Hanging Sleeve

I only add hanging sleeves to quilts that are designed to hang on the wall.  Judy in Michigan asked if I sewed the hanging sleeve to the binding. I wasn't quite sure what she meant, so I thought I'd show you how I do it.

I make the hanging sleeve, and then line it up with the top edge of the back of the quilt, centering it. Often I run it through the sewing machine to get it to stay in place, because when I line up the binding on top, it's hard for the pins to hold everything in place without getting bent or broken.

 

 Then I lay my binding right on top. I like a 1/2" finished binding on my quilts, so I cut it 3" wide, then fold it in half.

Next I sew through all layers, using a 3/8" seam. I often use a larger needle to make this a bit easier.  I want that top edge of the hanging sleeve to be securely attached to the quilt.

I fold the binding over to the front of the quilt, and blindstitch the edge down. When that's done, I'll hand sew the rest of the hanging sleeve on the back of the quilt.

This is the way I attach the hanging sleeves to all my "arty" quilts. It works great, and the hanging sleeve never shows from the front.