A New Tutorial - How I mount a wall quilt

A friend had one of my Mom's African quilts mounted on a frame and it looked great so I thought I would try it out myself. This was my first attempt. This quilt measures 9" by 12".

I wrote about how I did this on September 8th.  I wrote "We purchased an artist canvas that was stretched over a frame. The quilt top was ttimmed so that the width and length were each 1/2" larger than the canvas (this extra 1/2" is for the seam allowance. I attached 1 1/2" strip of black fabric to all four sides of the quilt and the the sewing started/stopped 1/4" from the corners; each strip was about 1/2" long than the length/width of the quilt. I pulled the strips to the back and used a staple gun to staple them in place but left the corners loose. At the corners I turned the edges under and with black thread stitched them together. The last step was to staple the corners".

Today I am framing a second wall hanging and will modify the method just a little. I cut the black strips 2" wide and this worked much better and I prepared  the black strips before I stitched them to the quilt. Here is a step-by-step tutorial of how I mounted the quilt on an artist's canvas.

Supply List:
Artist canvas stretched over a wood frame
2" strips of black fabric
Thumb tacks
Black thread
Staple gun
Black permanent marker (optional)

Step 1: Measure the width and length of the canvas. While the packaging may show a particular size it may be slightly off.

Step 2: Trim your wall hanging so that it is a scant 1/2" wider and 1/2" longer than the frame. I cut exactly 1/2" larger and the result is a little bit of the black stretching strips show from front of the finished quilt. If you measure a scant 1/2" (just a few threads less than 1/2") then the black will be less visible. As an alternative you can use strips that match the fabric of the quilt and it won't be a problem.

Step 3: Cut two strips that are the same length as the top and two that are the same length as the sides. My Mom's quilt with the seam allowances measure 9 1/2" x 12 1/2" so I cut two strips at 9 1/2" and two strips at 12 1/2".  Turn under the ends of each strip 1/4" and stitch with black thread. Turn under one of the long edges of each strip  1/4" and stitch with black thread.

Step 4: Pin the top and bottom strips to the wall hanging being sure that they are 1/4" away from the edges and stitch them to the quilt being sure to use a 1/4" seam allowance and back stitch at the beginning and end.

Step 5: Pin the side strips to the quilt again making sure that they are 1/4" away from the edges.

I like to place a pin to keep the top and bottom strips out of the way so they don't get caught in the seam. Stitch the strips to the quilt using a 1/4" seam allowance and back stitch at the beginning and the end.

Step 6: Press the strips away from the quilt.

Step 7: Top stitch the strips to the seam allowances in the quilt.

Step 8:  Place the quilt on the canvas and pull the strips to the back. I like to use tacks to hold the strips in place. I pin all the way around being sure to pull the strips taught.

I turn the frame over to make sure that I am happy with the look of the quilt from the front. I make any necessary adjustments and them repin on the back with the tacks.

Step 9: I use a staple gun to staple the black strips to the frame on all four sides but I only staple the strips at the corner on the side strips. I leave the top and bottom strips free at the corners.

Step 10: I hand stitch the corners. To do this I thread a needle with black thread. I bring my thread up at the orange circle and use a little whip stitch or a ladder stitch to pull the two sides together to close the opening. (Note: I took the following picture of the corner before I had stapled the back; I wanted to show the corner. Once the strips are pulled to the back and stapled the tacks are removed)

I pull the black strip taught and place a staple as indicated by the orange circle and then continue stitching the strip as indicated by the orange arrow.  I make a small knot and bury the thread.

Step 11: This step is optional but it gives a nice finish. I use a permanent black marker and colour the staples so that they blend with the black fabric.

Here is the finished product! 

A bit of the black shows from the front but had I trimmed my quilt top so that is was just slightly less than 1/2" larger than the frame this would have been eliminated. Another thing I didn't do but should have done is to clip the corners to reduce the bulk so that the corners were a little sharper. I learn as I go! It isn't perfect but I do like the way these quilts look when then are mounted and hung on the wall!

I hope you enjoyed this little how-to. Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H