hanging sleeve problem
 

I have just completed a wall quilt about 37" wide and 27" high. I sewed a hanging sleeve into the top binding following instructions I've seen several places--the sleeve has an ironed-in pleat at the bottom, and the back edge of the pleat is slip-stitched to the quilt back, leaving the pleat able to open when the dowel is inserted. BUT--when I tried it out with a half-inch dowel, the sleeve just expanded so that it, with the dowel inside, shows above the top of the quilt. Maybe a piece of screen bead (which is flat) work?

Another model of sleeve is simply a flat tube sewed into the binding and slip-stitched to the quilt back--no pleat. This may work better, but I'm perplexed as to why the usual one isn't working.

Any help is much appreciated!

Nancy

Maybe the pleat is too much. You only need enough to expand for the size dowel you use.

Maybe your pleat is too big?

This is how I do it. http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogsp...-tutorial.html

You do not sew the top of the hanging sleeve into the binding - you sew it about 1 to 1.5 inches below it. Yes, it's a tiny bit more work, but worth it so the sleeve doesn't show.

The "D" shape of the sleeve is so the quilt will hang flat. If you sew a flat binding, the quilt will curve with the dowel.

I do as Peckish does, but from a different website. A four inch 'D' sleeve about an inch below the top binding.

You could fix yours by hand stitching the top of the sleeve closed all the way across and far enough down so the dowel doesn't show when it's hanging. Stitching it all the way across will keep the tension even and prevent stretching and sagging the same way a full width sleeve does. You don't say how wide your sleeve is, but if it's the standard 4", close the top inch and you'll still be fine for a half inch dowel.

I usually just make a tube, iron it flat and hand attach it to the bottom of the binding and the bottom of the tube. I have never had any trouble with it not handing straight.. hung many in the store that I worked in.

I sew the raw edges of my sleeve into the binding but then I hand stitch the bottom of the sleeve to the back of the quilt. Not sure if you can see my sleeve in this picture.

Thank you very much, everyone. Obviously (to me now), the pleat was too big, 3/4" in a 2" sleeve. I made a 1/2" tuck in the outer fold and that did the trick. In future, I think I'll use Peckish's method, as it constructs a "D" shape automatically, and you can control the size of the D by how big the seam is. Thank you for your help--
Nancy

Your sleeve is too high. I've never sewn the sleeve into the binding before (I've always seen and done mine a little below the binding). The rod and the expansion will always make the sleeve higher than your quilt binding (your quilt will pull down, but the sleeve and rod will pull up - thus showing above your binding). Good luck

How about moving about 1.5" or so down below the binding, and sewing a hand seam just through the sleeve and backing only, so it will hang better? In the future, do not make the sleeve from such a wide strip?