Chocolate Wallhanging : part 2
The next stage for the wallhanging is to layer it up and quilt it. You will need a fat quarter to use for the backing fabric, and for the hanging sleeve
I placed the wallhanging in one corner of the fat quarter, leaving a half inch of the backing fabric showing. I cut off the strip on the long edge, again leaving a half inch (this strip makes your hanging sleeve) then I cut off the remaining extra fabric (yes, leaving that half inch)
Next, I basted (tacked) the layers together. Normally I would use white or ecru thread, but I have used red thread so that you can see what I did
If I was basting a large quilt, I would start in the centre, but for this wallhanging, I started at the top edge. I took a long stitch (about an inch), then took the next one about two inches down from the first one.
This is the first row, worked down the centre of the wallhanging.
The wallhanging ready to quilt. Again, if it was a bigger quilt, I would baste it across the way as well.
I quilted the wallhanging using the 'in the ditch' method. Because the seams were pressed to one side, it means that one side (in this case the calico) is lower , which is the 'ditch'. I stitched on the calico, with the needle as close to the border as possible. I started in the centre of the bottom edge, lowering the needle into the fabric ...
..... then I raised the needle again. I moved the fabric to one side and pulled on the top thread, pulling the bottom thread up to the top. This stops the bottom thread being stitched over by accident. I stitched round the four sides, then when I finished, I pulled the bottom thread through to the top, ready to fasten off the ends.
I threaded the needle with the first pair of threads, then took the needle under the fabic and into the wadding .....
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...... then pulled the needle through in the border trimming off the thread. I then did the same with the remaining threads.
I trimmed the extra fabric off, making sure that the edges were straight and the corners square. From another fat quarter, to make the binding, I cut four strips, each two and a half inches wide, and folded them in half lengthways and ironed them.
With right sides and raw edges together, I stitched a strip to each of the two short sides, trimmed them to fit, then turned the strips to the wrong side, and pinned the ends, with the folded edge just covering the line of stitching.
Next I took the strip for the hanging sleeve, and trimmed it to three and a half inches deep, and half an inch wider than the wallhanging. On the short sides, I turned under a quarter inch and pressed it, then turned it under another quarter inch and pressed it again. I stitched these two hems, then on one long edge I turned in a quarter inch and pressed it.
I put the strip along the top edge and pinned it in place, then turned the wallhanging over and pinned the binding in place, leaving half an inch of binding at each end. I also pinned the binding on the bottom edge.
After handstitching the binding on the short sides on the back (taking care that the stitches didn't go through to the right side), I turned in the half inch of the binding on the long side ....
..... then I folded the binding over and stitched it, just covering the line of machine stitching. Once all the binding was stitched, I then stitched the bottom edge of the hanging sleeve (again being careful that the stitches didn't show on the right side)
I have used a small curtain rod and cord to hang it, but you could also use a piece of wooden dowel with large wooden beads on the end.