Homemade Wallhanger for Quilted Wallhangings with Sleeves

From Sea to Shining Sea

Gaye Rice Ingram

1840-1849
Eagle Motifs in America Decade Quilt Series 1770 - 2010
(This beautiful piece is hung on a sample hanger)

Instructions for Creating the Wallhanger

Go to Lowes or Menards

Look for Red Oak slat the size you want as they sell several different sizes. At our place these slats can be found near the windows and doors section (I started in the trim section, but could not find them there). They are usually in a clear plastic package marked Red Oak.

Go to the kitchen cabinet knobs section and look for two matching pulls you like. Check to see if the pull and screw that comes with it are a good fit for the thickness of your slat -- sometimes it is and other times you have to buy a new screw for the pull.

Once home, drill a "centered" hole about 1/2 inch to an inch from the edge of the slate on both sides.

Sand it. Tack rag it. You don’t have to stain it as oak is pretty on “her” own.

Varnishing is next. Homemade Varnish = Equal amounts of Linseed Oil and Turpentine (Gums Spirit) in a small soup can. Take one of the foam sponge craft brushes and apply a coat – wipe it off with a “t-shirt” type of rag. Repeat this the next day. Then let the varnish dry about three to five days.

Insert a kitchen pull in the drilled hole on the left. Put Wallhanging with sleeve on. Then insert a kitchen pull in the drilled hole on the right side. Doesn't your work look PURDY! Sure it does.

Hanging

You can either hang by the kitchen cabinet knobs with something like (fishing line or something comparable)

Or

You can go to the picture frame section and add the saw-toothed hanger(s) to the back of the slat in one or two places.

What you have is a homemade wallhanger hanger that is easy on the pocket book. Once you have the linseed oil and turp, your only expense is the slat and the kitchen cabinet pulls.