How Do I hang This Blanket?

[biblemonkey]

A while back I got a throw cover custom made for my grandmother that shows the pipe band from her 80th in full regalia and march. She has since given it to me as a gift in return as she is getting further on and wanted to make sure I got it as she knew I would appreciate it more than anyone else in the family. I cannot put it out as our cat and dog would ruin it but I still want it displayed. We have very high ceilings in our living room so we thought about hanging it. The problem is sagging and stretching over time and the accumulation of dust and lint. How can I hang this and still preserve its beauty? Frames? How do I prevent sag short of gluing? Rods? How do I prevent stretching?

Hugh

[McElmurry]

Quilts are often displayed folded a few times and draped over a rod or dowel essentially like a bath towel. The throw could be folded a few times in a way that still allows some of it to be seen. Then it could be unfolded to show folks the full image when appropriate. It could be covered with thin painters plastic drop cloth or you could vacuum it occasionally when you do the baseboards and cobwebs.

Here are some examples of quilt hangers.

http://www.google.com/search?q=quilt...w=1033&bih=686

[sydnie7]

I made hangars for several (smaller) Navajo rugs -- much like the skirt hangars that clamp across the top. I used lengths of wooden trim, lined with felt, and screwed together from the back at regular intervals. You could add an extra narrow layer(s) of felt to add to the clamping pressure and prevent sagging in between where the screws exert max pressure. The screws don't go through the rug -- the trim is wide enough that the rug fits in from the bottom and the screws go through above it. Hope that makes sense!

[piperdbh]

You could cut a strip of fabric about 4 inches wide and the same length as your blanket is wide, then sew it to the back of the blanket, using a long seam on each edge of the strip, creating a pocket through which you could pass a curtain rod, and hang the blanket from that.

[Kiltboy]

Quilts are often displayed folded a few times and draped over a rod or dowel essentially like a bath towel...

I have hung a number of quilts and fabrics using this method. It works well. But remember to unfold and refold the item on a regular basis. This avoids creases.

If hanging from hooks, and it is a heavy blanket, change the position or even rotate the fabric so that you don't create pulls.

Give a quilt shop a call. (In central PA, there are plenty.) They can provide advice on hanging heavy/large textiles. Most carry supplies and specialty hangers. And, if possible, weigh and measure the blanket first. This will influence the hanging method.

[ThistleDown]

XMarks is your friend, BM. So is Google. Look up how to hang tapestries. Pretty well every old building in Europe has at least one hanging on a wall. Lots of systems for you to choose from, I would think. We have an old and fairly valuable backstrap loomed Peruvian alpaca piece we wanted to protect as well as display. Stitched at the top edge to a rigid panel and mounted behind glass it has stretched a tad over 50 or more years, but we have opened it only once in that time that I know of and that was to replace some crystals to keep moths at bay.

[TheOfficialBren]

My mother quilts and so this is an all-too-familiar scenario for me. Another solution, if you want to add some rustic flair to a room AND and this blanket with some quilts is to get an old ladder (the antique wooden sort), then clean it up, stain it, and set it up in the corner of your large room and hang your blankets on it like any other quilt stand...same principle as the floor stand hanger...but vertical.

I only sugget this because it sounds like you have the room for it.

[Riverkilt]

Around here they clamp Navajo rugs between two pieces of wood and hang the wood. Usually find them in the same stores and trading posts that sell the rugs. Here's an online location. http://www.artinapinch.net/

Seeing folks using strips of velcro hook side too.

[Dangerdean]

My mother-in-law is an insanely prolific quilter and she swears by 3M Command Strips in the largest size you can find (if the quilt isn't actually being used). We have a large, heavy quilt on the wall held up solidly by these things. It isn't archival quality storage but it's effective.

[TheOfficialBren]

I have also seen skirt hangers used at a quilt show in a pinch for a temporary hanging solution.