Slightly OT--Hanging a quilt

Our parish was given two lovely starblankets (quilts with a central star
pattern) by the ladies at a nearby Indian reserve. We decided to hang them
in our parish hall.
The people who originally planned this thought they would suspend dowelling
from the ceiling with fishing line, and drape the quilts over that. I
didn't think that draping over a rod was a good thing for the fabric in the
long term, and suggested they be hung from the dowelling using rings
stitched to the back of the quilts..
Well, guess who now has the quilts??
The problem is that the dowelling is now ready, and it has a diameter of
1". I haven't found rings big enough--although I am sure they exist.
Somewhere.
Is this the right thing to do? does it make a difference what material the
rings are made of (eg someone has suggested shower curtain rings), or
should I give that idea up and add some sort of fabric "tunnel" or loops to
thread the dowelling through?
Dawne

Although it would change the appearance slightly, I think the quilts
would be more secure if you stitched a casing on the top of each to
accommodate the dowelling. The weight will pull at the points where
rings are attached and, over time, could seriously damage the quilts. A
casing which is stitched all the way across would balance the load; the
casing might try to pull off if it isn't well-stitched but still
wouldn't really damage the quilt. Quilts are heavier than many people
think--make certain the ceiling can support the load and don't forget
the effect if the hall is drafty! If it is a false/suspended ceiling,
forget it; a wall or a floor rack would be a much safer place for
displaying them.

Dawne Peterson wrote:
Our parish was given two lovely starblankets (quilts with a central star
pattern) by the ladies at a nearby Indian reserve. We decided to hang them
in our parish hall.
The people who originally planned this thought they would suspend dowelling
from the ceiling with fishing line, and drape the quilts over that. I
didn't think that draping over a rod was a good thing for the fabric in the
long term, and suggested they be hung from the dowelling using rings
stitched to the back of the quilts..
Well, guess who now has the quilts??
The problem is that the dowelling is now ready, and it has a diameter of
1". I haven't found rings big enough--although I am sure they exist.
Somewhere.
Is this the right thing to do? does it make a difference what material the
rings are made of (eg someone has suggested shower curtain rings), or
should I give that idea up and add some sort of fabric "tunnel" or loops to
thread the dowelling through?

--
Brenda
"Sometimes I'd sit and gaze for days through sleepless dreams all alone
and trapped in time." Tommy Shaw

If you haven't already, I would suggest asking this question over at
rec.crafts.textiles.quilting. Those ladies (some of them hang out here as
well and might answer here) are very knowledgeable about such things!

Dannielle

"Dawne Peterson" wrote in message
...
Our parish was given two lovely starblankets (quilts with a central star
pattern) by the ladies at a nearby Indian reserve. We decided to hang
them
in our parish hall.
The people who originally planned this thought they would suspend
dowelling
from the ceiling with fishing line, and drape the quilts over that. I
didn't think that draping over a rod was a good thing for the fabric in
the
long term, and suggested they be hung from the dowelling using rings
stitched to the back of the quilts..
Well, guess who now has the quilts??
The problem is that the dowelling is now ready, and it has a diameter of
1". I haven't found rings big enough--although I am sure they exist.
Somewhere.
Is this the right thing to do? does it make a difference what material the
rings are made of (eg someone has suggested shower curtain rings), or
should I give that idea up and add some sort of fabric "tunnel" or loops
to
thread the dowelling through?
Dawne

I am no expert on this subject at all. However, I was recently at a
show where many quilts were hung on frames. IIRC, at the top of each
quilt were a number of loops made of a fairly wide, heavy material; about
3 inches long. The supporting top rail went through these loops. My
guess would be that the loops were about 6 inches apart. HTH.


"Dawne Peterson" ) writes:
Our parish was given two lovely starblankets (quilts with a central star
pattern) by the ladies at a nearby Indian reserve. We decided to hang them
in our parish hall.
The people who originally planned this thought they would suspend dowelling
from the ceiling with fishing line, and drape the quilts over that. I
didn't think that draping over a rod was a good thing for the fabric in the
long term, and suggested they be hung from the dowelling using rings
stitched to the back of the quilts..
Well, guess who now has the quilts??
The problem is that the dowelling is now ready, and it has a diameter of
1". I haven't found rings big enough--although I am sure they exist.
Somewhere.
Is this the right thing to do? does it make a difference what material the
rings are made of (eg someone has suggested shower curtain rings), or
should I give that idea up and add some sort of fabric "tunnel" or loops to
thread the dowelling through?
Dawne




--
Jim Cripwell.
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of one's life, any
time that is spent in stitching.
Adapted from a sign on The Cobb, Lyme Regis, England.

From: (F.James Cripwell)

I am no expert on this subject at all. However, I was recently at a
show where many quilts were hung on frames. IIRC, at the top of each
quilt were a number of loops made of a fairly wide, heavy material; about
3 inches long. The supporting top rail went through these loops. My
guess would be that the loops were about 6 inches apart. HTH.

