Quilt Sleeves

I was like to know how everyones makes their quilt sleeves???? I am looking for a quick simple technique.... I think as much as Paws hates doing binding, I hate doing sleeves...

I just take a strip of fabric as wide as I want the sleeve and as long as the width of the quilt. I turn under the edges about 3/8" and press with the iron. Then I just whip stitch each side across the back of the quilt. It doesn't have to be fancy because it doesn't show. I don't stitch it with real tiny stitches either. In some cases I may want to remove the sleeve in the future and use my display quilts as throws.

This is a great topic golo, I've been thinking about this lately.
I don't have many finished quilts under my belt yet, someone suggested that they do corners triangles which sounded easy to me, so the few wallhangings I've done I have used this method. However, on my last one I noticed the weight is making it sag a bit in the middle and was wondering exactly how to do a proper sleeve. How far down from the top of the quilt do you sew your sleeve. I thought it was worked into the binding.
I'd love to see some pictures...I'll post mine. I'd love to add your stlye to my repertoire

I like your logic of being able to remove the sleeve if desired, with my way its virtually impossible...well improbable
Here you go.......

I have done sleeves for wallhangings that I give away... , but how do you know if they are level when hung...??? I never think they are right... and all my wallhangings are different widths so how do you hang them on the wall in the same area... so far I have just been pinning them on the wall ... Am I missing out on some kind of quilt hanger????

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I finished this up today and this is what I have to put a sleeve on.... do you make the sleeve the whole length of the top or only 3/4???? How wide is the sleeve ? How do you know if its going to show when they hang it??

Our local quiltshows both have the same standards for sleeves (not on really small quilts): Fabric for the sleeve is cut 8 1/2" x the width of the quilt, then the ends are turned under. I suspect this is our state fair's standard.

The "fashion" around here is to make the sleeve from one or more of the fabrics of the quilt, so that it may be used for any future patching, not that I intend to be around to do any quilt patching on my work. some people also put extra patches under their labels for this purpose.

Usually, after I attach the binding, but before I sew it down, I attach the raw edges of the horizontally folded sleeve to the raw upper edge of the quilt, generally with a machine basting stitch, about 1/8" from the edge. I then sew down the binding, being sure that I go clear through the sleeve and attach the binding to the body of the quilt. I use the same blind hem stitch for the lower edge of the sleeve as i use for the handwork on the binding.

PS If I am making a quilt that is not for charity, I assume that it needs a sleeve. I hate having to make sleeves at the last minute. In general, I also try to do the fair paperwork as I go along. I have the fair formats in my computer so I only have to print and attach them at the end. My DH says I am being egotistical in doing this, but the people who have to read these things really appreciate having them typed. (Note: I am not claiming humility, only trying to be thoughtful of them as well as me.)

cc I like your corners... but this one looks a bit long and may sag with only corner hangers...

Golo, if you look in almost any quilt mag or catalog, there are lots of quilt hanging systems available for purchase.

Since the only places to hang any quilts in my overcrowded single wide trailer is on doors or windows, I tend to use curtain rods and sleeves for the few I hang at all.

Here's some links.......I'm not understanding QU's directions at all, very confusing, maybe you can understand them better than me.
http://www.quiltuniversity.com/quilt_terms.htm#Sleeves

Here's another one with better pic's and printable....and I don't understand why you would put the seam in the middle towards the back...why would you not work that under the binding?

http://www.artquiltalliance.com/files/Preparing_A_Quilt.pdf

Marynel, I never thought about leaving extra fabric for people to use as patches..thats pretty brilliant!

Golo........I love your wallhanging!!

I usually make my sleeve as long as the project minus about 2 1/2" on each end, just to make sure that it doesn't show when hanging. I do this to make sure that it will hang without any 'slack' or rippling... a full sleeve will prevent this from happening.

I make the sleeve a couple of inches wider (top to bottom) than the 8 or so inches it will occupy. (I sew a 10 inch sleeve in an 8 inch space.) This gives the rod somewhere to go and prevents a bulge in the front when it is hung. It is as wide as the quilt except for the bindings (so the corners won't droop).

I sew the sleeve the same amount down from the top as the depth of the pleat. So, If I have cut a 10" sleeve and sewn it to measure 8", it is at least 2" from the top edge. This means that when hung, the rod will not appear ABOVE the quilt.

This is not very clear. Sorry.

I do the triangles on small wall hangings. If they show a tendency to droop in the middle, I put a small loop there to hold it in place.

Large sleeve? I am clueless. And I am not understanding about the "Pleat" thingy. I mean it sorta makes sense but I am not picturing how it is accomplished. I don't have room to hang anything really big but I am like Golo and would like to know.

Could y'all post some pics of yours if possible...pictures worth a thousand words

I'm going to try again! Pretend this is a side view: |) See how the sleeve (the curved line) has more slack than the quilt (the straight line)?

For an 8" sleeve finished, cut a 10" strip. Sew the top edge 2" down from the top with the sleeve flipped up. (wrong side of sleeve facing you, sew what looks like its bottom edge) Now flip it over, iron in a fold for the top edge which is 8' from the bottom edge. It's those 2" that give the rod room.

