You Know the Tools Necessary

It's time to sew down the facing and add the sleeve. And that means I can binge some mindless Netflix series. So yes, the scissors, thread, pins, and needle cozies up with the remote gang. 
 

All Around the House

Counting the bathrooms, my house has seven rooms. Which means I can set up projects just about anywhere. On the living room table is a friend's weaving that needs a sleeve. And handy for getting "away" from the studio.

Sleeves. Can't Go Without

Always, even for a functional couch quilt, add a sleeve. That will save looking at your work nailed, pinned, taped or clamped (between wood cleats) to the wall. It happens; I've seen it. I've sewn a sleeve with wrong sides together so there's a finished seam when I look inside, which is never.

Hand Me the Visine

The back of this latest quilt gets some wild and graphic commercial fabric. I've certainly got loads of commercial stuff, and this is so easy to hand sew, it makes a perfect candidate to use. I always say -- use fabric you love for the back , it's often seen.

Sleeve Me Be

Sleeves again! I sew a tube, press it, and lay it with the seem allowances facing the backing. That crease gives me the mark for rolling it up 1/4" and sewing the bottom. Now I've got a pleat to take up the depth of the hanging rod.

Pleat, Please

OK, Cris, here is why the pleat matters. When the hanging slat (home depot wide rod pocket curtain rod) is added, the bulk of the rod is accounted for with the pleat I made at the bottom hem. The ease transfers to the top, which is why I've sew the sleeve 1/2" below the top edge.

Green Sleeve

After dozens of sleeves -- which are tubes for a slat that hangs the work -- I finally turned the hem's selvage to the inside. I'll drop it down half an inch from the top, and pleat the bottom, and sew all four sides.