Allie: Growing up, my mom would often take me antiques shopping. It was during one of these trips that I first came across vintage chenille bedspreads. These textiles featuring floral (and peacock!) motifs were originally hand-embroidered by women in Northwest Georgia and sold along the highway in the 1930s and ’40s.
As a textile artist, I like to put a modern spin on these beautiful bedspreads. Thanks to Spoonflower, I am able to print my designs on fabric which I then embroider and turn into wall hangings full of texture and color.
I am thrilled to share a simplified version of my wall hangings as a cut-and-sew project that you can create yourself! Shop the entire cut-and-sew collection in my Spoonflower shop.
This cut-and-sew project is easy, and you can create it as-is without any embroidery or embellishments. There are endless ways to embellish your wall hanging, and some of my favorites include using metallic foil, pom poms and fringe. In this example, I attached giant pom poms onto the wall hanging after I finished sewing it.
Note that some of these ideas, such as embroidery, should be done before cutting and sewing the project. If this is the case, be careful not to put any of your embellishments on the cut line or within 1/2” of the edge of the project where you will be sewing.
Okay, now let’s make a cool wall hanging!
Materials
- 1 fat quarter of DIY wall hanging project by yours truly
- I recommend Spoonflower’s canvas fabrics like Recycled Canvas, Linen Cotton Canvas or Cypress Cotton Canvas
- Sewing machine
- Rotary cutter or fabric scissors
- Pins
- Iron
- 16” wooden dowel rod (½” thickness)
- Cotton string
- Glue gun
- Embellishments such as fringe, pom poms, and iron-on metallic foil (optional)
- 100% wool felt (optional)
- Spray adhesive (optional)
First, cut out the project along the dotted cut line.
Step 1. Fold and press the sides. Fold along the middle grey line on one of the sides and press. Then, fold along the colored edge of the same side and press. Secure with pins and repeat for other side.
Step 2. Fold and press the bottom and top. Repeat this process for the bottom and top sides (note: you will only need one fold for the top side).
Step 3. Hem all of the sides. Sew a ⅛” hem along the edge of the project. Optional: if you would like to cover the back of your wall hanging, you can attach a piece of wool felt to the back side using spray adhesive prior to hemming.
Step 4. Create a pocket for the dowel rod. Fold the top side down so it meets the line on the back of the wall hanging. Secure with a line of hot glue along the seam between the two layers of fabric.
Step 5. Finish for hanging. Place a 16” wooden dowel rod in the pocket and tie string to each end for hanging.
Hang your beautiful creation on the wall and enjoy!
One trend we can’t get enough of is paper cutouts.
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About the Guest Blogger
Allie Chenille is actually Allie Padgett, a California textile artist who creates happy, hand-tufted décor and accessories. Allie loves vintage chenille (duh!) and her favorite color is rainbow. She is currently working on launching an online store, which has been derailed several times due to her Instagram addiction (@alliechenille).
Love this! It opens up soooo many possibilities. With a lot of places closed right now. I had a hard time finding the dowels. I finally found them. Just passing this along to hopefully save someone else some time: https://www.craftparts.com/product-category/dowels-dowel-rods/