Halloween is just around the corner, so why not practice your free motion quilting skills on the Horizon Memory Craft 9400QCP to create a festive wall hanging or door decoration? All you need is a Halloween themed panel and a few other supplies to quilt an awesome door decoration to prepare for trick-or-treaters.
RST-Right sides together, RSD-Right Side Down, RSU-Right Side Up, WOF-Width of fabric, FQ-fat quarter, all seam allowances are 1/4” unless otherwise specified.
Janome Supplies Required:
HMC9400QCP
Standard Foot A
1/4″Foot O
PD-H Foot for free motion
Purple Tip Needle
Pre-wound bobbin
Empty Bobbin
Fabrics/Notions Required:
1 Halloween panel-Chillingsworth by Andover (fabric A) sub cut into:
(1) 22” x 44” (Front of wall hanging)
1-3/4 yds. of Halloween themed fabric (fabric B) sub cut into:
(1) 30” x 50” (Backing fabric)
(4) 2.5” x WOF” (binding)
(1) 4” x 20” (hanging sleeves)
1 piece of batting sub cut into:
(1) 30” x 50”
1 dowel rod measuring 1/2″ in diameter x 25.5” length
Coordinating all-purpose sewing thread for quilting and binding
Student Supplies Required:
Spray baste
Binding clips
Sewing pins
Bodkin or turning tool
Thread snips
Marking pen/tailors chalk
Rotary cutter/ruler/mat
Iron and pressing board
Supreme Slider by La Pierre Quilting
Prepare the quilt sandwich and quilt
- Press the Fabric A panel and the 30” x 50” piece of Fabric B to remove any wrinkles.
- Place the backing (Fabric B) on a flat surface, wrong side up. Take the 30” x 50” batting and place it on top of the wrong side of the 30” x 50” piece of Halloween fabric B and smooth out any wrinkles.
Tip: When using pre-packaged batting, remove the batting from the package and unfold it while preparing the top. This will help relax the fold lines.
- Place the 22” x 44” Chillingsworth panel (Fabric A) right side up, centered on top of the batting and backing. Make sure you have at least a couple inches on each side of the panel (Fabric A) of the backing and batting to give plenty of room for quilting. Smooth all wrinkles from the quilt sandwich and baste with basting spray. You can use basting pins for this if you choose.
- Select the thread for quilting and thread the machine. Load the bobbin. Attach the PDH foot for freemotion quilting. Lower the feed dogs, and from the menu, select stitch #1. Place the Supreme Slider on the table of the machine. This is a great tool to use when quilting an item that has a backing that might not slide easily under the machine.
- Quilt the quilt with your desired motif. I selected a swirly design. Once quilting is completed, raise the feed dogs to the original position. Select stitch #1 from the utility menu. Remove the PDH foot and attach standard foot A.
- Square up the quilt and trim away excess batting and backing fabric.
- Prepare the binding (fabric B) by piecing the strips together to create one continuous piece of binding, 2.5” wide x approximately 160”. Fold the binding strip in half, wrong sides together, so it is 1.25” wide and press.
- Take the 4” x 20” piece of Fabric B and fold it in half, RST, matching the 20” edges and pin in place.
- Sew together along the pinned 20” edge with a 1/4” seam allowance.
- Turn the tube of fabric RSO with a bodkin or turning tool and press flat.
- Cut the length of fabric into four pieces, each measuring 5” long.
- Take one 5” length of fabric you just cut and fold it in half so the raw edges meet. Place the quilted panel RSD and measure 3” in from the top right edge. Place the folded piece of fabric with raw edges matching the top raw edge of the quilted panel at the 3” mark. Pin the folded fabric in place, or use binding clips to secure. Measure approximately 3” from the pinned folded fabric and pin another folded piece in the same manner. Repeat this going from the opposite side of the top edge of the quilted panel, until all four folded fabric pieces are pinned in place.
- Baste the four folded pieces of fabric in place with a 1/4” seam allowance.
- Remove the standard Foot A and attach the 1/4″ Foot O. From the “Quilt” menu, select stitch #2 and lengthen the stitch length to 2.2.
- Align the raw edge of the binding with the raw edge of the front side of the quilt. Sew the binding down with a 1/4″ seam allowance, using the 1/4” foot O. Miter the corners as you sew, and make sure the pieces of fabric basted to the back are lying flat against the back, with the folded part of the fabric pointing away from the raw edge of the quilt panel.
- Fold the folded edge of the binding over to the back of the quilt and use binding clips to secure the folded edge in place.
- Finish sewing the binding down using your preferred method.
- Insert the dowel rod through the hanging loops and use a wreath hanger or some Command hooks to mount the quilted panel.
