Let’s make an Embroidered Wall Hanging!
It’s the twelfth and final week and the ninth project of Machine Embroider Your Life  from American Quilter’s Society and EverSewn! We’re so excited to have brought you nine great machine embroidery projects to make. This week we’re putting the finishing touches on our embroidered wall hanging. Let’s get started!
VIDEO
Supplies
Quilt top from Part 2 Backing fabric
Binding fabric
Ruler
Rotary Cutter
Scissors
Craft Spray Baste
Craft Clips
Walking Foot
Sewing Thread
Project Planning
In Part 1 we discussed design choices to make about your wall hanging. In Part 2 we decided the size of our wall hanging by determining what size blocks to cut out.
For Part 3, we need backing that’s wider than the front of the quilt at least 1″ all around. For our 15″ x 15″ wall hanging, we cut an 18″ square.
And we need enough binding to go around the wall hanging. To figure out how many strips you need to cut for binding, measure the perimeter of your wall hanging, add at least 6″ of excess, and divide that sum by the width of fabric. For our 15″ x 15″ wall hanging, we cut (2) 2 1/2″ strips and sewed them together.
Backing the Wall Hanging
On a work surface in a well-ventilated area away from your sewing machine, turn the quilt front wrong side up. Use a little spray baste on the back and then place the quilt backing over it to create a quilt sandwich.
Stitching the Backing
There are lots of was we can stitch the backing to the front to attach it, but a decorative stitch following the seams of the blocks is a fun way to secure the seams while adding visual interest to the wall hanging. We recommend a symmetrical stitch with a clear center line.
With your Sparrow X in sewing mode, install a walking foot and select your stitch.
Line up the center of the foot to the seam line where the blocks meet and begin to sew, following the seam line. Repeat this on each seam to frame the blocks and attach the backing to the quilt front.
Finally, set your machine to a straight stitch, lengthen the stitch, and baste around the edge of the quilt, about 1/8″ from the edge.
Trimming
Use a ruler and measure from the inner block seam to the edge of the quilt. Trim with a rotary cutter. Then turn and repeat on the opposite side of the wall hanging, using another ruler if needed to line up to the already trimmed edge. Repeat this on the remaining sides, making sure to also measure the already trimmed edges of the wall hanging for square corners.
Binding Preparation
Sew the binding 2 1/2″ x WOF strips together into one long strip with diagonal seams as follows.
On a hard workspace, place a strip right side up horizontally with the tail (long ends) pointing towards your non-dominant hand. Lay another strip over the first strip at a 90-degree angle, right sides together, with the tail pointing towards you.
Place a ruler over the strips intersecting at a 45-degree angle as shown below and mark.
Pin the selvage ends and carefully fold the strip open following the marked line to check that the seam will create a long, continuous strip.
Once you’ve confirmed, replace the top strip over and secure with another pin. Sew on the marked line and trim a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Repeat until all the strips are sewn together. Press the seam allowances open.
After sewing all the strips together, fold the binding strip in half, wrong sides together and press a crease. Repeat this down the entire length of the strip.
Sewing on Binding
Leave yourself about an 8″ tail of binding. Place the binding over the wall hanging top so the raw edges of the folded binding and the raw edge of the wall hanging line up. Sew the binding on 1/4″ from the edge. It can be helpful to sew binding on using a walking foot to help with moving all the layers.
Start near a corner. As you sew towards the corner, look to stop on the 1/4″ mark from the edge you made earlier. Bring your needle down in the 1/4″ mark and take a few backstitches to secure the binding. Lift the foot and cut the thread.
Fold the binding back on itself so the raw edges of the binding and the wall hanging are even to one another. This fold creates the miter.
Hold the fold with a finger or pin, and then fold the binding back over the fold to line up over the wall hanging once more. Start sewing the binding on again as before.
Joining the Binding Ends
Sew on the binding until you’re about 12″ from where you began sewing the binding on, and take a couple back stitches to secure.
Use a pair of scissors to trim one of the ends about 6″ from the seam. Replace this end over the wall hanging with a little sticking out from the edge so we can see the end of it easily. Now lay the other binding end on top of the trimmed binding end. Measure 2 1/2″ from the trimmed binding end to create a 2 1/2″ overlap. (That’s the width of the binding.) Mark that measurement and trim on the marked line using a pair of scissors.
Move the top binding end aside for a moment. Open the fold on the bottom binding end to see the wrong side. Fold over the corner of the end at a 45-degree angle away from you. A triangle of fabric will be right side facing up. Finger press a crease into this diagonal fold.
Lay the top binding over the diagonal fold. Now match the ends of the binding together so the right side of the top binding end and the right side of the diagonal fold are facing. Pin the ends together to hold the matching edges.
Place pins across the diagonal of the binding to simulate the seam line. Refold the binding in half like the seam is already sewn. Lay the binding over the wall hanging to ensure the binding fits and that it isn’t twisted. Once satisfied, unfold the binding again and sew the diagonal line marked by the pins (remove the pins as you sew). Trim the seam allowance to 1/4″ and press open. Refold the binding in half and finish sewing the binding to the wall hanging.
Finishing the Binding
Roll the edge of the binding over the raw wall hanging edge and around to the back. Use wonder clips, secure the binding in place. Working from the front stitch in the ditch along the folded binding edge. Take your time stitching in the ditch, and feel the binding on the back of the wall hanging as you feed it through to make sure the stitches will catch it. Then you sew around the whole wall hanging, check the back for any places the stitches missed the binding on the back and take that section again until all the binding is secure.
Optional: Add a Hanging Sleeve
A hanging sleeve is one method you can use utilize to display your wall hanging. There are all sorts of sleeves, but here’s a video of one sleeve making method to get you started.
VIDEO
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