Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to turn one patriotic panel into a growth chart that keeps its marks for years.
Here we go. Let's talk about the fabric first.
The 1776 Independence Day Fabric Panel 27 is a fabric panel from QuiltingFabricPanels.com. It is proudly printed in the United States of America. For an Independence Day design, folks, that feels just right.
It is made with 100% premium quilting cotton. It presses flat, cuts clean, and holds a crease. A tall, narrow project needs all three.
This is a panel, not regular yardage. The picture is printed whole and ready to use. You plan around it, and the artwork does the hard work for you.
One honest note, y'all. Colors on a browser screen may differ in tone from printed cotton fibers. Look at your panel in good daylight first, then pick your fabrics to match what you see. 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 straight 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 seams run through the design. The artwork decorates. Beside it, a plain strip becomes the measuring space.
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 27, 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
- Fabric marker for height lines, names, and dates
- Ruler or tape measure at least 60 inches long
- Matching thread, 50-weight for construction
- A universal 80/12 or 90/14 needle
- Dowel, hanging sleeve fabric, rotary cutter, ruler, mat, pins or clips, and an iron
Brief Steps
First, press the panel and square it up. Measure its 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 is shorter, borders will 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 panel plus strip. Stitch with a 1/4-inch seam, and press as you go.
Fourth, layer and quilt lightly. Backing wrong side up, then batting, then top right side up. Pin every 3 to 4 inches. Quilt in the open spaces, stitch in the ditch or echo about 1/4 inch out, at a stitch length around 2.5 to 3. Keep quilting light on the strip, so writing stays easy.
Fifth, bind it and add a sleeve. Trim 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 to 6 feet. Add inch ticks between. Go slow here. Double-check, or every mark after it 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 child's name and the date beside every mark, not just the height. Five years from now, the dates are the sweet part. Super duper simple, and it means everything.
I hung my first one 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 level it 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 27 at Linda's Electric Quilters.
