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bev2009

How do you hang your quilts?

bev2009
11 years ago

I have finished quilting my paper-pieced wall hanging. As soon as it is bound I would like to hang it. The problem is I don't want to put any holes in the wall. The quilt was originally made for my bedroom, but I have a big bare wall in the living room and the quilt would look lovely there until I can get the one made that I had planned on. I don't know what size the second quilt will be, so I do want anything permanent.

I found a system on You Tube that uses 3M adhesive, but it is rather expensive. If I make a pocket and insert a wood dowel, will that hang onto a 3M hook? What system do you use?

Comments (26)

  • murphy_zone7
    11 years ago

    Great question and I am looking for a new idea or two myself. Currently I have a curtain rod attached to a spot that I use to hang wall hangings. I don't like the look of it but I can easily change the quilt by just removing the rod, sliding it into the sleeve of the quilt and placing on the hooks. I am limited in the width of what I can hang there. In another spot, I use two used machine needles to attach to wall. Just place needles in corner of quilt and tap into wall. That works for not so big and heavy wall hangings but it leaves holes in the wall, while small, enough changes and you have a lot of little holes. Plus it is difficult to put up by yourself! My sister uses command hooks and a wooden dowel through the sleeve. But again you are limited in the size unless you want to replace the hooks each time.
    I hope someone here has a brilliant idea of how to do it...no holes in wall, adaptable to various widths, and relatively inexpensive :) don't want much do I?
    Murphy

  • ritaweeda
    11 years ago

    I have one permanently hung on a curtain rod, with sleeve sewn at the top on the back. I have this other one that I want to hang in the grandkids' room and I have a hand-made hanger that DH made years ago, it is two pieces of wood that you slip the quilt in between, then there are 3 wooden screws in it to tighten the two boards together. But it is still permanent. It would be great to have a way to hang that doesn't involve nails or screws, etc. to fasten it to the wall.

  • toolgranny
    11 years ago

    I put small picture hanger hooks or brads into the wall, or small hooks into the ceiling near the wall, and make loops of fishing leader to hold each end of a rod. The nails or hooks are a distance apart to accommodate the width of most quilts. The rods are adjustable and I pick them up at garage sales and thrift stores. The loop of leader, fine nylon filament, is as long as needed for that quilt and easily changed. I have quilts hanging all over my house and the small picture hangers stay in place, are usually painted to match the wall, and the quilts are changed as needed. All my quilts have hanging sleeves on the back unless planned for a bed.

  • tuppermom
    11 years ago

    I don't typically hang my quilts....not enough wallspace.
    however, I have made a few wallhangings to sell at a craft sale next week and I will sew the little plastic curtain rings onto the back and whoever purchases them can do what they like. I have some of the 3M pressure hangers and will take them with me to show people...I think they are a great product.

  • murphy_zone7
    11 years ago

    Asked this question on another forum I hang out on....and this is one of the responses. Never heard of the "no see ums" but they are a great idea. Too pricy for me ($35.00 for the size I think I want) and I don't need a level with them (have one).
    But it is an option and I may have to go that way if I can't think of anything else. Maybe a diy on the same principle.... maybe using magnets.
    anyway thought I would pass this on.
    Murphy

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://store.hangupscompany.com/noseeuminquh.html

  • teresa_nc7
    11 years ago

    I plan to try the 3M hooks with a wooden dowel as soon as I get the paint for the dowel that will match my hall walls. I already bought the hooks (white) and the paint will also be a white. This method will allow me to change out the quilts hanging in the hall. If it works well, I'll hang another quilt in the hall on a different wall.

    In my living room, I have a nice antiqued bronze(?) rod and two supports in a wall niche adjacent to the fireplace. I change the wall quilts (usually my round robin projects) as the spirit moves me. These quilts are just the right size to fit the space.

    In my bedroom I have a small wall quilt that I put up with small safety pins in the quilt and thin nails in the wall. I have had a quilt at work in my office that was put up with push-pins. It worked at the time and I didn't think there was any great damage to the quilt from using the pins.

    In the sewing room I have some small wall hangings that are put up with "Easy Up" hooks. These are small plastic hooks with wax on the back that you stick to the walls. They really work better with posters or unframed artwork, but I'll try anything not to put a hole in the wall.

    When I get that white paint, I can paint my new kitchen quilt rack that has a shelf above the quilt rod with a plate grove in it to display my teapots, pottery, etc. I found this nice rack online and am very happy with the workmanship and the price - link is below.

    Teresa

    Here is a link that might be useful: Robinson's Woodcrafts

  • murphy_zone7
    11 years ago

    Teresa, I found some of those command hooks that were clear...amazing. I think I got them at Michaels. Thought they would blend in with any wall color. Anyway I am still working on my plan. Am thinking of the no see um method with magnets in the rod.... Still in planning stages. Will post what I come up with. Think it will be a combination of stuff and ideas. Hopefully

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I'm going to combine a couple of suggestions too, Murphy. I'll let you know what I try and what works.

  • teresa_nc7
    11 years ago

    Now I'm wondering if the 3M hooks will hold on my plaster-finished walls? The walls are somewhat textured in the old rough finish. My house is 102 years old and most all of the walls and ceilings are finished with subtle textured plaster.
    Guess I will see when I try to put the hooks on. Plan B will probably be painted wood supports from the craft store.

