How To... Cushions and Padded Wall Hangings

One of the new patterns I've uploaded onto Etsy this week is a door hanging, advertising my inner geek to the world (or at least to my housemates!).

Fangirl Door Hanging

Rather than pop it in a frame, I decided to do something a little different and turn it into a padded hanging.  Now it can hang on a door handle, a hook in the wall, the end of the curtain rail, the corner of the TV, or anywhere else there is an edge to loop it over.  In the past, I've used a similar process to make Christmas tree ornaments and gifts for friends.  Below, I've explained how to make your own padded door hanging or decoration.

Fabric

In order to create your cushion, you will require enough fabric for the front and back of the pattern, plus a bit of a border in order to stitch the hem.  For this project I allowed an extra 3 cm for the hem on three sides.

Making Your Cushion

1. Stitch your project at the top of your piece of material, leaving enough room for the back of the cushion

2. Rough stitch (running stitch) a border around your finished design. This will be the fold line for your cushion.  

3. Trim your material down, leaving a border of 5 squares (10 on evenweave). 

4.Fold the fabric in half, right-side-in, following the bottom border.  Firmly press along the fold.

5. Backstitch along the border line of two sides, joining the two halves together.

6. Trim the corners - this will help them fold easier once turned right-side-out

7. Turn the cushion right-side-out, taking care to pull out the corners.  

8. Fill the cushion with wadding, making sure the wadding gets right into the corners.

9. Fold in the edges of the open side.  Stitch close, using an inverted back stitch.

10. Attach ribbon or thread for the hanger.

Finished!  Now to work out where to hang my latest decoration.

Happy Stitching!!

Harry Potter Alphabet

Check out the latest pattern available from FangirlStitches.etsy.com: The Harry Potter Alphabet!

Now available at http://etsy.me/1qKQfAf

This pattern is the largest in my shop to date, with the finished design measuring 12x18 inches.  Perfect for your library, reading nook, or child's bedroom - I can't wait for my own house so I can stitch and display with pride!

This pattern features 27 different characters - some of my favourites, as well as some lesser-known ones (how many characters starting with X, Y, and Z can you name?).  Let's break it down:

A is for Albus Dumbledore
B is for Bellatrix Lestrange
C is for Cedric Diggory
D is for Draco Malfoy
E is for Dobby the Elf
F is for Professor Flitwick
G is for Ginny Weasley
H is for Hermione Granger
I is for Igor Karkaroff
J is for Lee Jordan
K is for Kingsley Shacklebolt
L is for Luna Lovegood
M is for Moaning Murtle
N is for Neville Longbottom
O is for Oliver Wood
P is for Harry Potter
Q is for Professor Quirrell
R is for Ron Weasley
S is for Professor Slughorn
T is for Tonks
U is for Dolores Umbridge
V is for Viktor Krum
W is for the Weasley Twins
X is for Xenophilius Lovegood
Y is for Yaxley the Death Eater
Z is for Blaise Zabini

Who would you put in your Potter alphabet?

Happy Stitching!