DIY wallhangings

Some time ago I did a post about my new wall hangings that I now sell through various Australian retailers. I love wall hangings and always have. And I think they are very easy to make and hang in your own home. All you need is some fabric, some fabric paints and a sewing machine. I used calico for all these. The ones pictured below are some of the many I have made in the past.

The Elephant. I made this one by first drawing the design onto the fabric with a pencil and then redrawing the lines with a permanent marker. Every time I paint directly onto the fabric I always water down my paints instead of using them straight out of the tub as they are. The thicker the paint is the slower it will go onto the fabric and you'll find yourself painting using tiny strokes and constantly re dipping your brush. The watering down allows the paint to flow better along the fabric. The back of this wall hanging is left plain and the whole thing is sewn like a big pillowcase. As you can see I added felt tabs at the top just to make it a bit more interesting. Put a stick through the top and you're done! This one was for my sons room but he didn't like it so it now hangs in the entrance way.

These next three I made for my daughters room and she actually liked them! I made all three like patchwork quilts out of old bits and pieces of fabric that I hand painted a long time ago. I had a lot to chose from so I decided to do one in all pinks one in all blues and one multi-coloured. For the centre panel on each one I used a piece of her old clothing that she no longer fit into. Like the front of an old top or a summer skirt. In fact when I finished these I thought it would be great to make one huge wall hanging completely out of her old clothes. I may still get around to it. She has many years left of growing out of clothes. I also liked this idea as it made these wall hangings special and personal. And the sentimental me imagined that she may one day like to hang them in her own daughters room. Or better still add another few panels from her daughters old clothes or her own hand painted bits of fabric. Oh the possibilities of heir looming are endless!!

This blue one was put away as my daughter did't think it suited her room anymore. Please forgive the wrinkled state of it in this photo!

Over the next couple of weeks I will be making another wall hanging, again out of some left over pieces of hand painted fabric. I will post next week about the bits and pieces. For some time now I have been painting on and off and experimenting with different styles and techniques. So now I've ended up with a bag of squares and rectangles and as I like to say: "when in doubt make a wall hanging."

Till next week!