Well, I suppose I am something of an expert at this stuff since I have done
a lot of similar things over the years. First off -- DO NO use the metal rings
-- it will screw up the quilt over time as someone else mentioned.
OK -- someone recomended sewing a casing -- or a sleeve in quilt parlance --
to the back of the quilt. This is how just about all quilts are hung. A good
sturdy casing that is just wide enough to accommodate the rod it will be hung
from is your best bet. If the quilt design is non-directional (no top or
bottom) you should have a sleeve on both ends so that you can turn the quilt
around every few years.
The loops that Jim suggested will also work. Only problem with loops is
that the quilt will sort of sag in between the loops. It will NOT hang nice
and straight. If you decide on the loops you need to do several things.
First, add a casing to the back and insert some sort of rod so that the quilt
will hang straight. Next, make sure the dowel it hangs from is fairly decent
to look at. Also, thin about having more loops on the opposite end with a
casing too so that you can turn the quilt so that it hangs in the opposite
direction.
You want to be sure that the quilt will NOT be in direct sunlight. It will
be in tatters in just a few years if sunlight gets to it. Fibers migrate and
the quilt will begin to sag over time. This is the reason you want to rotate
the way it hangs every so often. You should probably take the quilt down and
wash it every year or so and then put it up in the opposite direction --
rotated 180 degrees. If it's a non-directional design AND it is a square (or
almost square) quilt, you could put a casing on all 4 sides and and rotate it
90 degrees each time.
A someone else suggested, ask over at RCTQ and see if anyone has some other
suggestions. There are all sorts of fancy-schmancy devices for hanging a quilt
from the wall so that there is minimal chance for damage but I'm not sure if
there is anything special for hanging a quilt suspended from the ceiling other
than on a rod of some sort. CiaoMeow ^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

In article , "Dawne Peterson"
writes:

The problem is that the dowelling is now ready, and it has a diameter of
1". I haven't found rings big enough--although I am sure they exist.
Somewhere.

Check with a curtain shop. I know my granny had some leftover rings in her
sewing machine drawer, approx. 1" in diameter to go over the curtain rod, and a
smaller ring for the curtain hook.

DBF's new place has nothing on the windows, so I gave him my mail-order curtain
catalogues and can't recall the names of the companies, but I know they had
everything you need: curtains, rods, hangers, tie backs....


--
Finished 12/14/03 -- Mermaid (Dimensions)
WIP: Fireman's Prayer, Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif Sampler, Holiday
Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html

"Rhiannon" wrote in message
...
Although it would change the appearance slightly, I think the quilts
would be more secure if you stitched a casing on the top of each to
accommodate the dowelling.

Make a casing of two layers of fabric. Most casings are between two and four
inches in width, and about an inch shorter than the portion of the quilt on
which they are to be attached. Stich the casing to the back of the quilt,
just below the binding and on the fold line of the casing.
Now you have a sleeve into which you can insert a piece of wood. (I have
used wooden trim from the hardware shop for this).

hth,
emerald

Dawne, I quilted for years and have been involved in hanging several quilts.
First, you want to hang them so there is equal stress on all of the fabric,
seams and quilting stitches. The best way, most quilters agree, is to make a
case as you called it a "tunnel". Hand stitch it to the back using 2 seams in
different places (that stress bit again) and run the hanging bar through it.
To hang it, you can make two holes in the tunnel one near each end and use
hooks to hang it, or you can have decorative ends to the bars and have the
hooks at the ends of the quits. A second idea, you can hand attach fabric
loops...fabric that would look nice with the quilts...to the top and thread
them on a hanger, like tab top curtains. If the quilts are fairly heavy I
would suggest the tunnel method. When they are hanging, they should be away
from direct sunlight, and should be brushed with a soft brush every week or so.
Be sure that there is some identification attached to them. You can get a
permanent acid free pen and write all fo the information on it, then baste it
on the back of the quilts. If you have any questions, e-mail me. Boo

Though I'm not the one who posted this question, I sure am glad of all
this information. I've often wondered about this matter myself, since
I'd been thinking of hanging a quilt sometime soon.
Thanks all,
Suze

On 2004-03-15 17:07:46 -0600, (Boohoo1971) said:

Dawne, I quilted for years and have been involved in hanging several
quilts. First, you want to hang them so there is equal stress on all of
the fabric,
seams and quilting stitches. The best way, most quilters agree, is to make a
case as you called it a "tunnel". Hand stitch it to the back using 2 seams in
different places (that stress bit again) and run the hanging bar
through it. To hang it, you can make two holes in the tunnel one near
each end and use
hooks to hang it, or you can have decorative ends to the bars and have the
hooks at the ends of the quits. A second idea, you can hand attach fabric
loops...fabric that would look nice with the quilts...to the top and thread
them on a hanger, like tab top curtains. If the quilts are fairly heavy I
would suggest the tunnel method. When they are hanging, they should be away
from direct sunlight, and should be brushed with a soft brush every week or so.
Be sure that there is some identification attached to them. You can get a
permanent acid free pen and write all fo the information on it, then baste it
on the back of the quilts. If you have any questions, e-mail me. Boo

"Dawne Peterson" wrote in message ...
Our parish was given two lovely starblankets (quilts with a central star
pattern) by the ladies at a nearby Indian reserve. We decided to hang them
in our parish hall.
The people who originally planned this thought they would suspend dowelling
from the ceiling with fishing line, and drape the quilts over that. I
didn't think that draping over a rod was a good thing for the fabric in the
long term, and suggested they be hung from the dowelling using rings
stitched to the back of the quilts..
Well, guess who now has the quilts??
The problem is that the dowelling is now ready, and it has a diameter of
1". I haven't found rings big enough--although I am sure they exist.
Somewhere.
Is this the right thing to do? does it make a difference what material the
rings are made of (eg someone has suggested shower curtain rings), or
should I give that idea up and add some sort of fabric "tunnel" or loops to
thread the dowelling through?
Dawne

The usual done even by museums is to sew a sleeve of material to the
back of the quilt/blanket big enough - about 3 inches in this case for
1 inch dowel to slide thru. Then suspend the dowel, not the
quilt/blanket on oversized picture hooks or considering the weight, on
a frame made for the purpose standing on the floor. The frames come
all telescoped together and extend to abut 8 feet tall and about that
wide. Talk to your local quilt store or on line. If there is a
handyman/husband in the church have him make a pair of standards to
hold up the quilt/blanket so it doesn't touch the floor. A nice simple
pair of standards will do, unless someone wants something better.
Sally in VA