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When Natalie Lombard first became a Christian, she found the stark interiors of New England churches bordering on boring and the newer all-purpose rooms used as sanctuaries short on beauty. She asked the Lord why his sanctuaries were so bland.

The answer, she believes, was a directive. God told her, "Adorn my church."

Lombard has been following that order ever since by creating banners for churches through her business, Celebration Banners, in West Chicago, Illinois. To date she has created more than 70 banners in all sizes, from a pulpit cloth of 12-by-20 inches, to a banner 40 feet tall and 30 feet across. Most often requested are her signature-piece angels of gold lame.

Her average-size processional banners, which are five to 10 feet tall, take about 20 hours to construct. Depending on size and materials used, the banners sell for $400-$800.

Part of what makes Lombard's banners unique is what they're made of. The fabric designer shuns burlap and felt, opting instead for bridal-type fabrics such as satin, silk, tapestry, and gold lame. "God is light and shines into our lives," Lombard says. "I want fabrics to glorify him so that people experience his majesty and splendor."

Lombard says she gets her inspiration from God as creator. "I notice the shapes of leaves and the curves of tendrils. Curves that occur in nature are absolutely beautiful," Lombard says. "I love to look at the sky. Often I work the beautiful shapes of clouds into angel wings."

Lombard sews by hand and machine to do applique and other quilting stitches. She also uses a technique she created called sculpting fabric, in which fabric is arranged in various shapes and held in place by tiny invisible stitches.

According to this artist and others, here are some necessary ingredients of every banner used in a church:

Good composition. Banners must make visual sense. "There is a flow that is naturally pleasing to the eye," Lombard says. "If you don't understand this and want to create banners, go to your local college and take a course in composition."

Theological integrity. "A child ought to be able to ask you any question about a banner, and it should make theological sense," Lombard says.

Simplicity. Banner images should not be too detailed, advises Drew Trotman, owner of Praise Banners, a Nashville, Tennessee-based company that offers premade banners as well as the supplies to make them. "Banners are meant to be viewed from a distance," he says.

Emotional appeal. "If you're making a joyous banner, use vibrant colors," Lombard says. "If you're creating a Good Friday banner, make it so that it touches the human heart and grabs the soul. If you're creating a banner that talks of gentleness, have gentleness exuding from that banner. It's not enough to stick a dove and the word joy on cloth. You must ask, 'Is this banner nourishing, illuminating, inspiring?'"

Candy Ferris of Shamrock, Texas, makes banners for her church, for retreat centers, and for a local prison ministry. She also sells banners via the Internet.

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