Tuesday, June 22, 2010

How to Display Your New Art Quilt

 

One of the most common questions when selling fiber works is  “How do I display this piece?”  As you can see, hanging your new art quilt isn’t much different than hanging a print or a painting.  When I ship an art quilt to its new home, it comes ready to display.

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Smaller quilts (30” x 40” and under) come with a wood display rod.  I use either 1/4” pine or poplar, which is drilled and sanded, ready to use.

quilt rod in sleeve

Each quilt comes with a 4” sleeve on the back to facilitate display.  There is an ease in the sleeve so that the piece will sit smoothly on the wall without unsightly bumps. 

closeup of monofilament in rod

The piece can be hung using either 20 lb test fishing line, pulled taut, as seen above, or picture wire, as shown below. 

quilt rod with picture wire

Alternate options include nailing the piece to the wall through the holes in the hanging rod, or making one loop of monofilament through each hole and hanging from two separate nails or clips.

alternate way of quilt rod hanging

Pieces larger than 30” x 40” hang well on 1/2” pipe.  Holes are drilled at each end and the piece is displayed using the two separate loop method.  This is the way “Marilyn” and “Route 33, Summer Morning” were exhibited at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Competition two years ago, and I have used it for subsequent exhibitions with great success.  Shipping costs for larger pieces will include an extra charge for shipping a longer hanging rod, or you can elect to buy your own hanging device and waive the extra shipping fee.

metal quilt rod

Below, the small piece “Night Watch”,  11.5” x 11.5”, shown displayed using the picture wire and rod method.

night watch hanging

Of course, no art should ever be displayed in direct sunlight.  Should the piece become dusty, I clean the smaller pieces by shaking them out, while larger pieces can be gently vacuumed using a piece of window screen between the vacuum and the piece to prevent anything being sucked into the hose.

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