I ordered a panel last spring sight unseen from The Hobby Horse.. I needed something to take to a workshop that I could embellish. When the panel arrived it wasn’t quite what I wanted. I decided I could do something else with it that would be even better than embellishing.
We need backs for our wooden rockers that sit on our patio. I want something that is bright, cheerful and welcoming. These panels sure do the trick. I wanted no binding…..it has to be quick and easy. I used one panel in a backing (which is now a top), 2 each for the rockers which left me with one that will be a pillow -- for me. I sew my backings on a bit differently. I don’t leave an opening in the side to pull it through to the right side. I cut my backing fabric wider and longer than the finished front. I then sew a seam right down the middle of the back. One third of the stitching is your regular stitch length, then I re-enforce that stitching, the next third of the stitching is a long basting stitch, and the final third is regular re-enforced stitch length again.
Before I layer, I trim the backing so that it is the exact same size as the front and the batting. First the batting, then the front, and last the backing right sides together. I pin all the way around and then stitch reinforcing the corners to give them added strength. Once the stitching is done and trimmed the corners, I open the backing where the basting stitch was and pull it right side out.
I have a little tool I made myself to push the corners out. It is a piece of doweling that I snuck out of my husband’s workshop. I trimmed it to a decent length and then put it in the pencil sharpener. I took an emery board and made the tip blunt. It works beautifully. Now all I have to do is blind stitch the little opening closed.
All that is left to do now is some machine quilting to highlight the flowers and make a matching pillow. I have decided that the backing I made is now going to be a "tablecloth" for the table.
