Terrific Tutorial Tuesday!--Displaying/Hanging a Quilt

Well, it is "Tutorial Tuesday" again. Each Tuesday I'll be posting tutorials I have found that I really want to be able to find again. I have decided to do this "Tutorial Tuesday" post, because I want to be able to refer back to the tutorials I really like; I want them all in one place. This week, the focus is on displaying/hanging a quilt. I've looked at a lot of tutorials (and there are A LOT) and have come up with a list of posts I personally would refer back to. (Just an FYI...some time in October I'll begin posting some tutorials on making gifts using some of the surface designed fabrics we all have stashed away. SO...if you are interested in making some gifts for Christmas (for example)...stay tuned!)

After finishing a quilted piece, my next focus is how to display the quilt. Generally, I want to put on a hanging sleeve. Susan Brubaker Knapp has a really nice PDF that clearly shows how to make and attach a hanging sleeve. I have a tutorial on this too, but her illustrations are a bit clearer than mine. My tutorial does have something Susan's does not (in Step 6 on my tutorial). I always add a line of basting (which is removed later) into my sleeve to allow for the bulk of the hanging rod. I find that if I don't add this line of basting I have more trouble leaving the room for the rod. I will be using the combination of the two tutorials the next time I make a hanging sleeve for one of my quilts.

The previous instructions are great for hanging a square or rectangular quilt, but what do you do if you have an "odd-shaped" quilt? I found an answer on Daphne Greig's blog. She has a nice tutorial explaining how she figures out where to attach the sleeve so the quilt will hang at the angle she thinks is best. She also has a section at the end on how she makes her hanging sleeves. Again, she doesn't include that line of basting that I find useful. (Both she and Susan allow a bit of extra room for the rod, but I think my method makes it easier to attach the sleeve to the quilt accurately in the end.)

If you are interested in a "gallery hanging" method, take a look at this post on Judys Fiber Art blog. She explains a couple of ways to attach a quilt to foam board as a way to display the quilt. At the end, she also shows how she frames a piece for display. I warn you, this is a LONG post, and the method seems really tedious to me. However, I think I'd like to be able to find the info again should I ever need an alternative to a sleeve. I might use it for a piece that is heavily embellished or a piece that didn't "show" well hanging from a sleeve. I also found her instructions for framing a piece very helpful. Beth Berman over at Sew Sew Art has a great framing tutorial, again, for more of a "gallery hanging" method. She uses Styrofoam insulation board to stabilize the piece. It is a very interesting method that keeps the piece (regardless of size) very light. It is definitely one you should check out.

Now, if you have a small piece or you just want an alternative hanging method (rather than using a sleeve), you need to check out Stitch This! (a Martingale blog). Here you can find a multitude of different methods for hanging a quilt from using fiber tabs to soda pop tabs. This post refers you to several different sites to view these tutorials. There are lots of good ideas here.