Quilt display questions

One thing you didn't mention was sunlight. It will ruin that quilt faster than hanging it. Now having mentioned the sunlight factor.... my husband takes a couple of pieces of trim... either plain, or fancy if it matches something in the quilt. We stain, poly it etc. Cut them the length of the quilt. They have to fit together so that there is a hollow part inside and the edges line up and touch each other. Tape them, and drill holes... for a 3 foot stretch, it looks like he drilled four holes. Then go to the fancy specialty screw section and find pretty screws, nuts, etc. The two pieces of trim are held together with the hardware with the quilt sandwiched in between. Probably clear as mud and I don't think I have an online picture of one at the moment... but you can find this type to buy as well. It allows the quilt even tension across the top, no hanging sleeve and you can rotate it.

Jan RCTQ Coffee Diva

Do you remember the other day that someone (sorry to have forgotten who it was) was asking us our interpretation of a requirement for a show quilt? This was to sew a 1.5" strip of fabric across the top of the back. We assumed this was for pinning the quit without having the pins have to go through the quilt. This was just a piece of fabric, un-hemmed or anything I think. But, I think the principle could be adapted for your bed quilts. I'm not too keen on the idea of clips or claws gripping the fabric. Yes, they could damage the fabric, but the worst result is that a full-size quilt such as you are describing, could well 'scallop; or at best become wavy.

How would you feel about inserting a doubled strip of fabric - same as the backing - perhaps only 1" wide + some seam allowance - which could be sewn into the binding on the back, with its raw-edge side? This really wouldn't show while the quilt was being used as a bed quilt, and would mean you could use gadgets for hanging which then wouldn't harm the quilt fabric.

I'm sure you could devise something that would work. . In message , John writes

John, I too have a 2 story stairway at my front entrance. I have a quilt rack on the wall, with 2 rods. For the big quilts I fold and hang over the rods. Smaller wallhangings would have a sleeve. You can see my quilt rack, with quilts, in my Crafts album, last 2 photos. Easy to rotate quilts, fold, display, etc with a rack.

Thanks for the input. Sunlight is not a problem as there would be none directly on the quilts. I guess I could go with a similar piece of fabric and use that as the attachment point and then use a rod to hang within the pocket. created. Also, I realized, if the quilt does not have a top or bottom in the design, the pocket could be on the bottom when the quilt is used on a bed. That should solve the issue of visibility,when using the quilt. I too, was concerned about clipping the quilt as I didn't like that idea of doing the curtains that way. The only thing is that the quilt, with light weight batting, would probably be lighter than the full length curtains made of upholstery fabric and backed with other sunlight resistant fabric. Always good to talk to somebody who has dealt with the problem before you dig yourself into a hole. As they say, there are no dumb questions.

John Taylor

Thanks John wrote:

I hadn't thought about the use of a trim clamping mechanism. That sort of thing is right up my skill ally and I will work on the thought and come up with an idea or two.

Thanks

John Taylor snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Why not just use the hanging sleeve? I hang my quilts and also use them on the couch (don't have a big one for the bed yet) ...since the hanging sleeve matches the background and I don't worry about it LOL

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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Here's a couple of links that might clarify it. Instead of routing, we just found appropriate trim (yes we own a router, but heck... if you can buy it done the way you want). You need that hollow space to put a couple of nails or screws etc into your wall and not touch the quilt. Or if you have an appropriate tool to keyhole it. And instead of wood knobs, we just found pretty brass hardware. I've seen them done invisible as well, but we've never taken the time to work that out. Hope it helps.

I have a similar situation.

First off, hanging sleeves on a bed quilt are not a big deal. They are sewn down so nothing is flapping about. If made from the backing fabric they really blend right in. What bothers you about them?

If you just cannot get over a hanging sleeve I have seen another option that might work. It was featured in Quilters Newsletter Magazine once upon a time and used on a double sided Bourgoyne Surrounded quilt. The maker quilted all but the top 6" or so of the quilt. Then she opened up the remaining top and backing, split the remaining batting, inserted fabric for a new backing and separately quilted both sides. She bound the sides and and then the top edges together to make a built in hanging pocket. This way she could hang the quilt so either side showed without a sleeve in the way.

