This is the link to the full you tube tutorial – Baby Lock Altair Tutorials | How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging https://youtu.be/bDqR0f_RCeQ
Cassie Cartmell – Faodail Creation
Table of Contents
Learning how to embroider a New Year’s Day wall hanging is a fun way to create a little handmade decoration to celebrate the start of a brand-new year. This machine embroidery project combines embroidered lettering, decorative motifs and a simple canvas finishing technique to create something you can display in your home.
For this How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging’s Day, I am using my Baby Lock Altair 2 embroidery machine and creating the entire embroidery design directly on the machine. This means you can experiment with the built-in fonts, lettering sizes and decorative designs to make your wall hanging unique.
I chose the words “Cheers to the New Year” for my design and combined two different fonts with a decorative Art Deco-style motif.
Once the embroidery is finished, the fabric is wrapped around an inexpensive 12-inch square artist’s canvas. I also added some hot-fix crystals at the end to give the finished New Year’s Day wall hanging a little extra sparkle.
This is one of those projects where you can really have fun with the design and make it your own.
Supplies – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Before you begin your New Year’s Day wall hanging, gather all your supplies.
You will need:
- 12 x 12-inch artist’s canvas https://link.amazon/B08DNCkpU
- 16 x 16-inch piece of fabric
- 16 x 16-inch piece of batting
- Tear-away embroidery stabilizer – https://link.amazon/B07sCDU9P
- Embroidery machine
- Large embroidery hoop
- Embroidery thread – https://link.amazon/B05n6lxM9
- Bobbin thread https://link.amazon/B0j54rB8x
- Frixion heat-removable pen https://link.amazon/B0aD5OhGh
- heavy-duty stapler https://link.amazon/B09gVi2qV
- Fabric scissors https://link.amazon/B08QLW4wv
- Hot-fix crystals, optional https://link.amazon/B07m4IqPk
- Hot-fix crystal applicator, if required https://link.amazon/B08H60OQi
I found my 12 x 12-inch canvas inexpensively at the dollar store. You don’t need an expensive artist’s canvas for this project because most of the canvas will eventually be covered by your embroidered fabric.
Choosing Fabric – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
I cut my main fabric to 16 x 16 inches.
Although the canvas itself is only 12 x 12 inches, you need additional fabric around each side so that you have enough to wrap around the edges of the canvas.
The extra fabric also gives you something substantial to hold while pulling the fabric taut and stapling it to the back.
Cutting the fabric too close to the finished size of the canvas can make the final stage much more difficult.
I also cut a 16 x 16-inch piece of batting.
Why Add Batting Behind the Fabric?
I highly recommend using batting underneath your embroidered fabric.
If you place only a single layer of fabric over the artist’s canvas, the fabric may not sit as smoothly or look as substantial.
Batting adds a little padding between the fabric and the canvas. It gives the finished New Year’s Day wall hanging a softer appearance and helps the fabric sit nicely against the canvas.
It can also make the finished project look more like a piece of textile art rather than simply fabric stretched over a frame.
How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging Step by Step
Now that the supplies are ready, let’s work through how to embroider a New Year’s Day wall hanging from preparing the fabric to adding the final sparkling embellishments.
For my wall hanging, I used the largest hoop for my Baby Lock Altair 2, which measures approximately 9 1/2 x 14 inches.
Using a large hoop gives me plenty of room to create the lettering and decorative elements for the centre of the project.
Step 1: Cut the Fabric and Batting – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Start your New Year’s Day wall hanging by cutting both your main fabric and batting to 16 x 16 inches.
The finished canvas measures 12 x 12 inches, so this gives you approximately two additional inches on each side.
Don’t be tempted to trim the fabric to the exact size of the canvas.
You will need that extra fabric later when wrapping the embroidered piece around the canvas and securing everything at the back.
Place the batting aside for now. We won’t need it until we are ready to assemble the finished wall hanging.
