What use is a wall hanging?

This is an anthill question - poke with a sharp stick and see what happens!

Now basic lap and bed quilts make sense: I get cold, I need covering up!
Shared with a cat is even better!

Cushion covers: yup, they make sense!

Throws for furnitu oh, yes! Saves having to make a fitted slip
cover! I'd much rather make quilts! And a nice quilt thrown over a
board on top of a stack of plastic crates makes a pretty side table!

But quilted walls? Um, no, on the whole! I'd rather cover the walls
with books! Table runners don't do much for me either. OK, they LOOK
pretty, but I like to see the wood on my antique dining table! And I
have nice wooden trivets that are easy to wash... This is not to say
some wall hangings and table runners are not nice - most are very nice
indeed. Just not for me to make. (But I reserve the right to change my
mind any time!)

So what do YOU like to make, and why? Just curious...
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Using bed-sized quilts as wall hangings in a bedroom seem to make the
room seem warmer and cozier. Hanging a large quilt is also a way to
see it well rather than having it folded up with its brothers and
sisters on a shelf or at the foot of a bed.

In article ,
Kate Dicey wrote:

This is an anthill question - poke with a sharp stick and see what happens!

Now basic lap and bed quilts make sense: I get cold, I need covering up!
Shared with a cat is even better!

Cushion covers: yup, they make sense!

Throws for furnitu oh, yes! Saves having to make a fitted slip
cover! I'd much rather make quilts! And a nice quilt thrown over a
board on top of a stack of plastic crates makes a pretty side table!

But quilted walls? Um, no, on the whole! I'd rather cover the walls
with books! Table runners don't do much for me either. OK, they LOOK
pretty, but I like to see the wood on my antique dining table! And I
have nice wooden trivets that are easy to wash... This is not to say
some wall hangings and table runners are not nice - most are very nice
indeed. Just not for me to make. (But I reserve the right to change my
mind any time!)

So what do YOU like to make, and why? Just curious...


In a house I used to live in, we had an evaporative cooler vent right
above my head where I sat to quilt. In the winter, the cold wind came
right through that cooler vent, no matter how much we tried to block it.
Then I made a small wall hanging just the right size to cover that vent.
Problem solved. It was my first wall hanging, and I liked the cozy
look it gave the room, so I've been making lots of wall hangings since
then. I love the way I can quickly change the look of the room a little
with a different quilt, and I think they "warm" a room -- in the sense
of making it look comfortable, cozy and friendly. I definitely don't
need "warm" in the sense of temperature where I live! LOL!
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

AKA Dame Sandy, Minister of Education

I haven't made one yet, personally - but I kind of feel the same way.
I see the pros:

Small, quick, easy to manage in the machine, good beginner practice for
me, not overwhelming like a full sized quilt, good way to experiment
with new techniques

But I just can't see myself hanging quilts on the wall. I guess if
they were the art quilt kind like many I saw at IQF. Several of those
I couldn't possibly imagine cuddling up with on the couch with my QI's.
Not just because they were so detailed and pretty, but also because
they used things on them that would be itchy and scratchy to me, lace,
tulle, netting, etc.

Now I do understand, my mom wants me to put a hanging sleeve on her
photo memory quilt because using it, also meant needing to wash it
which damaged some of the pictures and she doesn't want it damaged
further. (But I told her to use it, get it dirty, wash it, etc. and if
the pictures were damaged, we had them in the computer and could just
make another one - but since this was my first quilt, she doesn't want
it used and ruined so wants to hang it instead.) Oh well.

Table runners - pretty, if you have a really big table and are into
that sort of thing. Personally, I'm not and with my kids and all the
ways my dining table gets used - I too would probably cry or scream the
first time something got on it.

Nope, I just don't see me doing too much in the way of wallhangings, at
least not until I get really, really experienced and start trying my
hand at some of those art or landscape type quilts. Other than that -
for me, the joy of a quilt is being able to touch it, hold it, fondle
it, cuddle up in it with my kids, my hubby or my QI's!

Hugs,
Tina

I made a WUH for my dad, for his home in Ireland. The name came first -
"40 Shades of Green", with a vague idea to do an abstract landscape of
greens which captured the impression of the view from the house.

Several people on this group helped me collect 40 different shades of
green (keeping track of exactly how many shades were in the quilt was
quite a challenge), and my sister helped me plan the layout. I
constructed, quilted, labelled and bound the quilt and had it finished
well in advance of dad's birthday. He loves it.

