Craft Show Banner

I've been needing a shop sign to hang at craft shows, and I made one in my own way. It began with a plain white curtain panel from Goodwill and a fresh bottle of spray paint. Everything else was already in my possession: logo and business card design by Jelene, various paints and brushes, and gumption. See the sidebar and my page banner for a glimpse of the design I was working from.First, I sprayed blue paint onto the curtain, matching the background on my Etsy banner and business cards. For a stencil, I used a large yogurt container with the bottom cut out, as pictured.
The first step is finished!
Can you see the faint, pencil outlines of lettering? This took a long time because I laser-printed my design onto a transparency sheet, then traced it onto butcher paper via an old-fashioned overhead projector so that it would be the perfect size. I cut the pieces out, and then traced them onto the curtain. Now I have the stencils for any future needs.
I worked with the lightest colors of paint first. It was easiest, considering the mixing I was doing to create the purple and gray.
Here's a closer look at the big, buggy gray eye. (I love my cartoony scorpion sewist!)
I saved painting the lettering for last.
The finished banner! Well, almost. I've gone back and re-painted the thimble and done some more touching-up. It measures about five feet tall by three and a half feet wide.

One problem I didn't take into account is how it looks with light behind it: every paint stroke is visible, and it's distracting and unattractive. I may need to sew a heavy lining to the back.

My original plan was to applique the entire thing. The fabrics were all picked out, and in retrospect, I should have stuck with sewing. It would have required miles of thread, but it also would have matched my merchandise and looked good in any light. I thought painting would be quicker, but I'm not so sure that it ended up that way. This took two weeks of hard-fought spare time in between paint-drying time.
Just for fun, here's a Sunday Shadow Shot. (Hi, HeyHarriet!)