Check Your Fabric Before Embroidering – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Take a moment to make sure the fabric is smooth before you begin.
If necessary, press the fabric so that you don’t have deep creases running through the embroidery area.
A smooth piece of fabric makes it much easier to find the centre accurately and hoop everything correctly.
Step 2: Find the Centre of the Fabric – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Finding the centre of your fabric is important because it helps position the embroidery design in the middle of your New Year’s Day wall hanging.
Fold the fabric in half and lightly crease the centre.
Then fold it in half again in the opposite direction.
When you open the fabric, the two creases will intersect at the centre point.
This gives you a quick reference for positioning the fabric in your embroidery hoop.
Mark the Centre Point – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
I also like to use a Frixion pen to mark the centre.
Frixion pens are useful for projects like this because the marks can disappear when heat is applied.
Draw a small mark or short central guideline where the folds meet.
You now have an easy visual reference when positioning the fabric in your hoop.
Test Your Marking Pen First
Whenever you use a removable marking pen on fabric, test it on a scrap of the same fabric first.
You want to make sure you are happy with how the marking behaves before using it on the front of your New Year’s Day wall hanging.
Step 3: Hoop the Fabric and Stabilizer – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Next, prepare the fabric for machine embroidery.
I am using tear-away stabilizer for this project.
Place the stabilizer with the fabric and position both layers in your embroidery hoop according to the requirements of your machine and stabilizer.
Make sure the centre mark you created is positioned correctly within the embroidery area.
The fabric should be smooth and secure without wrinkles or loose areas.
Why Stabilizer Is Important – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Stabilizer supports your fabric while the embroidery machine forms thousands of stitches.
Without suitable stabilization, the fabric can move, distort or pucker as the design is embroidered.
Because lettering needs to remain clean and readable, good stabilization is particularly important for this New Year’s Day wall hanging.
Once everything is securely hooped, attach the hoop to your embroidery machine.
Step 4: Choose the First Embroidery Font – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Now comes the really fun part: creating the embroidered message.
On my Baby Lock Altair 2, I start by opening the lettering or font section.
The machine gives me a variety of built-in fonts to choose from, so there are plenty of opportunities to customize the New Year’s Day wall hanging.
For my first line, I am embroidering the word:
Cheers
I selected my first font and entered the capital C.
I then changed the remaining letters to lowercase and continued spelling the word.
Adjust the Letter Size
The Baby Lock Altair 2 allows you to choose different lettering sizes.
For the word “Cheers,” I selected a medium size.
Choose a size that works comfortably within your embroidery field and leaves enough room for the additional lines and decorative motifs.
If you accidentally enter the wrong letter, don’t worry.
You can go back, delete the incorrect letter and replace it before continuing.
Take your time when creating the wording. It is much easier to correct spelling on the screen than after it has been embroidered!
Step 5: Add the Second Line of Text – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Once the word “Cheers” is ready, set the lettering and select Add so you can create another line.
For the second section, I chose a different built-in font.
I particularly like this font because it is narrower, which creates a nice contrast against the first line of text.
I then added the words:
TO THE NEW YEAR
Using different fonts adds more visual interest to the New Year’s Day wall hanging and helps create a design that looks intentionally arranged rather than simply typed onto the fabric.
Experiment With Your Lettering – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Don’t be afraid to move the lettering around.
You can change the size and position of the words until you are happy with the overall composition.
This is one of the advantages of creating the design directly on an embroidery machine with editing capabilities.
You can experiment before committing to the final stitch-out.
Step 6: Arrange and Resize the Lettering – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
With the wording entered, start arranging the elements on the embroidery screen.
Move each section until the design looks balanced.
You may want “Cheers” to be the dominant part of your New Year’s Day wall hanging, with “To the New Year” acting as a smaller secondary line.
Try increasing or decreasing the size of the lettering until the proportions look right.
