Embroidered Children's Growth Chart

This new Growth Chart Wall Hanging project tracks the growth of your little ones; from tot to teenager.

You can record growth for the entire family or make one for each child. It will be a cherished family treasure now and after the children become adults.

In the project pictures, Rainforest Animals climb the growth chart along with your child, every inch of the way.

This project has a finish size of 14 inches wide by 56 inches long.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies needed:

10 inch wide x 61 inch long (1 3/4 yards) cotton print fabric
6 1/2 inch wide x 61" long (1 3/4 yards) heavy-weight muslin fabric
15 1/4 inch wide x 61 inch long (1 3/4 yards) heavy cotton fabric (backing)
Cutaway stabilizer
Spray adhesive
1/2 inch thick wood dowel - 16 1/2 inch in length
Fabric measuring tape (at least 60 inches in length)

Double stick tape Nylon Monofilament thread
12 weight wool thread
Size 110/18 needle (for use with 12 weight thread)
Decorative Ribbon
Fabric marker or fine tip permanent marker
Air-erase pen
Safety pin
Small handsaw

Designs Used: Baby Rainforest Animals

Rainforest Boa Constrictor - Med or Sm or Lg
Rainforest Orangutan - Med or Sm or Lg
Rainforest Tree Frog - Sm or Med or Lg
Rainforest Jaguar - Med or Sm or Lg
Rainforest Macaw - Med or Sm or Lg

Gather Materials:

First, cut a piece of cotton print fabric to 10 inches wide by 61 inches long.

Hand cutting green fabric with small floral print on dark wood table using orange-handled scissors. Fabric is folded with a straight edge.

Print out full size templates using embroidery software. Trim the designs to be easier to work with during this process.

Lay the material flat and right side up. To position the templates evenly from top to bottom, find the center of the fabric. Measure 30 1/2 inches from either of the ends and also find the center from both sides. Mark the center point on the fabric.

Also, find the center point of each of the designs.

Green fabric laid out on a wooden table with five cross-stitch pattern printouts and a black ruler pointing at the center one. The patterns show detailed grayscale animals and figures.

Poke a hole in the center of the template and mark the fabric. Also mark the horizontal and vertical axis lines.

Hand coloring a printed embroidery design of a sloth hanging from bamboo on white fabric, set on a green patterned surface.

Remove the template and draw lines connecting the horizontal and vertical lines. These lines will be used for hooping.

Repeat the centering and marking process for each of the designs.

Hand holding a purple pen marking a straight line on green fabric with small floral print using a Westcott metal ruler on a dark wood table.

Start Embroidering:

Cut piece of stabilizer and spray with adhesive before hooping. Align the marks on the fabric with the hoop's lines.

Attach the hoop to the machine, load the design, align the needle directly over the center point on the fabric and embroider the design.

White embroidery hoop attached to green fabric with white floral print, resting on a dark wooden surface.

After the design is been embroidered, unhoop the fabric and carefully trim away the excess stabilizer leaving about 1/2 inch around the design.

Repeat the hooping and embroidering process for each of the designs.

Hand cutting white fabric with black printed designs using orange-handled scissors on green and white floral fabric background.

To create the marking panel, cut a piece of muslin fabric to 6 1/2 inches wide x 61 inches long.

Hand holding orange scissors cutting white fabric with faint pencil markings on a dark wooden surface. Fabric edges slightly folded.

Lay the embroidered fabric right side up and lay the muslin fabric on top, aligning it with the right side of the embroidered fabric. Pin along the edge.

Green fabric with a subtle floral pattern is partially covered by white fabric pinned with blue and black pins, on a brown wood table surface.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the pinned edge only.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching white fabric, with a metal presser foot and needle in focus, under soft lighting on a dark surface.

Press the seam open along the back of the panels.

Close-up of an embroidery project on green fabric with a stitched figure, alongside a white iron pressing the fabric on a beige surface.

Cut a piece of backing fabric to 15 1/4 wide x 61 inches long. Lay the front panel and the backing fabric right sides together.

Pin together along the sides and bottom, leaving the top unpinned.

Unfinished fabric project with three layers pinned together: cream fabric on top, green patterned fabric in the middle, and white towel-like fabric underneath.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the sides and bottom.

Close-up of sewing machine needle stitching white fabric, with a yellow-headed pin securing fabric to the left under the presser foot.

Turn the fabric right side out and press the seams.

Close-up of an iron pressing the edge of a white fabric with a green section embroidered with a colorful parrot design, on a flat surface.

Fold the top down edge about 1/2 inch and press in place.

Close-up of an ironing board with a white iron pressing the corner of a green fabric piece featuring a stitched bird design. White fabric beneath.

Create the pocket for the dowel by the folding the top edge over the back 1 1/2 inch. Pin in place.

White fabric with green floral patterned binding pinned at the top edge, laid flat on a wooden table, partially assembled.

Sew the fold in place by sewing along the bottom edge of the fold.

Close-up of a sewing machine foot stitching fabric, with a green and white patterned strip aligned next to plain beige fabric under the needle.

Top stitch the outer and inner seams of the front of the panel. The project pictures show a 12 weight wool thread to add extra texture. Use a 110/18 needle to accommodate the thick thread.

Be careful not to sew over the dowel pocket.

Close-up of sewing machine needle and presser foot stitching white fabric with tight focus on the needle area and blurred background.

To add the measuring tape use double stick tape on the back side of the tape measure every few inches. Press into place along the right side of the muslin panel.

Close-up of a white fabric panel bordered with green patterned fabric featuring a small blue frog embroidery. A yellow measuring tape lies beside it on a dark wooden surface.

Sew along each side of the measuring tape using monofilament nylon thread.

Again, be careful not to sew over the dowel pocket. trim off the excess measuring tape at the top of the panel where it meets the bottom of the dowel pocket.