Festive Christmas Embroidered Wall Hanging

Cut a piece of the canvas a couple of inches larger than your hoop. Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, draw a rectangle that is 6 1/4 inches wide and 6 3/4 inches tall in the middle of the fabric.

Find the center of the rectangle by measuring and marking each side, and dividing by two. Draw lines connecting the marks. Where the lines meet is the center of the rectangle.

If you have embroidery software, print a template of the design. Poke a hole in the center of the template, and align it with the center point on the fabric. There should be at least one inch of space between the edges of the design and the edges of the rectangle.

Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive, and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.

Attach the hoop to the machine, and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric, and embroider the design.

When the design has finished, cut out the rectangle. And, trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the fabric, leaving 1/4 - 1/2 inch around the design.

Next, prepare the fabric for the top, bottom, and side panels. Cut two pieces of the print cotton to 3/3/4 inches wide by 6 3/4 inches high. Those pieces are the side panels. Cut two pieces of cotton go 12 1/4 inches wide by 7 1/2 inches tall. Those are the pieces for the top and bottom panels.

Place the embroidered center panel down, with the right side facing up. Align the long sides of the side panels with the sides of the center panel, right sides together. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned sides only.

Lay the fabric flat, and press the seams with an iron.

Place the side panels flat, and align the long sides of the top and bottom panels with the top and bottom edge of the side panels, right sides together. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edges only. Then, lay the fabric flat and press the seams.

Top stitch a 1/8 inch seam along the seams at the top and bottom seams.

Now we'll prepare the fabric for the back panel. Place the assembled front piece on top of the canvas, trace the shape, and cut it out.

Next, add eyelets. Make marks along each long side of the back panel (on the wrong side of the fabric) using these measurements:

Mark #1: 1 3/4 inches from the side edge, and 2 1/4 inch from the bottom edge.

Mark #2: 1 3/4 inches from the side edge, and 7 inches from the bottom edge.

Mark #3: 1 3/4 inches from the side edge, and 12 1/4 inches from the bottom edge.

Using a craft knife and cutting pad, cut a small "x" on each mark. Add an eyelet to each mark using an eyelet tool and small hammer. Insert the eyelet with the good side on the right side of the fabric.

Next, align the front panel with the back panel, right sides together. Match the bottom of the back panel with the bottom of the front panel. The bottom of the back panel is the end that has eyelets 2 1/4 inches from the edge.

Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the side and top edges only. Leave the bottom open for turning.

Turn the fabric right side out and press the seams. Also, fold the opening of the bottom edge in 1/4 inch and press. Pin the bottom edge and top stitch a 1/8 inch seam around the entire outer edge of the hanger.

Fold the top edge of the hanger over one inch to the backside. Pin in place, and sew a 1/8 inch seam along the inner edge. This create a pocket for the knitting needle or dowel for hanging.

Next, add the eyelets through the front and back panels about three inches from the back piece eyelets. These eyelets will allow the stems of the foliage to be inserted through the hanger. Make marks along each long side of the front panel. We're using a dressmaker's pencil to mark the dark fabric.

Mark #1:1 1/4 inches from the side edge, and 4 3/4 inches from the bottom edge.

Mark #2: 1 1/4 inches from the side edge, and 9 3/4 inches from the bottom edge.

Mark #3: 1 1/4 inches from the side edge, and 14 1/2 inches from the bottom edge.

Cut an "x" on each mark as you did before, cutting through both layers of fabric (front and back panels). Add an eyelet to each mark with the good side on the front panel side.

Using a wire cutter, cut pieces of the faux foliage so that the foliage has stems that are about 3 1/2 inches long. You may need to remove leaves to make the stems longer.

Insert the stem through an eyelet on the front panel, and then...

...secure it on the back by inserting the end of the stem into the back eyelet, just below the first eyelet.

To create the hanger, insert the knitting needle or dowel inside the top pocket. Then, cut a length of decorative cord to 28 inches. Tie each end of the cord around the ends of the knitting needle. If you're using wired cord, leave a few inches of excess on each end and wrap it around a pencil or pen to create curls

We added small ornaments along the bottom edge by hand sewing them in place. We sewed an ornament on each bottom corner, and every 1 1/2 inches along the bottom edge.

And there you have it -- a beautiful wall hanging to deck your home for the holidays!