Keep the Canvas Size in Mind – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Remember that although your fabric is 16 x 16 inches, the visible front of the finished canvas will only be approximately 12 x 12 inches.
Your embroidery therefore needs to fit comfortably inside that finished area.
Don’t position important lettering too close to the edge.
Leaving some space around the embroidery will make the finished New Year’s Day wall hanging look much more balanced once the fabric is wrapped around the canvas.
Step 7: Add a Decorative Embroidery Motif – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
The lettering looked a little plain by itself, so I decided to add a decorative motif.
I went back into the design section of the Baby Lock Altair 2 and selected a decorative design with an almost Art Deco-inspired appearance.
This works beautifully with the celebratory New Year theme.
After selecting the motif, press Set and move it into position.
Resize and Rotate the Motif How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
I wanted the decorative element to line up nicely with the wording, so I resized and rotated it until it worked with the rest of the design.
On the Altair 2, there is also a stitch recalculation option that can allow additional resizing of certain designs.
When I selected this option, I was able to enlarge the motif a little more than I could initially.
Continue adjusting your decorative elements until the whole New Year’s Day wall hanging design feels balanced.
Preview Before You Embroider
Before moving on, look carefully at the entire design on the machine screen.
Check:
- Spelling
- Letter placement
- Design size
- Motif position
- Rotation
- Overall balance
This final check can save you from discovering a mistake after the embroidery has already started.
Step 8: Embroider the New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Once you are happy with your layout, move into embroidery mode.
Your New Year’s Day wall hanging is now ready to stitch.
Follow your embroidery machine’s instructions for threading, bobbin setup and attaching the embroidery hoop.
Start the embroidery and allow the machine to stitch the lettering and decorative motifs.
Keep an eye on the project while the machine is working.
Once the entire embroidery design has finished, remove the hoop from the machine.
Remove the Stabilizer
Take the embroidered fabric out of the hoop carefully.
Turn the project over and begin removing the excess tear-away stabilizer from the back.
Work carefully around the embroidery rather than pulling aggressively against the stitches.
Remove enough excess stabilizer to give you a neat finish while avoiding unnecessary stress on the embroidered areas.
Your embroidered fabric is now ready to become a wall hanging.
Step 9: Wrap the Embroidery Around the Canvas – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
Place your 12 x 12-inch canvas on your work surface.
Layer the batting and embroidered fabric over the front of the canvas, making sure the embroidery is facing outward.
Before stapling anything, spend a little time getting the design centred.
Look at the New Year’s Day wall hanging from the front and check that the lettering appears level and evenly positioned.
Start With Opposite Sides
Once you are happy with the placement, begin securing the fabric to the back of the canvas.
I use a large stapler for this.
Start with two opposite sides.
For example, secure the top and then the bottom, or start with the left and then the right.
Pull the fabric taut, but don’t pull so hard that you distort the embroidered design.
Add a few staples to hold those sides securely.
Then move to the remaining two sides.
Continue alternating and checking the front as you work.
Keep Checking the Front
Don’t staple the entire back without checking your work.
Turn the New Year’s Day wall hanging over periodically and make sure the design is still centred.
If something has shifted, it is much easier to correct it before you have added all the staples.
Work around the canvas until the fabric and batting are smooth and securely attached.
Take particular care when folding the corners so they look neat from the sides of the canvas.
Step 10: Add Hot-Fix Crystals for Extra Sparkle – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
At this stage, your New Year’s Day wall hanging could be considered finished.
But mine was absolutely calling out for a little sparkle!
I decided to add some hot-fix crystals to the front.
The crystals catch the light and give the finished wall hanging a lovely twinkle, which works perfectly with the New Year theme.
Place the crystals where they complement the embroidery rather than covering or competing with the lettering.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for applying your particular hot-fix crystals.
Keep the Embellishments Simple
You don’t need to cover the entire project with crystals.
A few carefully placed embellishments can be enough to transform the finished New Year’s Day wall hanging.