I quite like the idea of a WUH, and not only for "art quilts". Quilts
are beautiful as well as warm, and I like to look at them on my walls
just as well as paintings or photos. And they may also be practical -
think of the wall tapestries in old castles which helped cut down
draughts and provide insulation. Although probably few of us live in
conditions where that's required anymore. And finally - in any quilter's
life there comes a point where every bed in the house has a quilt of its
own plus one for washday, every chair has a throw and nobody in the
family is having babies anymore. *That's* when you start thinking "Hmmm,
I could make a wallhanging".
--
M Rimmer

Ah well, Kate!
You see for me it is thought in a different direction. That's why an
awful lot of my work - by far the majority - is what could be labelled
wall hanging (actually they don't get hung that much g - not enough
space out of direct sunlight). I start with the design, and the size of
the quilt depends on the design and how it works out. For example, when
I saw the picture of the Cathedral floor, and when I took my photos of
Bristol cathedral floor, I will roughly draw, then work out exactly how
to do it, and what will be a feasible size for one element. The
ultimate size depends on that. I absolutely see that there is very
little usefulness in them: I have made table runners I don't use? I
just love to work out the challenge of a design and make it -
regardless!
(I do have quilts for all the beds - did those first! And I am currently
making a cot quilt for a friend's new baby)
It isn't all as pointless as it might seem to some, as it keeps me
cheerfully occupied, but I do accept that it is not everyone's cup of
tea.
..
In message , Kate
Dicey writes
This is an anthill question - poke with a sharp stick and see what happens!

Now basic lap and bed quilts make sense: I get cold, I need covering
up! Shared with a cat is even better!

Cushion covers: yup, they make sense!

Throws for furnitu oh, yes! Saves having to make a fitted slip
cover! I'd much rather make quilts! And a nice quilt thrown over a
board on top of a stack of plastic crates makes a pretty side table!

But quilted walls? Um, no, on the whole! I'd rather cover the walls
with books! Table runners don't do much for me either. OK, they LOOK
pretty, but I like to see the wood on my antique dining table! And I
have nice wooden trivets that are easy to wash... This is not to say
some wall hangings and table runners are not nice - most are very nice
indeed. Just not for me to make. (But I reserve the right to change my
mind any time!)

So what do YOU like to make, and why? Just curious...

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Jan wrote:

I love to make full size bed quilts, but sometimes time and $$
constraints just make that not a reality. I do baby quilts or wall
hangings for a couple of reasons. It's a nice way to try out a new
technique without committing to a huge quilt. And wall hangings are
easier to pack and move, can change with the season and are more festive
on my biege walls vbg And quite honestly, the saying around here is
keep moving or she might quilt you vbg But I think there is a place
for everything. I personally don't do table stuff because the first
time spaghetti or chocolate hit it, I'd probably cry lol.... We have a
nice granite table for every day meals, causual works well in our home.

I see what you are getting at with the techniques and things...

My table may be antique, but it's also practical! Nice oak frame and
oak draw-leaf top. We had it renovated a while back, and finished with
a satin poly varnish: looks like it's waxed, but is close to
indestructible! I hardly ever put a cloth on it these days. Whatever
gets spilled just wipes off. Hot dishes get a nice curly wooden trivet
under them!

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Well....depends on what kind of a WH it is - now that we have quilts on
all the beds in the house I like making small, non-traditional quilts as
art work to hang on the wall. And since they aren't going to be washed
I can play around a lot more with techniques. (I did one WH that was
inspired by a photo of a bird that I had taken - it makes me feel good
to look at it so it'll be on the wall for a while G)

Allison


Kate Dicey wrote:

This is an anthill question - poke with a sharp stick and see what happens!

Now basic lap and bed quilts make sense: I get cold, I need covering up!
Shared with a cat is even better!

Cushion covers: yup, they make sense!

Throws for furnitu oh, yes! Saves having to make a fitted slip
cover! I'd much rather make quilts! And a nice quilt thrown over a
board on top of a stack of plastic crates makes a pretty side table!

But quilted walls? Um, no, on the whole! I'd rather cover the walls
with books! Table runners don't do much for me either. OK, they LOOK
pretty, but I like to see the wood on my antique dining table! And I
have nice wooden trivets that are easy to wash... This is not to say
some wall hangings and table runners are not nice - most are very nice
indeed. Just not for me to make. (But I reserve the right to change my
mind any time!)

So what do YOU like to make, and why? Just curious...

Mary wrote:

Using bed-sized quilts as wall hangings in a bedroom seem to make the
room seem warmer and cozier. Hanging a large quilt is also a way to
see it well rather than having it folded up with its brothers and
sisters on a shelf or at the foot of a bed.

Hm... I'd display a bed quilt by putting it on the bed. Don't have any
walls big enough for a quilt!

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Sandy Foster wrote:


In a house I used to live in, we had an evaporative cooler vent right
above my head where I sat to quilt. In the winter, the cold wind came
right through that cooler vent, no matter how much we tried to block it.
Then I made a small wall hanging just the right size to cover that vent.
Problem solved.

I can see the point of THAT one!

It was my first wall hanging, and I liked the cozy
look it gave the room, so I've been making lots of wall hangings since
then. I love the way I can quickly change the look of the room a little
with a different quilt, and I think they "warm" a room -- in the sense
of making it look comfortable, cozy and friendly. I definitely don't
need "warm" in the sense of temperature where I live! LOL!

Like tapestries in a mediaevil castle, I suppose... Hm...
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!