Travel Map: Make your own to display

Enhance your living space with a quilted travel map that serves as both decoration and a reminder of your travels across the beautiful United States. I have included the written instructions along with a video for you to watch me make one.

I made a travel map by hand about 30 years ago. Before I had a sewing machine! My map marks the places my family has gone. I use different things to mark them. The important thing for me is to pick small things that best represent our trip. I have used badges, charms and pins.

You can watch me make one on Youtube. The directions are below as well as the PDF.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFTXT7w5cfo&t=184s

Travel Map Materials

1. The pdf of the USA on regular paper (download it below)
2. The pdf map on water soluble paper I am selling it for $15 via Venmo
3. 1 yard of material for the back
4. 1 yard of material to frame the map
5. 1 yard of material for the ‘water’
6. 1 yard of material your US map will be
7. Thread
8. quilting pad
9. Needle
10. Sewing machine (optional)
11. Thimble

Instructions:

preparing the material

1. Wash all of your fabrics. Trim off any long threads and iron.

2. Cut your fabric

• 1 – 32″ x 41″ for the back piece
• 2 – 4″ x 41″ trim pieces for the front (top and bottom)
• 2 – 3 1/2″ x 26″ trim pieces for the front (the sides)
• 1 – 26″ x 35″ ‘water’ piece for the front
• 5 – 2 1/2″ x 7″ ties for the top of the map to hang (Cut these AFTER you cut your map out)

3. Print out the pdf onto regular paper

• Cut and tape it together
• Lay it on the tan piece of fabric and pin the map to the fabric all around the edges. Make sure the paper and fabric are totally flat.

cutting out the map

• Trace the outline onto the fabric with a fabric pencil. I use a regular pencil.
• Cut the map with a 1/4″ inseam all the way around the map. Do not worry about the curvy parts. Cut a 1/4″ inseam from the part that sticks out the most.
• Remove the pins and the paper from your map.

assembling the front of the map

Sew the front pieces together

1. Sew the shorter trim pieces first using a 1/4″ inseam

2. Sew the longer trim parts second using the 1/4″ inseam

3. Iron your seams to flatten the front piece

Arrange your map on your front piece.

1. When it is where you want it. Pin the edges all the way around as well in many places inside the map. You want your map to stay flat as you sew. . DO MAKE SURE IT IS FLAT or you will have problems later.

• My measurements are as follows:
  • Maine is 1 and 1/4″ from the trim edge
  • Montana and North Dakota are 6 and 1/2″ from the top trim edge
  • Alaska bottom part is even to Washington 1″ apart. It is 1 and 1/4″ from the top trim edge.
  • California is 4 and 1/2″ from the trim edge
  • Hawaii is 1 and 1/4″ from the trim edge. The second island from the top is 3 and 1/2″ from California where the outside line angles in.
  • Texas’ tip is 1″ from the bottom trim edge.
  • Florida is 2 and 1/4″ from the bottom trim edge

Attach the map using the slip stitch to the front.

1. Tuck 1/4″ up to the outline line you traced under. Do this bit by bit. On the long parts I tucked and then pinned as far as I can go.

• Using thread that matches your water, slip stitch all around the map.
• For places that aren’t straight, cut slits in the fabric close to the line, then tuck these and sew. Tucking and pinning these parts helps keep fabric in place as you sew.
• You can take the pins out as you go.

putting the map together

Put all the pieces together

1. Lay out the back piece with the front facing down.

2. Place the quilted batting on top of the back piece. Make sure the back piece is laying flat on the batting.

3. Trim the batting 1/4″ shorter around the fabric

4. Place the front on top of the batting. Make sure it is laying flat on the batting. Pull on every piece to ensure it all flat.

sewing the quilt together

1. Pin the map along the boarder all around the map to the back piece.

2. Use a sewing machine and sew along the inner part of the trim. Now your piece is together.

3. Sew around the border of the map by hand with a simple stitch or with a sewing machine.

4. Remove all of the pins

sewing the border of the quilt

1. Iron the border of the map 1/4″ under all the way around.
2. Use a slip stitch to sew the border on three sides, if you are adding ties to hang it.

add state names and state lines

1. Print out the PDF on water soluble paper. You can trace the PDF onto the water soluble paper.
   • My computer was able to print on this paper. Well sort of…
     • The first time I printed one page, the top of the soluble paper curled up a little
     • The next time I printed one, I put the paper in the wrong way, so I had to turn it over
     • When I printed on that paper I just turned over onto the water soluble paper, it printed PERFECTLY!
     • So with every page, I printed on the wrong side first and then on the correct side.
2. Attach the water soluble paper to the map.
   • The nice thing about this paper it doesn’t loose its stickiness. I wouldn’t over do the moving though.
   • Place all of the PDFs on your map. Go slowly and make sure all the lines are in line.

3. Stitch along the lines. If stitching by hand take the time to make the stitches the same size and distance.

4. Sew the names. This is up to you on how you want this to look. The picture above is my original font. The one on the PDF is a different one.

5. Cut as much of the water soluble paper, by pulling the paper off where you can. This will help when washing it later.

adding the ties to the top

If you want to hang this up, you will need to add ties.

1. Using the same fabric as the US map, cut them into strips: 5 – 2 1/2″ x 7″ ties

2. Sew them

3. Turn them right side out

4. Iron them flat

5. Fold them in half and then add them to the top of the map. 2 1/2 inches should mark where the tie meets the top of the map.

6. Sew the top of the map using a slip stitch and a simple stitch over the ties.

Hawaii

I sewed Hawaii right before I was ready to wash it. I used the same method as above when attaching the map to the blue fabric.

washing the map

I decided to wash the map on a delicate cycle in my washing machine. There was still residue on the map in a few places.

You can just wet it with a rag. When I was checking how the paper would dissolve on Alaska, I used a wet rag and it worked just fine.

Enjoy your new map!

Once your map is dry, it’s ready to hang.

I used a wood curtain rod to hang mine. Here is something similar and is adjustable. What you hang it with is really up to you and how you like to design your house.

I hope this all helps create your travel map that you will have for a very long time! Let me know if you have any questions. Share your journey in making one. Comment below!