How to Add a Quilt Hanger Sleeve
Although most people assume the best place for a handmade quilt is on a bed, you can also display a quilt on your wall like artwork. However, the last thing you would want to do is pound nails into the binding of a beautiful quilt. Fortunately, you can add a hanging sleeve to a finished quilt to hang it safely without damaging the quilt itself. A hanging sleeve allows you to display a favorite quilt without worrying about the wear and tear that would happen if you were using it as a bedspread.
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Things You'll Need
- Quilt
- Fabric
- Ruler
- Rotary cutter or scissors
- Sewing machine and thread
- Pencil
- Hand needle and thread
Instructions
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1
Measure across the top of your quilt to find its width.
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2
Cut a strip of fabric 8 inches wide and as long as the width of your quilt. Use fabric that matches your quilt since the hanging sleeve will show when the quilt is finished and hung. Use a 5/8 inch seam if you have to piece this strip together.
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3
Turn both short ends of the fabric in by ¼ inch and sew with small stitches to enclose the raw edges of fabric.
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4
Fold the long raw edges in towards the center of the wrong side by ¼ inch and sew with small stitches to enclose the raw edges.
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5
Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the wrong side facing in.
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6
Use the ruler to find a straight line across the back of your quilt where you want the hanging sleeve to go. Make a few very faint dots with the pencil to mark where you will attach the sleeve.
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7
Lay the sleeve over your pencil marks with the open edge facing the bottom of the quilt. Pin the sleeve where you want to sew it.
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8
Sew the sleeve to the back of the quilt where you made your pencil marks. Use a hand needle, matching thread and a blind stitch. Stitch along the bottom of the sleeve so there is enough room to slip a dowel rod into the open end.
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Tips & Warnings
For very large quilts, sew a hanging sleeve at each end of the quilt and rotate it periodically. This helps the quilt stretch evenly in all directions.
You can add a hanging sleeve before or after you attach the binding to your quilt. If you do it afterwards, you have the option of placing the sleeve low enough that it hides behind the quilt.
If you do not have fabric that matches your quilt, make the sleeve from plain muslin.
Use strong thread to attach your hanging sleeve and make sure some of your stitches go through all of the layers of the quilt so it can hang securely.
References
Resources
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