Thanks to a crummy cold, this post is later than planned…. Please pardon rambling, run-on sentences and broken thoughts…. the brain fog still hasn’t cleared….
Now that you have an idea of how to display Mini Art Quilts, here are some ideas and information for display larger Art Quilts. What is considered a “larger art quilt” can be pretty subjective. For this post I will consider anything larger than 11″x14″, to be in this category, but the following display methods may work for smaller pieces, too. I try to add some type of hanging “device” to the backs of the larger quilts to make displaying them as easy as possible for my customers.
I have pulled this photo from a previous post to show these long, narrow Sunprint pieces (OK, with the cold, I just didn’t feel like setting up for more photos). These Art Quilts have bamboo skewers hot glued to the upper backs for hanging them very easily. All that is needed is a thumbtack in the wall to hang the lightweight quilts. The skewers are fairly thin, so the pieces will hang very close to the wall. A hanging sleeve could be used to hold a dowel or slat, but it would add more bulk to the back of the piece.
The long sunprint pieces could also be mounted to long, narrow canvases as shown in the photo above. “Gilded Ohio Stars” is between the two sunprint quilt sizes in width. Choose a size that will give a good border around the piece, or get one if available the same size as the quilt. I painted the canvas this piece is mounted on. (The skewers can be carefully removed from the backs if framing or mounting on canvas). One thing I did find with this particular piece is that if you have a narrow border of the canvas showing, it makes stitching the quilt on a bit more difficult- the wooden frame was right where I needed to stitch…. It was a challenge! In the future, for a piece with a narrow amount of canvas showing, I would stitch the piece to fabric first, then staple that to the canvas- no poked fingers!
The above photo shows 2 of my narrow sunprint quilts along with “Antique Iris and Tulips” displayed along with framed art in a gallery where all were for sale. The quilts are hung with no frames or canvas and look right at home.
When my Art Quilts are wider than about 11″, I attach a hanging sleeve or corner pockets on the backs of the quilts. A dowel or wooden slat will slide through the sleeve or tuck into the pockets to allow for easy hanging. The dowel or slat will sit on picture hooks on the wall. When I put hanging sleeves on my quilts, I try to use fairly long stitches that can be easily removed if the customer wishes to frame or mount them to canvas. Frames and canvases are available in pretty large sizes, but add much to the expense of hanging the quilts.
This photo above, shows a group of quilts… The two very small, narrow ones are made with ribbon hangers and just need a tack to hold them, or are ready for frames. Upper left is one of my 11″x14″ Sunprint Art Quilts
hanging without a frame. The other two are the pieces I wanted to point out…. They both have triangles of fabric stitched to the corners on the back. I discovered that these leaf pieces looked good displayed in any direction- up, down or sideways, so I added a triangle to each corner, so the customer can decide which side to use as the top. The slat or dowel just needs to be cut to the size of the “top” side used, slipped into the pockets to hang on a picture hook.
“Stained Glass and Ferns” is the largest piece I have made as art for the wall, and it hangs very nicely from a slat through the hanging sleeve. With this piece and others in various sizes, the ends of the slat are able to stick out beyond the ends of the sleeve and still be hidden behind the quilt. The slat ends can rest on hooks in the wall, and it will hang nicely against the wall. If you wish, a decorative dowel and brackets can be used, with the ends of the dowel and brackets showing on the sides of the piece.
Care of Art Quilts:
Art quilts are no harder to take care of than any other piece of fine art. As with any work of art, you need to consider the area you wish to hang your piece. It should be hung away from direct bright light. The paints I use in creating my sunprints are very fade resistant, and these fabrics can fade much less than many commercially dyed fabrics. Displaying in too much light will cause an art quilt, or any other piece of fine art to fade. If you really want art to hang in a room with a sunny window, you may need to coat the window with a UV blocking film. Rotating a number of pieces for short periods of time, may be OK, or use reproductions prints in your sunny rooms.
Quilts made for your bed are meant to be washed to keep them clean, at least quality ones are. I have had lots of questions as to whether the art quilts I make can be washed to clean them. While most of my quilts are made with fabrics that are washable, there usually is no need to wash them. I have also been adding more and more beads and other embellishments that may not be washable. Unless you hang your art in a kitchen right next to the greasy stove,(which is not really recommended), the only regular care your Art Quilts should need is an occasional light dusting, or vacuuming with a soft brush attachment to remove dust. For more stubborn dust, a very slightly damp cloth can be used. If the piece has many loose or dangling embellishments, a piece of an old pair of pantyhose over the vacuum brush will further protect the embellishments.
I have a number of quilted wall hangings and art quilts that have hung in my livingroom for many years. I will admit that I am not a neat freak, and have my share of dust and cobwebs. Living on a dirt road and heating with wood adds to the amount of dust that can settle on my quilts. So far, I have only vacuumed the pieces I have, and they all look fine (as long as you don’t catch me just before a long overdue dusting).
Hopefully this info has been helpful…. My next post will be showing a few photos of a new quilt I am finally making progress with…. It has gone through many, many changes along the way….
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I am a former textile artist and new pattern designer with a degree in horticulture, wishing to share my love of nature, flowers and gardens with everyone through my photos, sunprinted fabrics, and now pattern designs. Chronic Lyme Disease has caused major changes to the direction my life. I have to limit the amount of time spent digging in my gardens, and quilting has become more difficult. I discovered pattern design as a way to get art back into my life. I now use my gardens and photos to inspire designs that can be used on fabrics and print on demand items.
