Hanging a Quilt

Don’t Leave Me Hanging

Hanging a quilt is most commonly done by attaching a quilt sleeve. A quilt sleeve will ensure that your quilt is well supported, particularly if the quilt is large, and will also ensure that no damage is done to the quilt by attaching clips in order to hang it.

Art quilts, though, are sometimes irregular shapes, so attaching a standard type of quilt sleeve will not always be practical. You will need to determine what is the best way to do this and you may need to be a little creative with the way you attach your sleeve.

Standard Size Sleeve

The size for a quilt sleeve, by quilt show standards, is usually 4", so it is good practice to use this size when attaching quilt sleeves to any of your quilts.

Today you may not want to show your quilts, but tomorrow may be a different story, and if your quilt sleeve is too small you will have to remove it and attach a new one. It’s just good practice to get into the habit of always attaching a 4" quilt sleeve.

Hanging Rods

Quilt sleeves are generally indented approximately 1" on either side so that when the quilt hangs, you do not see the hanging rod.

However, sometimes the hanging rod can be considered a decorative feature and can actually add interest to your quilt, particularly if the rod has decorative finials.

Specialty quilt hangers are another option. They can be readily found these days in stores or online and some are made using specialty woods which can add an extra element of warmth to your quilt.

Fade Away

Since fabric fades over time, whatever you can to to slow the process is going to be beneficial. The best way to prevent fading of course, is to always hang your quilt away from direct sunlight.

There is also a product called Quiltgard which is a UV spray designed specifically for quilts and is available from Craftgard.

Quilt Sleeve - Single Fold

Step 1

• Cut a piece of fabric 6" by the width of the quilt
• Turn under a 1" hem on both short sides and one long side of the fabric and topstitch

Step 2

• With wrong side of the sleeve facing the back of the quilt, center the sleeve along the top edge of the quilt
• Match raw edges and pin in place leaving a 1" indent on either side - this indent will allow the quilt rod to hang without being visible from the front
• Stitch sleeve to the back of the quilt using the same seam allowance as binding

Step 3

• To allow space for the hanging rod and to ensure that the quilt does not pucker when it hangs, make a small fold in the sleeve by folding it up to align with the raw edges, and then back down on itself
• Pin bottom edge of sleeve to quilt
• Hand stitch in place

Quilt Sleeve - Double Fold

Step 1

• Cut a piece of fabric 10" by the the width of the quilt
• Turn under a 1" hem on both short sides of the fabric and topstitch

Step 2

• Fold sleeve in half lengthwise, wrong sides facing and raw edges matching
• Press

Step 3

• Center the sleeve along the top edge on the back side of the quilt
• Match raw edges and pin in place leaving a 1" indent on either side - this indent will allow the quilt rod to hang without being visible from the front
• Stitch sleeve to the back of the quilt using the same seam allowance as binding

Step 4

• To allow space for the hanging rod and to ensure that the quilt does not pucker when it hangs, make a small fold in the sleeve by folding it up to align with the raw edges, and then back down on itself
• Pin bottom edge of sleeve to quilt
• Hand stitch bottom edge and side edges in place