Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to turn one patriotic panel into a growth chart your family will treasure for years.
Here we go. Let's talk about the fabric first.
The 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 36 is a fabric panel from QuiltingFabricPanels.com. It is proudly printed in the United States of America. For an Independence Day panel, y'all, that just feels right.
It is made with 100% premium quilting cotton. It presses flat, cuts clean, and sews smooth. A tall, narrow project needs all three of those things.
This is a panel, not regular yardage. The design is printed whole and ready to use. You plan your chart around it, and the artwork does the decorating for you. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
One honest note, folks. Colors on a browser screen may differ in tone from printed cotton fibers. Check your panel in good daylight, then pick fabrics to match. Completely up to you.
The Project: Panel Growth Chart
A panel growth chart is a tall, narrow hanging piece. You hang it on the wall at a true height. A child stands tall against it. You mark the top of their head, and you add the date.
Why does this fabric suit it so well? The panel stays whole, so no piecing seams run through the design. You see the full picture every time you measure. And quilting cotton hangs flat, year after year.
And hear me on this. It doesn't have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic. Take your time. It's not a race.
Materials List
- One 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 36, for the chart center
- Writing strip and borders: about 3/4 yard of light, solid quilting cotton you can write on
- Backing fabric: about 1 3/4 yards of quilting cotton, cut larger than your top
- Low-loft cotton batting: one piece cut larger than your finished top
- Binding: 1/2 yard of quilting cotton, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips
- A fine fabric marker for height lines, names, and dates
- A ruler or tape measure at least 60 inches long
- Matching thread, 50-weight for construction and quilting
- A universal 80/12 or 90/14 needle
- A dowel, hanging sleeve fabric, rotary cutter, long ruler, cutting mat, pins or clips, and an iron
Brief Steps
First, press the panel well and square it up. Measure the width and length and write both numbers down. Aim for a finished chart about 12 to 16 inches wide and about 60 inches tall. If your panel runs shorter, borders get you there.
Second, add the writing strip. Cut a light strip about 4 inches wide by the full finished height. Sew it to one long side with a 1/4-inch seam. Press toward the strip. Every height mark lives here, so keep it plain and light.
Third, add top and bottom borders to reach your height. Cut them the full width of the panel plus the strip. Stitch with a 1/4-inch seam, and press as you go. Just like that, your chart takes shape.
Fourth, layer and quilt it lightly. Backing wrong side up, then batting, then the top right side up. Pin every 3 to 4 inches. Stitch in the ditch, or echo about 1/4 inch out, at a stitch length around 2.5 to 3.0. Keep quilting light on the strip, so writing stays easy.
Fifth, bind it and add a sleeve. Trim it square. Sew the binding with a 1/4-inch seam, fold it to the back, and stitch it down. Add a hanging sleeve across the top back for your dowel.
Sixth, hang it true, then draw the scale. Hang it so the bottom edge sits exactly 12 inches above the floor. On the strip, draw 2 feet at 12 inches up, 3 feet at 24 inches, and so on up to 6 feet. Add inch ticks in between. Go slow and double-check, or every mark after will be off.
Practical Tips
Test your marker on a scrap of the strip fabric first. Let it dry a full minute. Rub it good. You want a line that stays put and does not bleed.
Write the name and date beside every mark. Years from now, those dates are the sweet part.
I hung my first chart a little crooked once. Every mark leaned like it needed a nap. We leveled it and fixed it in five minutes. Ask me how I know to check the level first now.
Hang it on two level hooks so it cannot swing. Roll it for storage, never fold it hard. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 36 at Linda's Electric Quilters.
