How to Make an Oriental Fabric Wall Hanging

Add a bit of fabric for a quick decorating touch.

Decorating walls can be an easy and inexpensive project. Big blank walls can be filled with color by creatively using fabric and a little paint. Oriental fabric wall hangings add a touch of the Orient to your room decor.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric of your choice (red fabric with gold dragons shown here), size is approximately 36 inches long by 44 inches wide
• 1/2-inch dowel
• Black high-gloss paint
• Fabric paint to match the colors of the fabric ( shown here is red dimensional fabric paint, red glitter glue and gold glitter glue.)
• Flat back rhinestones to highlight areas
• Matching ribbon
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Iron
• Saw
• Measuring tape
• Fabri-tack

Instructions

1. Cut your fabric into the size you want your hanging to be, allowing approximately 1/2 inch of additional fabric around each edge for hemming. Sew a small hem around each side.

2. Measure 1 inch from the top of the fabric and fold it in half. Pin in place to form a "sleeve" and test that your wood dowel will slide easily through it. If not, adjust your sleeve dimensions appropriately. Once done, sew your sleeve in place. This will be how your wall hanging will hang–much like a curtain hangs from a curtain rod. Iron out all wrinkles in your fabric.

3. Measure the dowel so that it extends about 2 inches from each side of your fabric panel. Cut to the appropriate size. Paint the wood dowel using the high gloss black paint. Allow to dry.

4. Paint and decorate your fabric using the fabric paint, glitter glue and rhinestones you have selected to highlight portions of your fabric. Use a light touch, highlighting some, but not all, of the pieces to give depth to the fabric design. Attach flatback rhinestones to the fabric in selected places using Fabri-tack. Allow material to dry completely before handling.

5. Insert rod into fabric sleeve. Tie matching ribbon around edges of dowel and hang

6. 

   Variation on the wall hanging pattern can be made by changing the "sleeve" and making folds, that are sewn into the top of the hanging. The rod is then inserted into the folds for hanging. Another change can be made by using more than one kind of fabric in which one becomes a border and one becomes the "picture."

Tips & Warnings

• Sew some small weights into the bottom hem of the hanging to help it hang straight.