Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to turn one pretty holiday panel into a wall hanging you'll be proud to hang.
Here we go.
This one is simple. It is also really, really festive. And if I can do this, y'all can do it.
Meet the fabric first
We're working with the Adorn Advent Multi Cotton Fabric panel. It comes from the Adorn Collection. Makower UK designed it for Andover Fabrics.
The panel is 100% premium cotton. It measures 24 inches by 44 inches. That size matters, folks. It gives you a tall, generous piece to work with.
Look at what is in the print. You get beautiful poinsettias. You get holly leaves and delicate blooms. You get sparkling snowflakes and classic ornaments. Graceful scrolls tie it all together.
The colors are rich and traditional. Think green, cream, red, and burgundy. Then there are metallic gold accents on top. Just like that, the whole panel feels warm and a little bit fancy.
For this project, the panel is the star. We are not reinventing the wheel here.
Why this fabric suits a panel wall hanging
A panel already did the hard design work for you. The artwork is composed. The colors already play nice together.
Your job is to frame it, quilt it, and hang it straight. That is it.
Cotton like this presses well. It quilts well. It hangs flat when you finish it right.
Materials list
- 1 Adorn Advent Multi Cotton Fabric panel, 24 inches by 44 inches
- 1 piece of batting, about 28 inches by 48 inches
- Backing fabric, about 28 inches by 48 inches, roughly 7/8 yard of standard quilting cotton
- Binding fabric, about 1/4 yard, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips
- Optional border fabric, about 1/3 yard, if you want a wider finished hanging
- 50-weight cotton thread for piecing and quilting
- An 80/12 needle for your machine
- Pins or clips, a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
- Fabric for a hanging sleeve, about a 9-inch by 24-inch strip
Those numbers give you about 2 extra inches on every side. That wiggle room helps.
Brief steps
Step 1: Press and trim. Press the panel flat. Go slow. Square it up carefully, and keep the printed design centered. Measure twice here, y'all.
Step 2: Add a border if you want one. You can leave it plain. You can add 2 1/2-inch border strips all around. Completely up to you. My preference is a narrow border. It frames those poinsettias without stealing the show.
Step 3: Layer it up. Lay the backing right side down. Center the batting on top. Center the panel right side up. Smooth from the middle out.
Step 4: Baste it. Pin every 4 inches or so. No shifting allowed once you start quilting.
Step 5: Quilt it simply. Stitch in the ditch around the main printed shapes. Then add a little echo quilting about 1/4 inch out. Try about 10 to 12 stitches per inch. Slow down on the tight turns. Rush it, and you can wobble off the line or snap a needle.
I have wandered off a ditch before. Oh my goodness, yes. The fix is easy. Pull those stitches, press lightly, and sew it again slower. Nobody has to know.
Step 6: Trim and bind. Trim the sandwich square. Join your 2 1/2-inch binding strips. Sew the binding on, fold it over, and finish it by machine or by hand. Completely up to you.
Step 7: Add the sleeve. Sew your hanging sleeve to the back at the top. Slide in a dowel or rod. Hang it up and step back.
Super duper cute, right?
Practical tips from my table
Let the metallic gold do the sparkle work. You do not need glitter thread too. Plain thread lets the panel shine.
Quilt the big shapes first. Work from the center out. That keeps puckers from sneaking in.
Take your time, it's not a race. If a seam sits a hair off, it is still handmade. It does not have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic, I promise you that.
When the season ends, roll it around a tube, printed side out.
Alrighty. Press it, layer it, quilt it slow, and enjoy it. This is a weekend make that turns into a family tradition piece.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Adorn Advent Multi Cotton Fabric 24" x 44" Panel at Linda's Electric Quilters.