This is tricky but it really makes a neater job. Once you get the hang (!) it's much easier.

(I wish I could do pictures but my computer skills are baby level.)

If this still isn't clear try to tell me which part and I'll try to explain better!

I think I understand AuntyJane, how far down from the top of the quilt do you do your top seam? I would think that if you had two inches of slack you would have to make that top seam no less than say 2.5 or 3 inches from the top?

I saw a pic yesterday I thought it was in Sallyntillys folder but cant find it now. It was cafe curtain clips on a rod with a wall hanging hanging off of that. It looked cute. But as I say i cant find the pic now.

Dear CC, I do the top seam about 2" from the edge of the top binding. Drawing a light pencil line to follow is a help because with the sleeve flipped up you really can't see the binding or top edge. Are we OK now? AJ

Wow, do you ladies ever need me!

For wallhangings (40" or smaller), I just do one long hanging sleeve.
This is put on before the binding is machine-sewn onto the quilt. If what I want to hang is wider than that, I do two sleeves with a gap in the middle. I don't do competition/show sleeves.

(Do you all have your cups full? Here goes...)

The one-piece sleeve:

• If the quilt is 30", I'll cut a sleeve piece that is about 4" x 28".
  
• Fold the sleeve in half lengthwise, RST, and sew a seam along each short end (two seams that are about 2"long). Backstitch at the beginning and the end.
  
• Trim a triangle off the corners at the fold (remember garment sewing?).
  
• Turn the sleeve RSO, gently poke the corners so that they are square.
  
  (side trip: Sue Hausmann gave a pretty clever trick about using a point turner
  last weekend on America Sews.
  It's written up here - no pictures)
  
  
• Press the whole shebang flat.
  
• Lay the sleeve on the back of the quilt so that the raw edges extend about 1/4" above where the binding will be sewn on, centering it so that the same amount of quilt is sticking out on each end. If you are using a 1/4" binding, you'll align the raw edges I guess (I rarely use 1/4" bindings, and we've had this discussion somewhere already, haven't we?).
  
  *If the placement of the raw edge of the sleeve is too vague for you,
  run a basting stitch along the front of your quilt 1/4" from the raw edge of the finished quilt.
  Make sure that the raw edge of the sleeve falls
  about 1/4" above the basted line on the back.
  
  
• Machine sew your binding to the quilt, catching the raw edges of the sleeve while you're in that neighborhood. You'll be sewing through the binding, the quilt top, the batting, the backing AND the two raw edges of the sleeve.
  
• Finish your binding in your usual manner (for me, that's "Give it to Jo Ann for handwork").
  
  
• To finish/sew down the sleeve: Smooth the sleeve flat on the back of the quilt.
  
• Stick your index finger in at one end, smoothing the sleeve over your finger and then pinning the folded (long) edge to the quilt.
  
  You can measure from the binding to the fold at this point
  or just repeat the index finger maneuver at the other end of the sleeve.
  
  
• Once you have both ends pinned, pin along the length of the sleeve (leaving the finger-puff all along the length) and then hand-sew the folded edge to the back of the quilt, taking care not to stitch through to the front.
• Do some extra stitching at the beginning and the end of the sleeve because that's the part that's going to have more stress on it.

The reason I use my index finger is that I use dowels (or small curtain rods) to hang the small quilts. I don't need a broom handle to hang a small-ish quilt, so I just don't get a dowel that's larger than my index finger.

For larger quilts/hangings, I use the same method to make the sleeve, but I make two (or three) and space them evenly across the back of the quilt (again leaving an inch or two of quilt not covered by the sleeve at each end). I might make the "puff" larger if the quilt is so heavy that it requires a larger dowel - it is helpful to actually have the dowel to use in place of your index finger at this point.

If the weight of the quilt makes the center sag, using the two (or three) sleeves allows you to use shorter dowels. When the quilt is hung on the wall, you'll put hooks (or curtain hardware) for each end of the dowel. So if you've got two 24" dowels hanging your 50" quilt (random measurements), there will be four hooks - one at each end of the quilt and two in the center to support the ends of the each dowel.

gotcha!! Thanks

Ka-pow!

A picture is worth a thousand words? Not YOUR words of course, Tracy. ;)
http://dontlooknow.typepad.com/dont_look_now/2008/10/the-ins-and-outs-of-bindings.html

AnnieOakLeaf wrote:

A picture is worth a thousand words? Not YOUR words of course, Tracy. ;)
http://dontlooknow.typepad.com/dont_look_now/2008/10/the-ins-and-outs-of-bindings.html

Huh. You're right. There were way fewer words in the blogpost and much of the same information.

Maybe I ought to try just taking pictures... nah. I woulda showed you how to
cut
and fold
and sew
and trim
and turn
and baste
and sew
and pin
and stitch.
:mockery-017:

Back atcha! :mockery-017: When I saw this blog I thought it looked like what you described? I just posted it because some of us are more "visual"? You did a really good job of explaining it! We love your words.

that was a good tutorial, AOL... thanks... and Tracy you did good too...