For the hanging itself, I purchased picture rail moulding. It's not the stuff for making picture frames but rather was used in old houses for hanging pictures from. It's nailed across the wall down a bit from the ceiling and I chose to paint it the same color as the wall though if you have fancy crown moulding you could do the contrast thing. I purchased the hooks for the moulding at the local ACE hardware and now I can rotate my quilts anytime and they can be any size. Simply slide the hooks the correct distance, put a dowel or curtain rod or whatever through the hanging sleeve on the quilt and put the edges into the hooks. Nice not to be limited to size of quilt to hang.

Here's a picture I found of the moulding and hooks.

If you make the sleeve of the backing fabric it is not very noticeable when the quilt is in use on a bed. Or try something like this: . I bought one from this company at a quilt show several years ago; it works very well. I've also seen similar products at craft shows. Since you are a wood worker, you can probably make one yourself.

Julia > I have a problem as to hanging quilts from the wall. I have a very tall

The first link Jan has here says to rout a groove in the back of the top piece of wood. I have one like that, as well as the "art in a pinch" one that has the groove in the bottom/back piece of wood (the piece that goes against the wall). I like the one with the groove in the back piece better; it seems easier to position the quilt. To put the quilt in the hanger, I lay the back piece of the hanger on the floor, position the quilt so the binding is in the groove, place the top/front piece over and put in the screw-knobs that hold the two pieces together. Then hang the whole assembly on the wall.

Julia > Here's a couple of links that might clarify it. Instead of routing, we

Howdy!

Pin the sleeve to the back of the quilt with safety pins. Clipping or grabbing the quilt in a number of places causes strain on the rest of the (un-grabbed) quilt, esp. a large, heavier quilt. My 4th of July Sampler quilt (Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie & Mom) has a pinned sleeve; when the quilt comes off the long dowel rod the sleeve is easily removed. No damage so far (12 yrs).

Good luck!

Ragmop/Sandy

I have some of those too. These were intended to be spaced across the top of the quilt, so one would need to buy a whole bunch. Then punch holes in wall. Then stress the quilt at the hanging points.

None of that appeals to me. I have my own way to use them, which I think is better for the quilt, and easier on my purse.

I use this method for small WH that I rotate on display. I add a slim sleeve to each WH. (Not a show sleeve.) I cut a dowel to fit each one. On the wall, I space just TWO hang-up thingies at the widest places of the narrowest WH. The thingies grab nicely onto the dowel inside the sleeve. With the dowel in the top of each WH, the weight of each WH is evenly distributed. The quilt hangs neater and is not stressed.

PAT

Taria wrote:

BTW - the sunlight does not have to be directly ON the quilt to cause fading. Direct sun light will cause damage faster, but eventually any natural fibre (cotton) quilt exposed to strong or bright natural light will fade.

But since we don't want to have all our quilts hidden away in a dark museum storage facility for preservation but never seen or appreciated or used (lol) . . . . . . the hanging will probably not cause any more problem than having the quilt on a bed. But for designs that are suited I usually recommend to those I give quilts to that they rotate the quilt so that if there is a shaded side to the bed, the quilt is at least evenly exposed to light so it won't fade in uneven stripes or patches.

I would also recommend making the rod pocket the same fabric as the backing. I've also read that putting a pocket at the top and the bottom of the quilt if it's a non directional design is good, that way you can switch the way you hang the quilt so that the stress is not all "one way" all the time. Clear as mud?

So many questions. I'll try to answer as many as I can.

White gloves for quilts. Some people make quilts to be used and washed until they turn into rags, others make show-piece quilts and heirloom quilts. It is the show-pieces, heirlooms, and antiques that rarely get washed that get the white glove treatment. The reason behind the gloves is that body oils from hands will leave an unseen mark that later attracts visual dirt. The gloves prevent that from happening.

Since you plan to hang your quilts you might want to wear gloves while putting the quilt up to hang. If you plan on changing the quilts often then you don't need to worry about using gloves.

As to your curtain hanging hardware, well, it might not be up to holding the weight of the quilt. I'd go for a better hanging device. There are special brackets you can purchase that require no sleeves, clips, or rings to be sewn to your quilts before hanging. Debra in VA See my quilts at