Quilt "Sleeveology" (or, how to make a hanging sleeve for a quilt

It has been my experience that people are freaked out by the prospect of making a hanging sleeve for a quilt.  No matter that the quilt has taken weeks/months to construct using exquisitely tiny pieces. Never mind that multiple layers of dye and paint were used to create the cloth that the quilt was made from.  Nope.  It is always the quilt sleeve that seems to be the last straw.  Perhaps this will help.
See, making a sleeve is not difficult.
How wide is the quilt?  That is how wide your piece of cloth should be for the sleeve.  It is best to use a high thread count cloth to make a sleeve.  Sleeves take a lot of abuse when they are in a show, especially if the quilt is going to travel.  How well you construct your sleeve will reflect how nicely the quilt will hang.
Cut the cloth the width of your quilt by 9 inches.

My quilt is 16 inches.  I cheated and cut my sleeve "tube" about an inch shorter than the actual width.  This is acceptable, but not much shorter than this.

On each end of what will be the sleeve, fold one-half inch (wrong sides together), fold again, 

and press.  This creates the finished edge of the sleeve.  Do it at both ends.

Now, with the right side facing out, fold the length of the sleeve and, at the FOLDED edge,

stitch a 1/2 inch seam using the basting stitch (longest stitch length possible on your machine).

This creates a "tuck" which assists in the quilt hanging properly without puckering backward.

Here is the basted "tuck".

Now, I am folding the length right sides together, and stitching the edges to create the

"tube".

Whew, something must be wrong with my tension.  Look at that gather in the seam!

Anyway, it is stitched. Now, I will turn the sleeve right side out.

Here I go....

Once it is turned right side out, roll the sleeve so that the tuck is directly over the seam.

Press with the iron to hold the sleeve in this position.

Oops.  My basting stitch is coming loose!  Too soon!

Okay, now I am placing my newly created sleeve on the quilt back.  I am placing it one inch from the top edge of the quilt back. I want to position it evenly between edges.  Pin in place.

Now, whip stitch this baby into place, top and bottom, and I recommend stitching downthe inner edge of the tube that fits against the quilt back.

You want to take care to go through enough of the quilt back that you have a good grip without penetrating through to the surface of the quilt.  I usually stop every 4 to 5 stitches and take a lock-stitch.

I don't want this thing to come off.  I have had it happen, people.  I got a quilt back after traveling for about a year and a half and I was horrified to see that a third of it was loose.  Ugh!

Now, I only use cotton thread on my quilt sleeves.  Those babies aren't going anywhere!!

Okay, I cheated and sewed this one on with the machine because I'm putting this panel on the back of a quilt that needs extra "support".  More on that later, but here you can see that the sleeve is, indeed, securely on the back.  Once the sleeve is stitched into place I removed the basting stitch that created the tuck.  See how the tuck has created a space for the rod to slide through?

If that tuck was not in place, the quilt would draw back around the hanging rod.  It really makes a difference.  Trust me:  I have struggled to hang plenty of quilts that do not have this tuck.  They simply do not hang as well without it, and often it is difficult to get a hanging device through the sleeve because there isn't enough room.

So, wasn't that easy?  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Also, I demonstrated this in a segment on Series 700 of Quilting Arts TV, if you want another source!

Don't Go "Sleeveless"...

Seen on the Quilting Daily email blast today:

A Guide to Making a Quilt Sleeve In case you missed it, we just revealed the finalists for the Quilting Arts Magazine 2012  Calendar on my Editor's Blog. We always get an incredible response to our reader challenges, and our Quilting Arts  Magazine 2012 Calendar contest was no exception. It amazes me how our reader/artists  can take a broad theme  (in this case, “Getting Pet-ty”) and translate it into a compelling, beautiful, heart-warming,  thoughtful, or funny (sometimes all of the above) image through fabric, thread, and  embellishment. One thing that continually surprises me, though, is that  when we require the finalists of any challenge to attach  a quilt sleeve for hanging, we get numerous emails asking,  “How do you make a quilt sleeve?” Or, “Exactly what  kind of quilt sleeve do you want?” Although attaching a quilt sleeve isn't necessary for every  art quilt and it certainly isn't the most fun part of quilting,  it is almost essential if you're submitting a quilt to an  exhibit or contest. For this reason, I asked Leslie Tucker Jenison to demonstrate  how to make quilt sleeves on an episode of "Quilting Arts  TV," airing in Season 7. She and her buddy Jamie Fingal  did an entire segment on preparing your quilts for entering shows. Both are  award-winning mixed-media and textile artists who are quilt show veterans. Here's an overview of Leslie's quilt sleeve tutorial, with her photos: 1. Cut a piece of cotton fabric to the exact width of your quilt by 9 inches deep. 2. Fold and press each edge into a ¼ inch fold. 3. Then turn again and press so raw edges are concealed. 4. Stitch the folded edge in place on both ends. Then stitch the length of the quilt sleeve "tube" (right side facing inward). 5. Turn the tube inside out. 6. Press the sleeve tube so the seam is on one edge and the fold is on the other. 7. Baste the folded edge with the longest machine stitch possible. 8. Then, roll the basted stitch to the top center of the sleeve so the basted stitch is situated over the other seam, which will be situated against the quilt back. 9. Pin the quilt sleeve to the quilt back one inch below the top of the quilt. The width should allow the sleeve to be positioned approximately one-half inch from each edge. 10. Stitch the sleeve securely in place. Be sure to whip-stitch the ends to the back of the quilt, which assures that the hanging device is inserted into the sleeve properly. It helps to take an extra stitch every 4-5 stitches so the sleeve won't become loosened from the quilt if it is hung in multiple venues. Check to be sure that the stitches do not go through to the front of the quilt! 11. Once the sleeve has been securely stitched to the quilt back, remove the basting stitch from the sleeve. This tuck allows room for the hanging device to be inserted without creating excessive tension on the front of the quilt. NOTE: It is important to attach the name of the quilt and the artist's name and contact information onto the quilt sleeve, as well as the date the quilt was completed. Want more tips and other quilting instructions? You can watch Leslie create a quilt sleeve in detail and get tips for preparing your quilts for shows from her and Jamie, on “QATV” Series 700, now available on DVD.