Make your own quilted Lenten Journey wall hanging! St. Spyridon Orthodox Church in Loveland, CO created this Lent resource. In 2025 we helped them to "resurrect" the project and we make finished wall hangings for them to sell on their Youth Enterprises website. When they run out, or if you would like to make your own, we provide a limited number of kits to do so.

This DIY project is possible for a beginner, just take it step by step. For those more comfortable with sewing, it is an easy project to pick up and put down over about a week. If you're able to sit down and complete it in one go, and depending on how much quilting you do, it will take about 4-8 hours.

Materials Included in the Kit (purchase here)

• Pre-cut Fabric: front, back, front pockets, hanging pockets, cloth icons, binding
• Batting
• Thread: purple and cream
• Embellishments: ribbons, beads, denim buttons, wood ornaments w/ magnets
• Dowel for hanging
• Lenten Journey Passport w/ stickers, Lazarus Project for kids and adults
• Lenten Journey Guidebook

Equipment Needed (not included)

• Basting tools: pins or spray
• Sewing machine or needle
• Fabric scissors
• Turning tool (chopstick, knitting needle, etc)
• Glue stick
• Masking or scotch tape (optional)
• Ruler
• Awl
• Hammer
• Clean, hard surface to hammer on
• Paper plate

Sewing Instructions

First: Quilt the Map

1. Iron the fabrics smooth (do not iron the batting).
2. Lay the backing fabric with the right side down on the table, center the batting on top, then lay the Journey Map on top with the right side up.
3. Baste the quilt sandwich together using basting pins or basting spray.
4. Decide on a quilting pattern. Here are some ideas:
   1. simple lines about 2" apart
   2. stipple pattern
   3. follow the lines and designs on the map and in the purple around the map
   4. use a stencil with a pretty design and do free-motion quilting
5. Load the cream thread on the top and in the bobbin. Use a long stitch (3mm is good) and check your tension so that the stitches look nice through the thick layers.
6. Quilt the map using the cream thread included, or a thread color of your choice. If you run out, the thread is from Hobby Lobby, color 1090.

Second: Finish the Wall Hanging

1. While you still have the cream thread loaded:
   1. Make the care label:
      1. Cut out the white label from the icon fabric.
      2. Fold it in half inside out, and sew the left and right sides with a zigzag stitch.
      3. Turn it right side out, poke out the corners, and iron smooth.
   2. Make the Pascha icon:
      1. Cut out the Resurrection icon front and white patterned back.
      2. Take the 2" thin ribbon, fold it in half, and glue it to the center top of the backing fabric, with the raw edges of the ribbon matching the raw edge of the fabric.
      3. Align the front and back with right sides facing; pin.
      4. Sew around the edge of the icon with a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a turning hole at the center of the bottom of the icon.
      5. Clip the corners and turn the icon right side out.
      6. Gently poke out the corners, fold the turning hole into the icon and put a dab of glue right inside the opening, and iron flat.
2. Cut out the large purple rectangle from the icon fabric in the kit. Fold it in half lengthwise so it is a skinny rectangle and iron flat.
3. Trim the quilted sandwich down to the top fabric edges.
4. Change the top thread and bobbin to purple thread.
5. Align the rectangle along the bottom edge of the front of the quilted map with the cut edges along the raw edge of the quilt. Sew two vertical lines from the bottom edge to the top of the folded fabric; count 5 circles in from the right and left edges so that there are 5 circles between the edges and the two vertical lines, making 3 pockets.
6. Fold and iron the 5" squares of purple fabric in half on the diagonal to make two triangles.
7. Baste the triangles to the top corners of the back of the quilt: align the raw edges of the triangles with the raw edges of the quilt. These are pockets to put the dowel in to hang the quilt on the wall.
8. Baste the care label to the center of the quilt on the back side.
9. Bind the quilted wall hanging (for a helpful binding video, click here):
   1. Iron the three strips of purple 2 1/4" wide fabric in half lengthwise.
   2. Sew the strips together on the diagonal, trim excess, and iron seam open. Re-iron the strips closed so that the long strip is folded in half 1 1/8" wide.
   3. Attach the binding to the back side of the quilt:
      1. Start about 8" from the end of the binding strip, and about 6" below the middle of a long side of the quilt. Align the raw edges of the strip with the raw edge of the quilt.
      2. Sew 1/4" from the edge of the quilt (in the video Jenny is using 2 1/2" wide binding so her seam allowance directions may be different).
      3. Stop 1/4" before each corner, turn toward the point and sew off the corner.
      4. Turn the quilt 90* to line up the next side, fold the binding strip up so that there is a 45* fold at the corner. Start sewing again from the edge.
      5. When you get to about 12" from where you started, backstitch and cut the thread.
      6. Lay the ends of the binding strips on top of each other so they overlap along the side of the quilt. Cut the end of the binding strip so that it overlaps with the beginning of the strip 2 1/4".
      7. Join the binding on the diagonal in the same way as above.
      8. Finish attaching the rest of the binding to the quilt.
   4. Iron the binding back over the stitches so that the binding is sticking out from the edges of the quilt.
   5. Starting at a corner on the front side of the quilt, fold the binding around to the front so that the folded edge is just past the stitching you did to attach the binding to the back of the quilt. Edgestitch the binding to the front of the quilt all the way around. At each corner, fold the corner so that it miters nicely, sew into the fold, then leave your needle down (presser foot up) and turn the quilt 90* to continue down the next side.
   6. Attach the binding all the way around, enclosing the bottom of the pockets, the hanging pockets, and the care label as you go around. Backstitch at the end.

