How to Make Padded Applique' Wall Hangings

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Figures are cut from paper pattern and used to outline shapes onto Pieces of fabric that will be appliqued ... the window is completed and stove is being positioned ... barrel, rug, and other elements are pinned to front 32-inch square so that the balance of the layout can be checked ... rainbow window is sewed together and then zigzagged into place.

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by PAULA NEWCOMER

Quilted wall hangings make a colorful addition to any room...and they aren't as hard to make as you might think.

Maybe you'd like to make good use of those long winter nights that you're now spending curled up by the fire. And maybe you'd also like to recycle some of the many attractive scraps of material you've saved over the years. But — and here's the worst "maybe" of all-maybe the sheer logistics of making a quilt have intimidated you enough to keep you from giving it a try. Well, If that's your situation . . . perhaps you should try your hand on a padded applique wall hanging.

The machine-applique "wood stove" wall hanging shown in the accompanying photos is — I'm proud to say — an original design: I made it as a gift for a friend. ("Rebecca," I said, "here's your-own personal 'padded room'. Bounce off that for a while!") My friend was delighted. So was I, because the whole thing took less than a week to complete — working nights only — and the 'total cost for the project was under $6.00.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEAN ARTIST

The great thing about applique is that you don't have to be a Picasso to create stunningly beautiful designs. If there's a particular part of your homestead that you find especially attractive, you can make a simple sketch of it and translate some of that beauty into a highly original piece of folk art. You might want to capture some trees, against a sunset say, or a portion of the barn and field (with a farming implement or two thrown in, perhaps) ... or something funky in the way of an indoor scene, such as an old-timey bathtub (for the bathroom wall, naturally).

Then again, you don't have to copy real - life objects ... you can also create your own thematic designs. Bold, simple shapes are the most effective. The texture of the material you use (and the underlying padding) will eliminate the need for a great amount of detail ... although if you want to get fancy, you can add some interesting touches with bits of embroidery here and there.

THE "ROUNDED" LOOK

The wall hangings I make (see the accompanying photographs) have a kind of three-dimensional quality, a depth and richness that ordinary flat applique can't match. My secret: I pad each element of the picture as it is applied to the cotton fabric "front" . . . and I pad the entire piece again when I put the backing on. This way, it's possible to get a "rounded" look without having to stitch through five or six layers of tatting all at once.

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