Country Angel Quilted Wall Hanging

An Easy Beginners Quilting Project - Country Angel Wall Hanging

Mini-Quilting Project: Angel Wall Hanging

Quilt projects don't have to be huge and take months to make.

Many crafters, especially those who craft for profit, avoid quilting because they don't see much of a market for full size quilts and don't want to spend months on a single project.

Well, guess what? There are lots of quilting projects you can do on a smaller scale.

If you're a beginner, this is a good way to learn about quilting. If you're more experienced, a project like this is perfect for gifting.

This mini quilted-wall hanging is just 12 by 15 inches.

Supplies

Cotton sheet batting 14 ¾" x 11 ¾"
Muslin backing - 15" x 12"
Small scraps of country-themed cotton in coordinating designs for the topside rectangles, including a 7" x 6" piece of plain muslin for the verse and a 12" x 6" piece of plain muslin for the stuffed angel
Coordinating upholstery weight fabric for the stars
Five country-look buttons for the center of each star and three small buttons for the angel's gown
Fiberfill stuffing material
Water soluble fabric marking pen
Permanent fabric pen
12" wood dowel for hanging
1 yard of hemp or other cord to attach the dowel
3" piece of thick hemp or ribbon for the halo
Needle and heavy duty button thread
Darning needle and yarn to attach buttons and stars to quilt
Optional: doll hair
Tacky glue

You don't even need a sewing machine. This mini-quilt is hand-sewn - with love.

Directions

Quilt Top

Cut out the topside pieces according to the diagram below adding ½ inch to each measurement for fringing and overlap.

Notice in the photo below that the edges are raw, i.e. no hems. This contributes to the homespun look of the quilt. Pull out several threads from each border to fringe the edges.

With the water soluble pen, write your text and any doodles you want to add. Use any verse you like for this cute country-style quilted wall hanging.

The text in the example says,

Light Fades.
Stars appear.
Evening angels
Gather here.

The text is surrounded by little hearts; then signed and dated.

Using the permanent marker, trace over your design. Follow label directions for heat-setting. Rinse to remove the water-soluble marker. Let dry and press.

Make the quilt sandwich by laying the batting atop the muslin backing. Then arrange the patterned pieces on top of the batting as shown in the diagram above, overlapping the edges to make sure everything fits and to decide how you want the pieces to overlap. The patterned pieces will be sewn on one by one.

Use a simple running stitch to hand sew all the rectangles.

Start with the top left piece. Sew from the center to the left and down. Overlap the middle left rectangle before sewing back to the center. Tie off and cut thread.

Sew down the left edge of the middle patterned rectangle. Then overlap the bottom piece before sewing back to the center. Tie off and cut thread.

Continue adding the remaining rectangles in like manner. Then sew a running stitch line down the center to complete the quilt.

Embellishments

Use the pattern to cut three stars 2 by 2" and two stars 3 by 3".

[ The easiest way to re-size a pattern such as this is to left click on it; right click and select copy; then paste it into a word processing document (such as MS Word).

Click on the copy to select it. Then pull or push one of the corners to resize the pattern as needed, using the ruler at the top of the screen as a guide. ]

Make the angel pattern 5 ½" tall by 4 ½" wide. Cut two pieces of fabric for the stuffed angel.

Machine or hand stitch the pieces right side facing, leaving a slit open in the bottom of the gown for stuffing. Stuff the angel with fiberfill. Tuck in the edges of the opening and sew closed with a hidden stitch.

Optional

Gather a few hanks of doll hair, cut to size, and tie together at the center. Use tacky glue to attach to the angel's head.

Use tacky glue to glue the hemp halo around the angel's head with the ends of the halo hidden at the back.

If you added hair, cut a few short strands and glue them on the top of the head inside the halo to cover the thread used to tie the hair.

Sew three small buttons down the front of the angel's gown.

Be sure to sew all the way through and pull tight to create the cushion effect.

Arrange the angel and stars on the quilt.

Place a larger button at the center of each star and sew/tie onto the quilt with yarn.

Tie off the yarn on the quilt top. Fray the yarn ends with a stick pin for a more homespun look.

Use tacky glue to attach the angel. Weight the angel down while the glue dries.

Quilt Assembly and Finishing

Cut three 5" pieces of hemp.

Double each piece and tie an overhand knot on the end forming a loop. Put a dot of tacky glue on the knots to secure them and prevent fraying.

Cut a 20" piece of hemp and tie each end around the wood dowel. Remove from the dowel. Put tacky glue on the knots as before and set aside to dry.

Glue the three loops across the back of the quilt, making sure the tops are level as shown and allow to dry.

Run the dowel through the loops.

Slide the hanging cord loops on each end of the dowel. Secure with tacky glue and let dry.

Most of the supplies for this quilted wall hanging were cut and prepared for assembly by my friend Trish in 1993. Trish handed it over to me in 2009. It took me another six months to finally get to it.

May 2010, our country angel finally takes wing!

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