Third: Finish Embellishments

1. Finish the Sunday icons with the purple thread:
   1. Make the four purple icons and one red icon the same way as the Pascha icon above.
2. Add the service counting beads:
   1. With purple thread still loaded, set your machine to a zig-zag about 3mm wide and 3mm long.  Take the purple 4" ribbon and fold the ends 1/4" back, and again 1/4" to make a rolled hem. Place a folded end of the ribbon just below the "Presanctified" word on the compass rose. You can use a bit of tape to hold it in place (a pin may damage the ribbon). Stitch the ribbon to the wall hanging, going back and forth a couple times to secure the ribbon.
   2. Thread the 6 purple beads onto the ribbon.
   3. Sew the rolled hem on the bottom of the ribbon to the wall hanging in the same way as step 1 above. You want the ribbon to be vertical and taught so that the beads stay put when they are slid up and down.
   4. Change the top thread to cream; leave purple in the bobbin.
   5. Add the "Akathist" ribbon: take the blue 4" ribbon and blue beads, and attach to the wall hanging as above.
   6. Add the "Compline" ribbon: take the yellow 4" ribbon and yellow beads, and attach to the wall hanging as above.
3. Add the white ribbons:
   1. Take a white 3" ribbon, roll the two ends as you did for the service beads, and use tape to hold it in place while you attach both ends to the wall hanging.
   2. The white ribbons are for holding prayer lists, palm fronds, and leaves, so they need to be taught.
   3. Place one ribbon below "Soul Saturday" on the map.
   4. Place one ribbon below "Palm Sunday" on the map.
   5. Place one ribbon above "Holy Saturday" on the map.
4. Attach the denim buttons for hanging the icons:
   1. With your ruler and awl, measure a point that is 3/4" above the center of each Sunday rectangle.
   2. Push the awl through the wall hanging at that point.
   3. Turn the wall hanging over and push the awl through the hole from back to front. You want a hole the size of the shaft of the backing.
   4. Take the small silver backing for the denim button and push the pokey end through the hole from back to front.
   5. Place the denim button onto the pokey end, then while holding the two parts together, turn the button upside down onto the quilt, make sure you're on a hard surface and the pokey end is going into the denim button, and hammer the backing down into the button. You will have to hammer more than you want to, ha ha. Hammer it until it is straight enough and won't come off.
   6. Continue to add the next five buttons to the rest of the Sunday spots.
5. Glue the magnets to the wooden ornaments:
   1. Place a small dot of glue in the middle of each ornament.
   2. Separate out four small magnets...keep the remaining four magnets away from the ornaments while gluing; they are very strong and will jump out of your hand to join their mates!
   3. Place one magnet on each dot of glue; let dry.
   4. To use: hold the wood ornament on the spot on the front of the map where it goes, then bring the free magnet to the back of the wall hanging and let the free magnet stick to the ornament magnet through the wall hanging.

Fourth: Assemble & Enjoy!

1. Put the icons, ornaments, Lazarus Project booklets, Pascha Passport, and icon stickers into the front pockets.
2. Tuck the dowel rod into the pockets on the back of the wall hanging.
3. Hang up on Forgiveness Sunday and use to track your progress through the Lenten Journey!