The embroidery should still be the main feature.
The crystals simply add that final celebratory detail.
Ideas for Customizing Your New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
One of my favourite things about this project is how easy it is to customize.
You don’t have to create exactly the same design as mine.
Change the words, fonts, embroidery thread or decorative motifs to create a New Year’s Day wall hanging that matches your own decorating style.
You could embroider the year onto the fabric or personalize the wall hanging with a family name.
You could also experiment with metallic-looking embroidery threads, different fabric backgrounds or other decorative embellishments.
Try Different Embroidery Fonts
Combining two fonts can give a simple embroidered message much more personality.
Try pairing a decorative font with something narrower and simpler.
The contrast helps establish a visual hierarchy and makes the main word or phrase stand out.
For this project, “Cheers” is the focal point, while “To the New Year” supports the main message.
Change the Canvas Size – How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
You can also adapt this tutorial to different canvas sizes.
Just remember to leave enough additional fabric around the canvas to wrap comfortably around the sides and onto the back.
The embroidery field of your machine will also determine how large you can make your design.
Make a Coordinating Set
Instead of making only one New Year’s Day wall hanging, you could create several smaller canvases with coordinating embroidery.
For example, one could feature lettering, another could have decorative motifs and another could feature the year.
Displayed together, they could create a fun piece of handmade New Year decor.
Tips for a Professional-Looking New Year’s Day Wall Hanging
The most important thing is to plan your design before you start embroidering.
Check your spelling carefully and make sure the complete design fits within the visible area of the finished canvas.
Always consider how the embroidery will look once the fabric is wrapped around the sides.
The extra 16 x 16-inch fabric gives you plenty of material to work with when covering a 12 x 12-inch canvas.
Batting also makes a noticeable difference.
Adding batting underneath the embroidered fabric gives the finished New Year’s Day wall hanging more body and helps create a smooth, padded appearance.
Finally, take your time when stapling.
The embroidery may be beautifully stitched, but if the fabric is crooked on the canvas, the finished project won’t look quite right.
Secure opposite sides gradually and keep turning the canvas over to check the positioning.
How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging – Final Thoughts
Now you know how to embroider a New Year’s Day wall hanging using built-in embroidery machine fonts, decorative motifs and a simple artist’s canvas.
I love how this project turned out.
The embroidered “Cheers to the New Year” message gives it a festive feel, while the decorative embroidery adds interest without making the design too busy.
And those little hot-fix crystals add just the right amount of sparkle!
Creating the design directly on the Baby Lock Altair 2 also means there is plenty of room to experiment. You can change the fonts, move the lettering, resize the individual elements and add decorative embroidery until you have a design you love.
Once you have finished embroidering, turning the fabric into a New Year’s Day wall hanging is surprisingly straightforward. A little batting, an inexpensive artist’s canvas and a staple gun are all you need to transform your embroidery into a finished piece of textile art.
Best of all, you can use the same technique for much more than New Year’s decorations.
Once you know how to embroider fabric and wrap it around a canvas, you can use the technique for seasonal wall hangings, personalized gifts, holiday decorations and other machine embroidery projects throughout the year.
Have fun experimenting with your embroidery machine and creating your own New Year’s Day wall hanging!
Read this next : Baby Lock Altair 2 In the Hoop Christmas Placemat : Easy Holiday Embroidery Tutorial https://faodailcreation.ca/2026/07/22/baby-lock-altair-2-in-the-hoop-christmas-placemat/
- How to Embroider a New Year’s Day Wall Hanging – An Easy & Beautiful Machine Embroidery Project
- Best Appliqué Items for Sewing Projects – 7 Essential Supplies for Beautiful Results
- How to Applique a Free Toadstool Applique Sewing Pattern for Beginners
- How to Sew a Slip Pocket – Easy Step-by-Step Guide for Bags
- How to Serge a Wire-Edged Ribbon – An Easy Creative Bow Tutorial
