Start with fabric that is 8" in length. The width will need to be as wide as your quilt (less 1"). The sleeve needs to fit inside of the back of quilt beside the binding. Your final sleeve should be no narrower than 2" on each side.
On each side of your long strip, fold over 1/4" press, then fold once more 1/4" and press. Top stitch the ends.
Your next step will be to fold the whole length in half. Then press each edge to the middle. Press the folds. (I used starch on these as you want to be able to see these crisp folds in a few minutes!)
You then unfold the length of your sleeve and put the raw edges together, with WRONG sides together.
Sew along the length of your sleeve with a 1/4" seam.
You will note your finished side edges will be on the inside. The lengthwise seam that you just sewed will be on the outside (showing on the good side of the fabric....don't panic! This is the way you want it to look!)
This is the trickiest part. You will note that my pointer finger is on one of those earlier pressed fold. The lengthwise seam you just sewed is positioned close to the middle. My thumb is just before the second pressed fold (it's off kilter and both folds will not equally lay flat. Don't worry about this -- you want it to look this way!)
If you do not have the little Clover iron, you can use your regular iron. Be sure not to disturb the edge that had the previous pressed fold.
Once you are done pressing the center seam, you will note that the sleeve is now in a "D" shape. The flat part will be laid against the back of your quilt. You will be sewing the pressed folded seams to the back of your quilt. The purpose of the "D" shape is to accommodate rods to slide through the sleeve to hang your quilt.
I positioned my sleeve approximately 1" below the edge of my binding on the back of my quilt. I first found the center of my sleeve, then positioned the center to the center of my quilt.
Pin the top pressed fold all along the top of your quilt. Make sure that you measure along the length so that your sleeve will stay consistent. I found that leaving 1" on the top, gives the "D" sleeve enough room where it does not pull beyond the top of the quilt when you hang it up.
Then, start sewing this pinned side down to the back of the quilt. Make sure you have a hand behind (on the right side of the quilt) so that you don't stitch right through to the front. You want your stitches again to be invisible.
Once the top of the "D" sleeve is sewn -- lay the back of the sleeve flat against the back of your quilt. You will note that the top (the curve of the "D") will be bubbled on the top -- that's perfect! Pin and then stitch the bottom side of your sleeve to the back of your quilt.
You can flatten the "D" sleeve by pressing it if you are giving it as a gift. The new owner then has the option of placing it on the bed, or to hang it on a wall.
This one will be going into Festival of Quilts at Heritage Park here in Calgary, so I am hoping they put the sleeve into good use! It is a long overdue gift to my eldest! She turns 30! OMG! I'll post photo's of the whole quilt later!
There are lots of ways of making sleeves. Sizes vary depending on your needs. Check it out and see what works for you. I ignore the Quilt Police and do what works for me! I hope that these instructions help you with your first sleeve! If you have additional tips - feel free to add them in the comment section. I'll do my best to drop by now and again to make sure they are posted!
Happy Quilting!
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