Above is the booth backdrop Terry and I made two months ago. Terry put together a PVC frame and I placed curtains that I reworked that I had purchased at a thrift store.
The picture below is the bottom edge of the PVC frame. Terry added a middle support to make set up a little easier for me when I am setting up alone. Most of the pieces come apart for travel. Some of them are glued together. (He told me which, but I need to write on them because I simply can't remember...oops!)
The picture above is of the completed reworked backdrop. While the curtains were very pretty, they were lined and heavy. Most of the books I have written so far are Christian Western. While paging through an Oriental Trading catalog I got in the mail, I saw a very pretty backdrop pictured. In that backdrop was Spruce trees in the mountains loaded down with snow. I almost bought that one, but then thought better of it because I wanted something for all seasons. (They also had an awesome one of a fireplace with a beautifully trimmed Christmas tree.)
I went to my laptop and found Oriental Trading.com. I searched their website for backdrop banners and they had a good selection of scenes to choose from. The great thing was that they are only $16 for a 6' X9' banner. This is so much more affordable than other places.
One thing I must say is that they are thin plastic and come in three strips that you tape together. The plastic is the same mil as a plastic table cloth. I am going to put clear contact paper on it or thin down some Elmer's glue and attach cheesecloth or muslin on the back. I haven't decided yet.
The picture was 6' tall. Terry's had made the frame 7'X8'. It was a foot shy of reaching the floor. I found some fabric in my quilting stash. (actually, it was a curtain I had chopped up for another project and I had saved the chopped up part for quilt pieces. No wonder my quilt stash is so big. It was cool because the rod pocket was already done. I cut the fabric to size so that the picture would brush the floor.
I got out my packing tape and taped the three sections together on the backside of the picture. Then I got a roll of duct tape and put it around the perimeter of the picture on the backside so that it would be more sturdy.
Above is the duct tape on the edge of the picture.
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I was going to attach Velcro to the fabric and the picture, but didn't know how I would attach the Velcro to the flimsy picture. Because I had duct taped the edge, I thought that hand sewing them together would be a better idea. Machine sewing might just cut it. I used a very small needle and fine thread with pretty big stitches. I might resort to using fabric glue when I can get to a store that carries it so that it doesn't fall apart.
I taped the picture to the fabric and made sure it was straight before I began to sew.
I started in the middle so that ...I don't remember why, but I think it was so that I wouldn't get it off centered, even though it was taped and pinned in place. Who knows why I did it that way, but it worked.
This is the finished product. The light is shining on a crease on it. I had to run into the spare bedroom to be sure it wasn't a rip. lol. I have sewed up a long skinny carrying case for the banner and the backdrop. I will roll them up and put them in the case. This has been quite a project. I will get back to you about the clear contact paper or the cheesecloth idea. If you have a suggestion, I would appreciate your feedback.
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