12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorial #7

Today I'm going to share with you an easy fabric craft that requires little to no sewing. It's a sweet little wall hanging using two of your favorite fabrics, an embroidery hoop, and some bits and baubles you probably already have hiding around your house.

Embroidery Hoop Wall Hanging

Materials List:
*1 8-inch embroidery hoop (You can find these in wood that are quite lovely in their natural state or painted. I found these colorful plastic Hoop-la hoops in-store at Joann's.)
*1 scrap of fabric at least 10" square for background
*1 scrap of a second fabric the size of your applique design
*iron-on webbing such as Steam A Seam II
*coordinating bits and baubles - ribbons, buttons, crystals, rosettes
*scissors
*glue
*needle and thread

Instructions:
1. Iron all of your fabric pieces. Separate your hoop. Flip the background fabric right side down, and trace a circle about an inch wider than the inner hoop. Cut that circle out with your scissors.


2. Use the inner hoop with the iron-on webbing to figure out how big your applique can be. Draw or trace the reverse onto the webbing (I used a light box which makes tracing very easy!). Peel back the paper backing and press onto the wrong side of your applique fabric. (I'm doing initials for 2 little girls' Christmas gifts, so I found the font I wanted to use, and printed out the letters, then traced the outline of the reverse).


3. Cut out your applique, and position onto your background fabric, checking the placement with your inner hoop. Use your iron to steam set the applique.


4. Now's the time to decide on your embellishments, and truly make it your own! I suggest you play around with your layout to get it just how you want it to look before you do anything permanent. Sew on some buttons, glue on a bow, rosette or flower, hot set some crystals. Voila!

5. Lay your piece over the inner hoop, and place the outer hoop over top of the fabric. Be sure to keep your design centered as you tighten the screw. Tug your fabric every couple of turns to make sure you don't have any bunches. Once you are sure you like the placement within the hoop, use your scissors to trim away the excess fabric from the back side. Hang and enjoy!

Happy crafting! Amy