one or ask a school or a local concern if you can borrow one.



When you are done you can start painting. Water based paint work good for two-sticks and text banners. Spary is not always good on textile, if so you have to paint the background before you use spray, if not it wont look "clear". Find some cheap brushes, not need to look after expensive shit...
Use plastic under the banner so you dont paint the whole floor
More you buy = better price!


When you are done painting you can let your banner stay there for a while or hang it up on something to it dry faster.



For some of the hard part is comming now, you have to sew holes for your pole ticks if you are making a flag. Ask your mother or Grand mother if they have a sewing machine and if they can help you. If not you can buy a used one from the school or something... Atlast, no need to buy a new one, that just cost you a lot.
Make sure your holes is big enough for the poles!


Your flag is now finish, you only need poles. Electric poles is the best to use. You can get this nearly for free if you know something who work as an electricer. If not you can buy it cheap in a store where they sell electrics.



More you make better it looks.


I will guess most groups know how to make flags, but I hope this can be some great info for new groups or private people.

Ask if there was something you didnt understand

[Farengeit]

This banner is a nandmade job. I made it to 80 bithtday of DYNAMO KYIV.

[OUFC Long John Silver]

Hi, first post here.

We are starting to make flags and banners for OxfordUnited now... this was following our match with Aldershot earlier this season, and lots being impressed with their flags and banners, and our fans now wanting to get a bit more passion and colour into the stadium.

I pretty much use the same method as Flagboy, but prepare all the lettering size on Photoshop, then print each letter out onto card (or more than one piece of card if too big) then cut around this shape, so that I have a card template (which can be re-used) to draw around on to the bondaweb.

Here is the website OUFC flag page that shows most of the flags made so far... making them at a rate of around 5 a week now... and still plenty of orders in the pipeline!