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The Machine Quilting Adventure Add a hanging sleeve to a quilt of any size. In this DVD mentor, you will learn how to make and machine this beautiful quilt that any family member or friend will love. |
Often you will want to display your quilt - or wall hanging - in a show or on a wall in your house. The question, then, is how to accomplish that.
Obviously, you don't want to pound a nail through the quilt to attach it to the wall (although non-quilters may not understand why not).
There are several different types of quilting hangers available - some fairly simple, others pretty elaborate and expensive.
Frequently, however, you will want to display the quilt or wall hanging without the distraction of a wooden hanger or clamping device. In addition, the clamping devices generally do not distribute pressure on the quilt evenly. Many of them are held together with screw knobs that you tighten.
That will create pressure where the knob is and for a few inches on either side, but the pressure lessens the further away from the knob you go. If there is too much distance between the knobs, your quilt or wall hanging may sag and hang unevenly.
In addition, you may want to have the flexibility of hanging different size quilts.
Create a Hanging Sleeve Under the Binding of Your Quilt
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One solution is to sew a hanging sleeve onto the back of your quilt and insert something inside that will act as a hanger - such as a stick of wood or piece of plastic tube.
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Add your hanging sleeve before you sew down the binding on the top side of your quilt.
Step 1 - Measure the fabric to make your hanging sleeve
It helps to know how wide the piece of wood or plastic is that you will be using in the sleeve. If you don't know, make your sleeve fairly wide to acommodate most any piece.
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I generally place the stick inside a length of fabric and fold the fabric loosely over the wood. Then I add a seam allowance. |
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How much of a seam allowance I add depends on how much of the binding will be showing on the back of the quilt. If there is 1/2 inch of binding, I add 1 inch of seam allowance to the width of the hanging sleeve - 1/2 on each side of the sleeve.
Fold the fabric loosely around the stick so it is easy to get the stick in and out of the sleeve. This will give you the width of the fabric you need for the hanging sleeve.
Step 2 - Turn over the raw edges on the ends
Turn over 1/4 inch folds on each of the ends of the hanging sleeve and stitch, so that none of the raw edges are showing. You can machine or hand stitch; I usually machine stitch since this is on the back of your quilt and nobody will see it.
Although this step is optional, it does make the hanging sleeve look nicer and more finished.
Step 3 - Fold the hanging sleeve in half and attach it to the back of the quilt
Pin the hanging sleeve onto the backing of your quilt or wall hanging, matching the edge of the quilt to the raw edges of the hanging sleeve.
Stitch the binding and hanging sleeve onto the quilt, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance - or whatever the seam allowance is for your binding.
If you have already sewn the binding onto your quilt, sew the hanging sleeve onto the quilt making sure that the stitching is between the stitching for the binding and the raw edge of the quilt. This will ensure that the stitching securing your hanging sleeve will not show on the front of your quilt.
Step 4 - Fold the binding onto the back of the quilt
Fold the binding to the back of the quilt and attach it. I generally hand stitch the binding on the back of my quilt or wall hanging using a blind stitch.
Step 5 - Attach the bottom edge of the hanging sleeve onto the back of your quilt or wall hanging
Stitch the bottom edge of the hanging sleeve onto the back of the quilt using an overhand stitch that is fairly long and loose.
The theory here is that if the quilt turns out to be heavy and causes strain on the fabric by hanging, the threads holding the sleeve will break and the sleeve will come loose, instead of the back fabric of your quilt ripping.
A Few Tips
- Use fabric that matches your backing - that way, you won't see it when you use the quilt on a bed or couch
- You could machine stitch the bottom of the hanging sleeve, however, your machine stitching will probably show on the front of the quilt.
- When you turn over the raw edges on the ends of your hanging sleeve, you could turn over 1/4 inch twice, if you prefer. That will protect the raw edge further. (I usually do.)
- The quality of the stick is not too important. I use thin (1/4 inch thich) sticks left over from construction. You can also get dowels from a hardware or craft store. The width of the stick varies depending on what I have and how heavy the quilt is. For a small wall hanging, use a 1 inch wide stick; for a large quilt, go up to 2 inches wide.
As an alternative, you can sew the hanging sleeve on top of the binding. See this article about Adding a Hanging Sleeve to your Quilt for more information.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
Master Quilter
