Instructions:

Before you start any project, gather all your supplies and have a quick read through the instructions just to familiarise yourself with the terminology. Always iron your fabrics to remove any creasing - you will be amazed at the difference it can make.

1. For the central panel cut one 11¾” (30cm) square. Divide this into quarters and finger press.
2. Using your Scan N Cut, select the text option FO-AOO1 – the first one on your screen. Individually select each letter and place on to the working mat.
3. Select all 4 letters and group together. Enlarge the word HOME to a height of 3.32” (8.4cms) x 11.52” (29.3cms) wide. Ungroup
4. Reverse/flip all of the letters.
5. Roughly cut four squares 4” x 4” (10cms x10cms), in one of each design. Following the manufacturer’s instructions apply a square of the fusible web to the reverse of each square of fabric.
6. Remove the backing from the fusible web and place the fabric right side down and fusible side uppermost on the cutting mat.
7. Load and scan the mat. On the screen, position the letters, one on each piece of fabric, cut. As this is a craft cotton weight with web attached I used a blade depth of 4 and pressure of 3 but it is always advisable to carry out a test cut.
8. Remove from the mat and position the letters on the centre panel, one in each quarter. Iron in place. If you do not have a Scan N Cut, the letters can be cut by hand and the fusible web applied.
9. Position Stitch and Tear stabilizer behind the centre panel, this will help to keep the work stable while you are stitching. As the name suggests, tear this away when you have finished or you can leave in place for additional body.
10. For free machine embroidery, loosen the thumbscrew and remove the presser foot holder with foot attached. Attach the embroidery or darning foot to your machine and tighten the thumbscrew firmly with the screwdriver. Lower the feed dogs before you start sewing. Practice on some scrap fabric as this technique can be quite tricky at first but once you’ve mastered it your only limit is your imagination. Try and keep your stitches an even length. Only sew round each letter twice.
11. When stitching you can use thread which blends with the fabric or make a feature by using vivid colours, shiny rayons or metallic threads which can look very effective and give a further dimension. I used thread which matched the panel.
12. Now, if you have chosen to do so, tear away the Stitch and Tear from the back of the panel.
13. Using either an Accuquilt and die N° 2 from the 9” block or a rotary cutter and mat, cut 24 x 2¾” squares (2¼” finished). I have used 4 different designs therefore 6 squares of each.
14. Starting at the top left, position in a sequential pattern (i.e. each fabric repeats every fourth square) a 7 squares strip, a 5 square strip down the right hand side, keeping the sequence in order, another 7 across the bottom and the final 5 up the left hand side.
15. Sew these four strips together using ¼” seam (0.75cm)
16. With right sides together, sew the right and left strips to the centre piece. Sew the top and bottom strips to the main panel.
17. The finished panel should now measure 16” (40.6cms) square, if not trim to this measure.
18. Cut the backing fabric and wadding roughly 2” bigger (i.e. 18” x 18”)
19. Using backing fabric, wadding and the face fabric make the quilt sandwich using either quilter’s pins or temporary fabric adhesive.
20. Stitch in the ditch, using a walking foot, all the way round the central panel and each individual square. Where you had divided the central panel into 4, quilt along these lines.
21. Using free machine embroidery as before, quilter around each letter. Making three times round in total.
22. Square up and trim off excess wadding and backing.
23. Cut 2½” strips for the binding, making sure there is sufficient to go round the whole wall hanging plus approx. 8-9” for the corners and overlapping ends. This can be made on the straight grain or the bias. Straight grain makes a more economical use of fabric and works well on larger quilts. Bias binding is stretchy, and is therefore good to use on wall hangings as it will pull the edges in slightly and therefore help the quilt to hang flat against the wall.
24. Join the strips into a continuous length.
25. Make a label for your wall hanging, it is important to do this, it doesn’t take long but can be of immense interest to other people. It could include your name, and the date you made the hanging, the occasion it was made for and the recipient, I often give mine a title. You could write on a piece of fabric with a fine tipped permanent fabric pen and then sew to the hanging, you could hand embroider or if your machine has text you could embroider with this. Sew the label in the seam allowance.
26. Fold the binding strip in half lengthways, wrong side together, press. Fold and press under ½” to neaten the edge where you will start sewing. Lay the doubled binding strip on the right side of the hanging, raw edges together. Pin in place starting about 5” away from a corner, leaving the first 1” open so you can tuck the end in later. At the first corner, stop ¼” from the edge of the fabric and backstitch. Fold the binding up and then fold down again. Stitch from the edge and repeat at each corner. When you arrive back at the beginning tuck the end inside the beginning and sew down.
27. Cut five 3” x 5” strips. Fold in half lengthways. Stitch, turn through to the right side.
28. Position the seam at the centre back. Press to one side.
29. Fold top to bottom and space evenly along the top seam on the reverse side. Stitch securely in place.
30. Fold the binding fabric over to the back of the hanging and hand-stitch in place. Press up the tabs, secure in place.