The material for this was a large piece of dark blue velvet that was given to me. I would probably not have gone out and chosen it as the thick pile makes it quite difficult to appliqué on to; however now that the work is done I just love its soft, rich texture.

This verse from John 1:14 epitomises the miracle and mystery of Christmas. The design appears simple but great care was required in planning the layout of the lettering so that the ‘Os’ would exactly line up vertically. The letters are gold and cream and the rays are gold cord. The star is cream net bondawebbed on to the blue velvet, with a gold leather and sequin centre. The dimensions of the banner about 180 cm by 130 cm (6 ft x 4 ft 4 in) and the large calligraphic lettering guarantee a strong impact right to the very back of a big building, while the detail of the image of the Christ-child can be appreciated at close range.