What is a Fabric Panel & Why you Should use one in your Next Project!

March 5, 2020

What is a fabric panel?
Fabric panels range from approximately 24" to 36" wide and 42" high.

Why do people use panels?
Fabric panels are often called "cheater" quilts, however, let's reword, "cheater" to wicked smart quilts Because you can easily layer a panel with batting and backing, do some machine quilting and voila– a quilt!

Panels are typically colorful, detailed images, and are ready to be made into anything that inspires you.

I've seen people cut up panels to create Attic Window looking quilts or couch quilt for the lake house using the panel, "Life is better on the lake." Or even using red truck panel blocks to make potholders for the oven. Here are more possibilities:

What you can do with pre-cut fabric panels?
• Front door panel quilt (show off the different seasons with a different quilted panel quilt to hang behind a glass front door.)
• Wall hanging
• Oven potholders
• Couch quilts
• Baby quilts or baby mat quilt
• Placemats
• Table runners
• Aprons
• Fabric to embroidery on to enhance the colors or add color thread too

Plus, as a highlight, the Vermont 2020 Shop Hop fabric is a digitally print from Hoffman Fabrics.

Digitally printed panels are a process of printing on textiles and garments using inkjet technology to print colorants onto fabric. Then it's fed through the printer, which sprays the dye onto the textile with tiny droplets. The final step is fixing the fabric, a process that ensures the permanency of the design says the website SPG Prints (more info on the process see the link below).

Not only is the Vermont Shop Hop digitally printed but also our panels from Benartex Fabrics, Thomas Concave outdoor gardens, and different churches panel.

(Click on the panels to see them in detail.)

We have tons of panels for you to choose from here at Norton House Quilting, but first I thought I would show you inspiring patterns to use your existing fabric panels.

Here is a few panel patterns to choose from!