Finishing Your Piece

Have you ever created something special, but then felt stuck on how to finish it and display it? Or maybe you purchased an embroidered cloth that you love, but aren't sure what to do with it. To ease that common anxiety, we have put together a collection of ideas to help you complete and show off your treasured piece.

Wall Hanging

If you want to display your piece as is, you can effortlessly make it into a wall hanging! Just add a cotton backing and binding, sew a sleeve onto the back and hang on a dowel rod. If you'd like a larger wall hanging that looks more like a mini quilt, add a thick border and embellish it as you'd like! 

Another option would be to take your project to a custom framer to have it framed. We'd opt for museum glass in order to protect the piece from UV rays and to reduce glare. Request the piece be mounted with a gap between the fabric and the glass. This will allow air to circulate and prevent moisture from building up inside the frame.

Turn it into another project!

You can always incorporate patchwork or stitched fabric into another project. This could mean making it into a pillow, using it as the front panel of a bag, or anything else you come up with!

Above: Our employee, Diane's, gorgeous bag that she made out of her Toned-Down Sampler! If you're planning on doing something similar, sandwich canvas or denim, Soft & Stable, and a cotton lining for the construction to give it a similar thickness to the wool. Add handles. Diane's bag utilized our Webbing as handles.

Above: Sue created these one-of-a-kind bags by incorporating South African Mapula Embroideries. If you also have Mapula Embroideries or have created your own embroidered work, consider featuring your beautiful stitched work on a bag. We have some fantastic patterns to choose from!

• The large bag featured above was made using the Workaday Tote Pattern. We also carry Workaday Tote Kits!
• The medium sized bag featured above was made using the 2 Tulips Project Pouch Pattern.
• The small sized bag featured above was made using the Hand Stitched Round Bottom Bag Pattern.

Binding

If you're making your piece into a small quilt or wall hanging, you'll want to layer it with batting, cotton binding, and backing. We love Quilter's Dream Cotton or Wool Batting. Either works, but the wool batting gives the piece a fluffier, loftier appearance. For the binding, a cotton fabric with a fun, small print in a coordinating color always looks great! We like to use a 2-1/2" binding that compliments the cotton backing that you choose!

Our Binding Fabrics from Art Gallery Fabrics are game-changing! Each strip folds into a double-sided masterpiece, giving you a whole range of creative options with each fabric pick. Mix and match for a funky twist, or flip it over for a whole new vibe. Get ready to unleash your inner artist with these binding fabrics!

More Embellishing!

Another great way to personalize your piece... how about a little more embellishing? Below are some of our favorite stitches to use along the edge of our bindings. We've included the Creative Stitching page number for the stitch instructions for those applicable and the thread used in each example. Don't forget to browse our Beads and Buttons for embellishment ideas!

Quilting

We think of quilting as the final layer. Quilting really adds to the finished look of a piece, especially when working with a material as dimensional as wool because the quilting really pops against the background. There are a lot of options when it comes to how you can quilt your piece, so here are some examples:

Machine Quilting

With machine quilting, the pattern you choose is really up to your preference. You can do a more random swirly pattern, circles echoing your stitched circles, or "bubbles" which look so sweet on neutral backgrounds and give the appearance of pebbles. Play around with different kinds of threads on sample pieces to see what your preference is. You can machine stitch with Ellana Wool Thread for a fuzzy texture. Use Ellana in the top of your machine, a 50wt cotton thread in the bobbin, and a #16 topstitching needle. If you prefer thread with more of a sheen, you can use a cotton thread like Efina or Konfetti.

Tip: There's not much difference between machine quilting cotton and wool, but be mindful of the fact that wool can be anywhere from a little to a lot stretchier than cotton, which could cause problems when quilting if you're not careful.

Big Stitch Quilting

For big stitch quilting or hand quilting, we like to use 8wt Eleganza to create Running Stitches, French Knots, and Cross Stitches. A great thing about hand quilting is that you can use a variegated thread, or multiple different threads to add some extra color to your piece. Just make sure to hide your knot by popping it through the back layer of fabric. You'll also want to be mindful of where you place your stitches, as you'll be able to see them on the back, so do your best to keep it tidy!

Combination Machine & Hand Quilting

Can't decide which option you like best? Try a combination of both! Machine quilt a pattern you like, then addd some pops of hand stitching throughout!