Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to turn one bold print into a simple wall hanging.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric first
This fabric is Black Hearts Love Ink 3388 Cotton, from Cloud9 Fabrics.
It comes from the Love, Ink collection. RouCouCou is the designer.
It is a quilting cotton. It measures 44"/45" wide. It is sold by the yard.
The print is right there in the name, y'all. Black hearts. Bold, graphic, and full of personality.
That is a print that does not need much help. It does not want busy piecing or tiny cuts. It wants room to show, all in one big piece.
Quilting cotton suits a wall piece, too. It presses crisp and quilts up smooth.
The project: a bold little wall hanging
We are not reinventing the wheel here. This is a one-panel wall hanging.
One big cut of the Black Hearts print in the center. Simple borders to frame it. Light quilting to hold the layers. A sleeve on the back for a dowel.
Finished, this one measures about 26 inches wide and 34 inches long. That is a sweet size for a hallway or sewing room door.
Why does this fabric suit it? The print is the star. One center piece lets every heart stay whole, with no heart chopped at a seam.
Materials list
- 1 yard of Black Hearts Love Ink 3388 Cotton, 44"/45" wide, for the center panel and borders, or use a coordinating solid for the borders if you prefer
- 1 yard of backing fabric, 44"/45" wide
- One piece of batting, about 30 by 38 inches
- All-purpose thread for piecing, plus quilting thread that blends or contrasts, completely up to you
- A size 80/12 needle for the quilting cotton
- A wooden dowel or thin rod, about 24 inches long, plus a small picture hook
- Pins or clips, a rotary cutter, a ruler, and a mat
- An iron and a pressing surface
Here is the cutting math. Cut the center panel 20 1/2 by 28 1/2 inches. Cut two side borders at 3 1/2 by 28 1/2 inches. Cut the top and bottom borders at 3 1/2 by 26 1/2 inches. That gives you the 26 by 34 inch top, seam allowances included.
Brief steps to make it
Step one. Press your fabric well. Square up one edge first. Then cut your center panel nice and straight.
Step two. Sew the side borders on. Use a steady 1/4 inch seam. Press the seams out toward the borders.
Step three. Add the top and bottom borders the same way. Press well. Measure across the middle. You want about 26 by 34 inches.
Step four. Layer it up. Backing right side down, batting in the middle, top right side up. Baste with pins or spray. Smooth from the center out.
Step five. Quilt it simply. Stitch in the ditch around the border frame first. That locks everything in place.
Then, if you like, echo around a few hearts. Just follow the heart shape, about 1/4 inch out. Keep it loose and freehand. Not every heart needs it. A few is plenty.
I use a stitch length of about 2.5 for the ditch work. Slow down at the corners. Pivot with the needle down. Just like that.
Step six. Trim the edges square. Bind it like a small quilt, with 2 1/2 inch binding strips. Miter those corners the best you can.
Step seven. Add the hanging sleeve. Cut a strip 4 by 24 inches from your leftover fabric. Hem the short ends. Fold it longways, sew the long edge, and hand stitch it to the back, just below the top binding. Slide the dowel through, and hang it up.
Practical tips from my sewing room
One warning, friends. Bold hearts show every wobbly line, so keep the quilting simple. Simple lines look confident.
I once stitched a sleeve, then found the dowel would not fit. Learn from me, y'all. Test the dowel before you stitch that sleeve down for good.
That is your permission beat, folks. It does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic. If an echo line wanders a bit, that is handwork. That is charm. Take your time. It is not a race.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. One pretty yard, four border strips, and an afternoon. Super duper fun, and it fills a bare wall fast.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Black Hearts Love Ink 3388 Cotton 44”/45” Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
