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What's your final task when you make a quilt? Finishing the binding? Sewing on the rod pocket? Signing it? Labelling it? We do all these things without thinking, but there's one job that is often neglected. PREPARING A ROD FOR HANGING. The rod is not just some makeshift device temporarily used for display. It is as much part of your quilt as the binding or the batting and must be designed to show off your work to advantage. That is, it must be as unobtrusive as possible. Any rods and screw-eyes must seem to be non-existent to the viewer.
Even if your quilt is not for sale, or if it's a bed quilt, you'll want to photograph it as soon as it's finished. Of course you won't want the rod to show in the photo. Making a suitable rod is essential for most quilts, though small, light ones can be pinned up. Clear fishing line is best for hanging, not the coloured type. Screw eyes should be sturdy with a small 'eye'.
Wherever it is to be hung, the hanging arrangements need to be invisible. The buyer may or may not want to take the rod when purchasing a quilt; that is up to him or her. Personally I want to keep as much control as possible over the way my quilt is presented after it leaves my hands. Therefore I prefer to supply a rod custom made for that particular quilt that guarantees it will be hung properly. Who knows what the uninitiated will do?
The rod must not be too thick and the length should be at least 2cm (¾") shorter than the width of the quilt. I use a 16mm (_") plastic coated wooden curtain rod. The plastic keeps wood acids from damaging the fabric; several coats of Estapol or a similar sealer will have the same effect. This might seem like a very thin rod for large quilts. Surely it would sag? Not at all.
The secret is in the correct placement of the screw-eyes. Forget about placing them at each end of the rod. This makes sagging inevitable. You need to place them a quarter the width of the quilt in from each end. Each screw-eye will then be supporting exactly half the rod and it cannot sag. In effect, you divide the width of the rod in two and place a screw-eye at the centre of each section. For large quilts you can do the same thing with more screw-eyes. For example if you want to support the quilt at 4 points, divide the width of the rod into quarters and drill a hole for the screw-eyes at the centre of each section. In this way, you can support a very wide quilt with any number of support points as long as they are no more than 0.75 metres (30") apart. And yes, the rod need be no thicker than 16mm (_"). Of course you can even dispense with the screw-eyes, especially for very small quilts. Just thread fishing line directly through the holes.
The fine teeth of a hacksaw make a neat job of cutting and a light sanding removes any roughness. For a great finish, colour the cut ends of the rod with a permanent marker to match your work. Liquid paper is good for pastels. Or use fabric to cover rod ends if you can do it neatly.
It is often necessary to remove and replace rods so it makes sense to label them. You can write the name of the quilt directly on the rod if you're sure the marks won't rub off. Or you can make a virtually indestructible fabric label. Just take a small piece of plain fabric backed with fusible web, fold in half, web sides together. Iron, trim and write the name of the quilt on it. Drill a small hole in the rod where it will be hidden under the rod pocket and secure the label there with strong thread. Avoid sticky tape which can deteriorate and mark fabric in time.
needs to have a 5cm (2") gap for each screw-eye and It should stop short of the binding. Give your rod pocket a slight bulge so that the bulk of the rod stays behind the quilt and doesn't spoil the flatness of the front.
If your quilt is very wide you can easily make a 'collapsible' rod for easy transport. You will find that a 16mm (_") rod fits tightly inside ordinary plastic electrical conduit tubing. Cut a 15cm (6") section of tubing and smooth the ends. Cut your rod in two or more sections and you'll find the ends, stripped of any plastic coating, slip into the conduit for hanging. Sometimes a little sanding is necessary if the rod is slightly too big, but a tight fit is essential as the whole thing when assembled must be as rigid as a single rod.
What about slats? I used them initially, but found that they tended to be unstable, not remaining strictly vertical. This made them more obvious as well as inclined to bend on the large quilts I was making at the time, thus the switch to rods.
Sometimes a quilt is improved by having a dowel along the lower edge as well as the top. I found this out when I was foolish enough to make a 180cm (72") square quilt cut entirely on the bias! A dowel rod was the answer to the wavy lower edge caused by the bias cut. Binding applied correctly can help smooth wavy edges whatever the cause. Just cut binding from selvedge to selvedge (it lies flatter this way) and cut it very slightly shorter than the side of the quilt. If binding is cut too long it can even make the edge of a perfectly flat quilt become wavy.
An alternative to using a rod is to use velcro. Small quilts can be hung on fabric covered screens this way. Or for permanent installation, apply the 'smooth' part of the velcro to a slat permanently fixed to the wall. Of course, like a rod, it should be a little shorter than the width of the quilt. Apply the 'hooked' part of the velcro to the top of the quilt and it can easily be hung. This is the method used for the very large woven works produced in the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne.
It's very important to have your support system sorted out before you take your quilt out of the studio to be photographed or exhibited. It certainly makes hanging a breeze, as well as creating a professional image. Happy quilting!
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