Christmas Wall Hanging featuring Metallic Thread

The planning stage

Last year I picked up some super cute Christmas fabric from my local quilt shop, but never got around to using it. So, I got it out and spread them across my cutting table to see if any would work well to design a Christmas wall hanging featuring metallic thread from WonderFil.

Showcasing the metallic thread

I decided to make a scrappy Christmas tree so that I can embellish it with decorative stitches using the Spotlite threads. In order for the stitches to show up well, I want to use an assortment of green fabrics that are not too highly patterned. I love the lime green that is in the Christmas fabric, so I’m going to use an assortment of fabrics in that colour for my tree.

Supply list

If you would like to sew along with me to make your own wall hanging, here is a list of the supplies that you’ll need:

• Background (I’m going to use white) – 22″ x 27″
• Inner border – 0.25m (¼ yd)
• Outer border – 0.5m (½ yd)
• Six to eight green fabrics – enough to cut 16 triangles from template
• Brown fabric (trunk) – 3″ x 5″
• Star fabric – 5″ x 5″
• Binding – 0.3m (1/3yd)
• Batting
• Backing
• Fusible web
• Freezer paper or other template material

Cutting the triangles

The first thing we need to do is to cut our triangles from the green fabric. Lucky for me, I have an Accuquilt die cutter with a triangle die, so I used it to cut all of my fabrics. If you have a die cutting machine as well, use an equilateral triangle die that makes a 5″-sided triangle.

Everyone else will need to make templates from either freezer paper or your favorite template material. If you are using freezer paper, you can print the triangle pattern onto paper and then trace it onto the freezer paper. Or, you can cut your freezer paper into 8½” x 11″ sheets and print right onto the freezer paper.

Iron the freezer paper to the wrong side of your fabric and cut along the lines to make a total of 16 triangles.

Arrange the triangles into a pleasing tree shape.

Sew the triangles into rows and press each seam to one side.

Sew the rows together to make your tree shape.

Fusible applique star

Pick a fabric to use for the star on the top of your tree. Since there are no golds/yellows in the fabric I picked for my outer border, I decided a gold star looked strange on my tree. I opted for a turquoise blue star instead! Hey, it’s your quilt, make it yours! And I love turquoise, so a blue star it is! Trace the star pattern onto the paper side of your fusible web and then iron the shape onto the back of your selected fabric.

For more detailed directions for fusible appliqué, refer to past posts on QUILTsocial.

To make your trunk, fuse a 2½” x 4½” piece of fusible web to the back of your brown fabric and use your rotary cutter and ruler to cut a rectangle that is 2″ x 4″.

Pull the backing paper off the star and trunk shapes.

That’s it for today

Now we’ve most of the applique done for our Christmas wall hanging featuring metallic thread. Tomorrow we’ll take all of these sections and assemble our wall hanging. Once all of that is done, we’ll embellish the tree and quilt the wall hanging using those amazing Spotlite metallic threads!