Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to turn one printed panel into a finished wall hanging you can hang with pride.
Here we go. Let's start with the fabric itself.
The 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 19 is a fabric panel from QuiltingFabricPanels.com. It is printed in the United States of America. And that matters to a lot of us, folks.
It is made with 100% premium quilting cotton. That is the good stuff we reach for every day. It presses nice and flat. It feeds through your machine without a fight.
This is a panel, not yardage cut off a bolt. That means the artwork is already composed for you. You do not have to piece a flag. You do not have to appliqué a scene. The panel does the heavy lifting. You just get to finish it well.
One honest note, y'all. Colors on a browser screen may differ in tone from printed cotton fibers. When yours arrives, look at it in daylight. Then pick binding and backing to match what you actually see. Completely up to you.
The Project: A Panel Wall Hanging
A panel wall hanging is exactly what it sounds like. You layer the panel like a small quilt. You quilt it. You bind it. Then you hang it.
It works in an entryway or over a mantel. Super duper fun for the Fourth of July, and really really good all summer long.
Why does this fabric suit it so well? Simple. The panel is already the centerpiece. You are not cutting it up into little pieces. You are letting it shine, just like it was printed to do. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Materials List
- One 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 19
- Backing fabric, about 4 inches wider and longer than your trimmed panel on all sides
- Low-loft batting, same size as your backing
- Binding fabric, about 1/4 yard, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips
- Matching thread for quilting, and a neutral thread for binding
- A hanging sleeve fabric strip, or two small corner pockets
- Your regular rotary cutter, ruler, pins or clips, and iron
Measure your panel first when it arrives. Trim only excess background, if any. Leave a clean, square edge.
Brief Steps
Step one: press and trim. Press the panel from the wrong side on a medium cotton setting. Square it up with your ruler. Take your time here. A square start makes binding so much easier later.
Step two: layer it. Lay your backing wrong side up. Center the batting on top. Center the panel right side up on that. Smooth from the middle out. Pin every 4 to 5 inches, or use a light spray baste if that is your preference.
Step three: quilt it simply. Load a size 80/12 quilting needle. Set your stitch length to about 8 to 10 stitches per inch. Start in the center and travel outward. Stitch in the ditch around the main printed shapes. Then add a little echo quilting about 1/4 inch out. That echo gives it texture without stealing the show. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Slow down on tight turns. Slow down or the needle snaps — and I say that because I have done it. Ease around curves and let the machine work.
Step four: add your hanger. Before binding, stitch a hanging sleeve to the top back. A sleeve about 4 inches deep works for most small rods. Or add two corner pockets if you like that style better. Both work. Completely up to you.
Step five: bind it. Join your 2 1/2-inch strips. Press them in half lengthwise. Sew to the front with a 1/4-inch seam. Miter those corners nice and slow. Fold to the back and stitch it down by hand or machine. Just like that, you are done.
Practical Tips From the Table
First, do not over-quilt a panel. Dense quilting can make it stiff and wavy. A little meander in the background is plenty.
Second, check tension on a scrap first. Make a tiny sandwich with the same batting. Adjust until you see no big loops. Five minutes now saves an hour with the seam ripper.
Third, here is the permission beat, and I mean it. It does not have to be perfect. If a corner is a tiny bit soft, that is okay. If your echo line wobbles, that is okay too. You are your own worst critic. Nobody else is standing there with a ruler. Take your time. It is not a race.
Alrighty. That is a wall hanging you can finish in a weekend.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 19 at Linda's Electric Quilters.
