Make a Vintage Wall Hanging

 Hello Readers. I love vintage items, especially vintage textiles. I had my mother's baby blanket and I wanted to hang it. But it wasn't designed to hang on a wall. It was meant to be flat on a bed or crib. How could I hang it that would be gentle to the fibers of the fabric? I didn't want to damage it at all. Let me show you what I did. 

Vintage textiles need gentle treatment.

My mom was born in 1945 so this little baby blanket is about 80 years old. I loved the colors and design. It has been stored for a long time and I wanted to display it. 

This is a look at the back. There is no way to hang or display this quilt. Some quilts are made to display so they have loops to use hooks or a pocket to put a curtain rod in. This quilt didn't have anything like that. 

I had to add something to make this quilt "hang-able". I decided to add a casing/tube to put a curtain rod through. I decided to use this wide grosgrain ribbon. It was 2 inches wide. I needed to attach it to the top of the quilt on the back side. I chose white because it would match the fabric but it was on the back and no one would see it when I was done. 

I used clips to hold the ribbon in place across the top of the quilt. 

I folded the ends of the ribbon under twice to hide the cut end.

I thought it was best to attach this ribbon by hand. I didn't want the stitches to show through on the front of the quilt and a sewing machine might be to rough on the material. I do not like hand sewing and my stitches never look neat but this will all be hidden on the back of the quilt so it won't matter. I started at one corner and made stitches that went over the top edge of the ribbon and through just the back of the quilt. 

 

I did not want the folded ends of the ribbon sewn to the quilt. They need to be open for the curtain rod to pass through. I did sew the layers of ribbon together to keep them nice and neat.

I sewed back across the bottom of the ribbon to attach the bottom edge to the back of the quilt.

I put the curtain rod through the casing/tube I made with the ribbon. 

 

Then it was time to hang the curtain rod. We measured and made sure the quilt would be centered and level over the table.

 

You should read and follow the directions that come with your curtain rod as it may differ from this. We had to drill small holes for the anchors to go in the wall. We determined where to put the holes when we measured the quilt and rod.

 

These anchors go in the holes we drilled.

 

The screw gets put in the anchor, in the wall, through theses white plastic pieces. They will hold the wood rod brackets.

 

The brackets fit over the white plastic pieces and are held firmly on the wall. 

 

The curtain rod rests on the brackets. I like this kind of curtain rob because it is easy to take the rod down and change out the wall hanging. 

 

My mom's quilt is a nice piece to display, it just needed gentle treatment. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- I had been wanting to hang this for a while so I am happy it got done. It is nice on that wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Vintage Quilts

 Hello Readers. I wanted to do 2 things. I wanted to make something to cushion and cover this gold chair. It isn't very comfortable and needed something to make it nicer to sit on. I also wanted to find a way to use these 2 pillow covers. They are very old. (They were made by my great-grandmother and my great-great-grandmother.) So, I made a simple chair cover.

Before and after.

This chair came from my mother-in-law when she was cleaning out and downsizing her house. It is nice and small and fits in tight spaces easily but it is hard and uncomfortable. It needs something to soften it.

I had a mixed collection of cushions and stuffing. The blue padding is actually cotton shipping material from Thrive Market deliveries. (Not an ad, they just have a lot of foods for people with food allergies/sensitivities. I love them.) I always save the 100% cotton padding for projects like this.

The cushioning is not always blue but it is always squishy and worth saving. I put several layers together at the back of the chair and a little under that boring seat cushion.

I pinned the 2 pillow shams together to see where I would need to sew them together. I want the cover to fit snug enough to hold onto all the stuffing but loose enough to fit on gently. I wanted to be gentle with the fabric. I wanted to use it but not damage it. I do not like putting things away and never using them. Why keep things if we are never going to use them? But I DO NOT want to rip my great-great-grandmother's quilt. I remember seeing it at my grandmother's house. I was not allowed to touch it, but I really wanted to.

I didn't want to hide those yellow borders, they are so pretty. I wanted them to stand out. I sewed the 2 pillow shams together with the wrong sides in so that the right sides would be on the outside. That way I could see the look I was going to get.

I stitched the sides together and it made the cover fit well over the stuffing. I used the longest stitch I could so I can take this apart pretty easily if I ever need to. These are only one layer so this was an easy project.

I use this chair in my sewing room. so it is not getting any rough wear and tear from my family. It is gently used and very loved. 

 

These pillow shams also had matching quilts. I hung the a quilt above the bed behind the headboard. It is visible so I can enjoy it. It is shady in this room so the quilts are protected from the sun and rough handling. 

 

I used the largest stitch my machine could do and I sewed the quilts together. I hung the 2 quilts over a wooden rod. The weight is evenly distributed along the 2 quilts. I am not a vintage textile expert but I think they are safe up there. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- I think these 2 are still great and they look just like they did because I love them and haven't changed them at all.