Spirograph panels - backing and hanging

The two completed Spirograph panels needed fabric backings adding to cover up the lacing, plus a means of hanging them for display.

Using cotton upholstery fabric in a toning shade, I cut a rectangle slightly larger than the panel.  I turned the edge under all the way round and pinned it into place:

In close up:

Then, with matching sewing thread and a curved needle, I ladder stitched it into place:

Curved needles aren't the easiest things to use - I always find them very tricky to thread, for a start - but for a job like this they're invaluable.

Here's the panel with the back stitched on all the way round:

It's stretched quite taut and is nice and flat.

It still needs some way of hanging it, though.  For this, I cut out a series of small rectangles of the same backing fabric. three for each panel:

I neatened the edges with the overlocker, and joined the two short edges together, to form a sleeve:

The sleeve was turned the right side out and pressed, with the seam in the centre of the back:

I then turned the edges in, and pressed them into place:

Using tailor's chalk, I marked where on the back of the panel the sleeves were to go, and pinned them in place:

The chalk marks weren't much clearer than that in real life!

Using the curved needle again, I ladder stitched each sleeve to the backing fabric.  I stitched both edges, as the double row of stitching will give additional strength to support the weight of the panel.  Here's the inner edge being stitched:

And with both edges stitched:

The sleeves can now have a length of dowel slotted through, which will hang on hooks to display the panel:

The three sleeves should distribute the weight, and the gaps between them allow two or more hooks to be used, again to distribute the weight and the keep it straight.