It seems way too early to be sending quilts off for a show that doesn’t happen until the end of October, but with the International Quilt Festival in Houston, that’s just part of the game. Every show has its own set of rules, including specifications for things like hanging sleeves. (Thus, my three quilts, one sleeve adventure…)
Shelly’s quilts on the design wall
For the Houston show, multi-panel quilts must be hung from a single sleeve. They don’t want any guess-work when they go to hang the quilts. The rule is there to make sure they can take a quilt out of the box or tube, run a rod through the sleeve and hang it right up. (And when you have a gazillion quilts to hang, I totally understand that!)
Removing existing sleeves from each panel
The first order of business was to remove the individual sleeves from each of the three panels.
Lining up the quilts with levels and a ruler
Then it was time to turn the three panels so the front was facing the design wall. (In The Right Order, of course!) I borrowed the carpenters levels from Jack’s shop to make sure they were level, and used a ruler to make sure I had the proper two-inch spacing between the panels.
What I promptly discovered is that the top of each panel is Not Perfectly Straight. That wasn’t really a huge surprise. They’re quilts – and fabric seems to have a mind of its own. But it did make this leveling process a bit of a challenge.
Getting an accurate measurement of the three-panel set
Once the quilts were lined up, leveled up, and the spacing checked, I carefully measured from side to side to get a proper length for the sleeve.
Pinning the sleeve to the back of all three panels
I would love to say that I just stitched up a sleeve and pinned it to the back of all three panels. The truth is Not Nearly That Simple! As a matter of fact, I went through this step three times before I was happy with the results.
Long story short, the standard instructions for quilt sleeves are most definitely designed for one-piece quilts. They do not make any consideration for the gaps between multi-panel quilts. I won’t bore you with the details, but I’ll admit that by the third time I put the quilts up on the design wall, got them squared up and leveled, and pinned the sleeve on the back, I was more than Ready To Be Done With This Craziness! (Happily, the third time I got it right!)
Stitching the sleeve to the back of the panels
Stitching the sleeve to the panels was easy-peasy. A bit more awkward, but no big deal. (This was good – I was getting really tired!)
Shelly’s three-panel Bailando en la Noche, hanging from one sleeve
It was after 9pm when I put the final stitches in the sleeve, but I wasn’t going to call it a night without checking the results. I pulled out a set of stands, put a rod through the sleeve and propped it up on the standards. I breathed a big sigh of relief to see that it worked just fine. The panels are reasonably level, the gap is correct, and the portion of the sleeve that show between the panels is free of both seam allowances and seam line. Whew!
By the time you read this, my lovely quilts will be safely in Houston, waiting their turn for check-in, judging, and their appearance in the big show. I have a few more gray hairs (at least in the ones that didn’t get pulled out!), but it’s done, it looks great, and I’m looking forward to seeing my quilts hanging in Houston. If you see me wandering around the show, stop me for a hug and a hello. I would love to meet you there!
Your Turn
Have you made multi-panel quilts? Can you share your strategy for hanging them? Leave a comment here on the blog. I’d love to hear your ideas.
I love your quilt!! The colors and circles just seem to pop from the black background. It’s a winner in my mind.
Thanks, Deb. I love it too!
I would love to know what you did in the third attempt to get it to work!
Hey Susan — I just didn’t want to post a novel. For a standard sleeve, we leave the seam allowance on the outside of the tube and place it face down on the back of the quilt. (Which works perfectly.) For a multi-panel sleeve, the seam allowance must be turned to the INSIDE of the tube. Then, instead of placing the seam face down, the sleeve tube must be rotated so that the seam line is FACE UP when you look at the sleeve from the back. This eliminates the distraction of a seam line in the portion of the sleeve that shows when you look at the FRONT of the quilts.
It was a pain in the fanny, but I’ll know the drill the next time I tackle this little adventure. Assuming there is a next time… 🙂
What I would recommend trying is to place the three panels face-up, spaced and levelled; pin or low-tack something totally stable (heavy stabiliser or paper, freezer paper, or maybe that new sewable craft paper) across all three; and then turn them over as a unit. Then you should be able to pin the rod in place accurately across all three.
Another alternative is to mark the match-points through to the back, perhaps with a fine needle and contrast silk thread just outside each motif. Then you can match from the back as you level. The easiest way to maintain the 2 inch spacing all along the length is to place long 2-inch spacers, eg ruler, cardboard strip, wood…
These are some good ideas, Judith. I’ll tuck them in my notes for future projects.
Before I put them back up for the final time, my friend Deb had come over to pick up a book. She suggested using a chalk line to mark the line for the top of the sleeve once everything was leveled and properly spaced. That helped immensely given that my quilts are not perfectly “square” at the top.
All the work you put into your three panels certainly was well worth it. They are beautiful! I have enjoyed watching via your Blog how you created them. Learned a lot. I also appreciate seeing how you created a sleeve for hanging them together as one. Learned even more. Thank you for sharing. Wishing you much luck for several big wins!
Thanks, Dottie. I appreciate your lovely comments. I sometimes wonder when I make a post like this one if it will be helpful for others, but then I remember that if it took me three times to figure it out, it will probably take someone else the same three tries. Besides, if I write it down, I’m more likely to remember the next time! 😉