Sewist Author: Audrey Weaver
If you do any amount of browsing at your local fabric shops, you've inevitably been tempted by a beautiful preprinted panel.
For years, I avoided buying panels because I could never decide exactly what I wanted to do to make it reflect my creative tastes while still being an item that I would actually use. As the shoppers around me snapped up these lovelies, I convinced myself to put the bolt back on the shelf and move on.
Here I am at AdventureUs, ten years later, unpacking a new order from Riley Blake Designs, and the National Parks fabric collection is just too cute to resist! In particular, the National Parks Poster Panel USA Map is just the right size for a wall hanging.
This little beauty got us thinking about how we can encourage beginner sewists to jump in to the wonderful world of quilting without needing a bunch of specialty tools and materials.
Time: Approximately two to three hours.
Materials:
- National Parks Poster Panel Wall Hanging Kit
- Iron & Board
- Scissors or Rotary Cutter, Matt, and Ruler
- Sewing Machine (walking foot recommended but not necessary)
- Pins or Wonder Clips
- Hand Needle and Embroidery Thread to make hang loops
Instructions:
- Press the panel and backing fabric to remove all wrinkles.
- On your ironing board, lay out the fusible fleece with the bumpy side up. Center the panel on top of the fleece with the printed side up. Fuse together according to the manufacturer instructions.
- Trim your fused top to even all the edges. Use whatever tools you are most comfortable with, whether that's sharp scissors or a rotary cutter and mat.
- Trim your backing fabric to the same size as your fused panel top. Spread the fused top right side up on a flat surface. Lay the backing fabric on top right side down, carefully aligning all edges. Pin generously around all edges. Don't worry if your back isn't a perfect match to the top, just smooth it out the best you can before pinning and move on to step five.
- Sew 1/4 inch seam (a walking foot is highly recommended) almost all the way around. Leave a large enough opening at the bottom to be able to turn it right side out. I like to put a mark where I will start and stop stitching so I don't forget to leave the opening.
- Trim corners to reduce bulk.
- Optional: Trim the fleece batting within your seam allowance if you want the edge to be less bulky.
- Turn the quilt out through the opening. Poke out the corners and smooth the whole top.
- Use pins or Wonder Clips all the way around.
- Quilt lightly (if desired) with coordinating or invisible thread.
- Top stitch about 1/4 inch from the edge with your walking foot. Take extra care to turn in the open seam where you turned out your piece. This section may require extra pins/clips and slow stitching to ensure a tidy finish. Remember...it's a walking foot, not a running foot!
- Make hanging loops with a needle and strong thread. You can either hang these loops directly on hooks/nails in your wall or insert a dowel in the loops. A dowel will give added support if your wall hanging is larger and won't hang flat.
That's all there is to it! A ready-to-display wall quilt in twelve easy steps!
AdventureUs Owner, Amy Trimbo, decided to use Sashiko thread to embroider her families names and coordinating French knots next to each National Park they've visited.
Try embellishing your wall hanging with variegated thread painting, adding buttons or ribbon, fabric markers, and more!
Happy Adventuring!