Hanging Quilts

It feels like it has been a while since I have done a quilting post.  I have two small quilts that I am finishing the stitching on the binding, so I will share those in my next post.  In the meantime, I want to talk about how I hang my quilts.  I have had several people ask about it, so I will share a few ideas.

 

The method that I typically use involves sewing a rod pocket to the back side of the quilt and using a flat stick to attach it to the wall.  The quilt then hangs nice and flat to the wall as shown below.

Harvest Time

 

I start by cutting a 5″ wide strip of fabric and pressing it in half with wrong sides together.  Hem the ends so that they are about 1/2″ in from the edge of the quilt as shown below.  I attach the rod pocket to the quilt after I sew my binding to the front side, but before I hand stitch the binding to the back side of the quilt.   I sew it to the back side of the quilt with a 1/4″ seam allowance, or something slightly less than the binding seam line that is already there.

 

 

The rod pocket will then look something like this – with a loose fold that needs to be hand stitched down.

BTW – This method will also work if you are stitching your binding down by machine as shown below.

 

The top edge of the rod pocket will be concealed when you stitch the binding to the back side of the quilt.  You will also need to hand stitch the fold of the rod pocket down.

 

 

 

 

You are now ready slide the rod through the pocket and hang the quilt.  I use a flat piece of wood that is about 1/4″ thick by 2″ tall.  This is pretty easy to find at the lumber yard.  It needs to be cut to length  – about 1/2″ less than the width of the quilt so that the stick can hide behind the quilt.  Drill a hole in the end of the stick and hang it on a small nail.  Slide the quilt into place so the stick is hidden.

 

You can also use a rod pocket to hang quilts with scoped edges.  You just need to turn the 5″ strip into a tube and hand stitch down both folds as shown below.

 

Hopscotch

 

Curtain rods also make good hanging devices.  They are slightly more costly than the stick from the lumber yard, but you don’t need to cut to length or drill any holes.  They are easily adjustable to any size, so that makes it really easy.

 

I prefer curtain rods that are flat to the wall – with no round finials.  I especially like rods with several different scrolls because this allows you to hang it from different places without moving the nails.  This is handy if you rotate different size quilts in the same location, like I do.

 

If you don’t have a rod pocket on the back side of you quilt, you can also use curtain clips with the rod.  Like this:

Simple Gifts

 

Or this:

Center of Attention

 

There are lots of other places to hang quilts around the house – besides walls – such as over chairs, couches, doors, etc – that require no rod pockets.

Gypsy Girl

 

In my studio, Joel made me a quilt rack that is really fun to use.  It’s quite large, so it can hold lots of quilts.  Right now, I only have 5 quilts on it, but you can fold them smaller to fit more on display.

 

Here’s a close-up of the set-up.  He made a box and there are closet pole holders hidden within the box.  The closet poles hide behind the quilts.

Summer Stars

That’s all for now.  If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to tell us in the comments or share link!

 

Knitting Update

We are enjoying the last little bits of fall here in Minnesota.

The only leaves left with some color are the ones on my table.  The rest have all fallen and we are awaiting snow this week.  It seems early to me, but then again, the Christmas decorations will probably  come out next weekend.  Can you believe that?

There is something about the change in seasons and the cold weather that makes me even more obsessed with knitting.  I love picking out all the projects I plan to make over the winter months – though I may not get them all done!

I have two finished projects to share today.  It started with me wanting to make this pattern – the Flyaway Hoodie by Joji Locatelli.

I ordered the yarn – one of my favorites – Madelinetosh DK.  It’s a hand-dyed yarn, so there is always some variation.  But when the yarn came, I wasn’t happy with the variations between the skeins.  3 were brighter blue and 3 were a duller blue.   I ordered 3 more skeins, telling the company to match the picture on the website.  They came and were a good enough match to 3 of the skeins to move forward with my sweater.  I started the hoodie, but in the end, didn’t have enough yarn for long sleeves or the hood.

I was disappointed that it’s not a hoodie, but it is soft and comfortable.  On the positive side, without the hood you see the cables on the back much better.

There is even a little cable on the sleeve.

My leftover yarn became this project for Carter.  You can see the difference in the yarn colors –

The pattern is called “A Little Spare Time” by Terri Kruse.

I have to say that I like his sweater better than mine!

It’s a very simple design, but I love the raglan sleeves, the collar and the giant button.

And what could be better than this blue-eyed boy in a cuddly blue sweater.

It was really hard getting him to sit still for pictures.  Most of them look more like this.  Cute, but they don’t show off the sweater!

Here’s the flat (and still) shot, so you can see the details.

I would recommend both the pattern and yarn.  I should have made the sleeves a little longer, otherwise I didn’t change a thing.  You can find my Ravelry links here and here.

I am working on a couple of quilting posts, so I’ll be back with those soon!

Halloween 2013

I know I’m a bit late with this, but I am just getting to load a few pictures onto my computer.  My pictures didn’t turn out that great, as it was getting dark,  but we had a great Halloween with Carter.

I snapped a few pictures before we left for town.  Carter loves to play in the garage and ride his toys.  “I ride”, “I ride”, he says over and over again.

He also loves to go bye-bye, so as soon as you mention we are leaving, he heads for the stairs.  I did get him to stop and pose.  He now says “Cheese” when he sees the iphone.

After dressing him in many layers, it was time to head out.  It was his first Halloween where he was old enough to dress up and go trick-or-treating.  He isn’t even old enough to say Trick or Treat yet, but his “Pease” and “Day Do”  were pretty cute.

It didn’t take him long to figure out that if he said please, someone would put something in his new bucket.  He was quite protective of that bucket, let me tell you.  He wouldn’t let anyone else hold it, even though he didn’t really understand what was being put into it.  He has now learned what M & Ms and suckers are, so there is no going back.

We met my siblings at my Mom’s house before trick-or-treating so we could get a picture of all the kids together.  Carter was deathly afraid of the minion, so all of my pictures look like this:

By the end of the evening, he had figured out that it was his cousin Bella inside that costume so he got over the crying, not that he didn’t watch her at all times.

I’m not sure who had more fun, me or Carter.  What a great night!

 

I am busy packing for a couple of retreats this weekend and next week.  I will be teaching my Angles with Ease class at Lake Beauty Bible Camp and at a guild in the Brainerd/Crosby/Aitkin area, if anyone wants to join us!  Just contact me at hmulder@wecnet.com if you have any questions.