    Teresa

  • dan_the_mailman
    11 years ago

    I've never hung a quilt, I just don't have the wall space with all the pictures. Having said that, I found all of your ideas helpful, it's gonna happen sometime in my house and it would be good to be prepared. When you get yours up Bev, you know you've got to post pix, right? Lol, good luck!

    Dan

  • murphy_zone7
    11 years ago

    I did it! Found a incredibly inexpensive (cheap) way to hang my quilts with no holes in wall and nothing visible! This is what I did. From Lowes or any home improvement store over in the wood deck building department find some "tie plates" mine are 5" long and 2 inches wide, (cost .57 each) I used two for each spot, Command Strips large refill size (six for about $3) that holds 5 lbs, one for each plate and some 1/2 inch magnets (eight for $3) , all found at Lowes. You will also need a curtain rod, I used the flat cheap ones from Walmart, Just break the curved part off and duct tape the ends.
    Attach the tie plate to the wall using command strip. I put the tie plates about 8 inches apart, 5" side horizontal, and leveled them. I used four magnets for each "system" and working in two ways. One, attach the magnets to the rod with hot glue and slide the rod into the hanging sleeve. Or simply put the magnets on the tie plate, slide the rod into the hanging sleeve and stick to the magnets. The magnets hold through the sleeve. The two inch width allows for some movement to get the quilt level, up and down and the 5" allows for some side to side movement as well as more magnets for heavier quilts.
    Total cost for 1 "system" including curtain rod, about $6.00!
    My quilts are simply wall hangings about 24 inches wide. For a wider quilt, just stick another tie plate on the wall and add another magnet or two.
    Mine have been hanging for a couple of days...no problems.
    Isn't it great when you come up with a solution to a problem that doesn't break the bank so to speak!
    Murphy

  • teresa_nc7
    11 years ago

    Murphy I've read your message through twice and I'm still having trouble understanding this system. Could you post us some pictures?

    Thanks!
    Teresa

  • toolgranny
    11 years ago

    I understand and that's pure genious! My quilts are all too large to be held with magnets but I'll file this in the back of my head for the future.

    Teresa, she's putting a piece of sheet metal on the wall using the sticky stuff, and then putting magnets on a curtain rod in the hanging sleeve. It works for small quilts but needs a magnet strong enough to grab through that fabric.

  • teresa_nc7
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the help, Linda. I need to visualize something in my head to understand - at least I "get it" better if I can visualize it. I even picture buffet tables and how the serving line will function or how a plate of food will appear when ordering for a function here at work. This also works for me when I'm asked for landscaping help - which regularly happens and I'm not sure why....LOL!

    Teresa

  • murphy_zone7
    11 years ago

    Hi Teresa....will try to post pictures later today. Linda is right the "tie plates" are pieces of sheet metal 5 x 2. They are used to connect/tie two pieces of wood together in deck building. they also have lots of little holes in them, I guess for nails or screws.
    On the second one I hung, I just stuck the magnets to the metal plate on the wall, put the curtain rod in the sleeve of the quilt, and stuck it to the magnets. Holding just fine.
    Murphy

  • pirate_girl
    11 years ago

    I just make a couple of tiny holes in the wall & hammer in 2 or 3 Oook nails. Then I slide a curtain rod through the hanging sleeve on the back of my quilt, then position the hung quilt on curtain rod on those couple of nails.

    Tho' I'm a renter, these are very small holes & I have quilts hung this way all over my apartment. If you ever see any of my plants' photos on GW, Cactus & Succulent Forum, Houseplant Forum or Hoya Forum. Almost always, there's some quilt showing in any given picture. I tease that I need a new apartment, cause I've got quilts covering almost every free bit of wall that I've got.

    This one took 3 nails, but had no sleeve on it (was to be used as a lap quilt) so I just used the binder clips clipped to the quilt & curtain rod together.

    This lower blue & white one is small enough that I used 1 nail, centered midway & slipped a chopstick though a small sleeve on the back & hung it like that.

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    Like that lap quilt! The blues are great too, but I think I commented on them in a previous post.

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Murphy, I read your response while on vacation and since my brain was also on vacation I didn't get it. Now that I am home, I get it and love it. I am going to try it once I get the quilt done. Prepared the binding this morning, now off to work. Hope to have it hanging by Friday.

  • pirate_girl
    11 years ago

    Thanks QuiltnHen, if I didn't get back to thank you earlier.

    Sorry, Bev, I only sort of saw that you did't want to make holes, on seeing it again, I really got it -- ooops, excuse me.

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    No problem, priate_girl. Your quilts are lovely. I especially like the brown one. I am drawn to scrappy for some reason.

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Loved your idea Murphy. The quilt has been hanging for about three weeks and it is still there. LOL Here is a pic of the setup I used. I didn't glue the magnets on, I figured if they slid, I would do that then. But no prob so far.

    And here is the quilt.

    Thanks for everyone's input!

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Oh, and I used three "units" horizontally.

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    What a fun quilt. It's really multi dimensional. Looks like lots of work though. Wish the photo was bigger ;-)

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The quilt was paper pieced and I took the class. It wouldn't have been so much work if I had assembled it correctly the first time. I hate to rip! Here you go, quiltnhen.

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    Love the delicate print! Thanks for the larger size. I haven't tried paper piecing for a while. You did a wonderful job.

  • bev2009
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you, quiltnhen. Now my bare wall looks so much better.