Hello! Today I’m sharing my thoughts on one of my favorite subjects: decorating with quilts! Along with placing beautiful quilts on our beds, quilts and quilted items can be used in many ways to make our houses our homes. The very first quilted projects I sewed were home decor items–pillows, wall hangings, and table toppers.
While I do a lot of decorating with quilts in my sewing room today, there were a
lot of years I didn’t have a designated sewing space to decorate with fun quilts! Today there are quilts in every room of my house (even bathrooms and the laundry room), and I’m still thinking of new ways to use my quilted items for decorating.
This little corner of my family room gives you a couple of different ways to use quilts. I love changing the quilts on this handmade quilt rack out for each season. When I get home from quilt market I’ll change these quilts from our Valley collection out for red and blue quilts for summer. You can also see the mini tumbler wall hanging on the wall above the quilt rack. I love mini quilts!
This photo from our guest room shows a few more options for decorating with quilts. One of my favorite scrappy quilts is on the wall, a table runner sits atop the dresser, and one of my great great grandmother’s Dresden Plate blocks sits in a frame.
Decorative quilt racks are a wonderful way to hang quilts. I wish I could find more like this one (it was a gift from my daughter several years ago). I have quilts on the walls of all of our hallways…a lot of them are hard to photograph because of the lighting, but this one is in our front entryway.
Another corner of our family room hosts a quilt ladder with some of my favorite spring Fig Tree quilts and a Fig Tree pillow in the chair. Quilt ladders are a terrific way to display favorite quilts. I kind of wish I had a quilt ladder in every room! These quilts will also be changed to red and blue quilts in the very near future!
Another corner of our family room showcases my great grandmother’s sewing machine. The wood on the top of the case is in pretty poor shape, so until I can get it refinished I cover it with…a quilt!
This is another view of the quilt above…you can see there is also another wall hanging on the other side of the French doors and that I use quilted place mats and a table runner on our breakfast table (so many memories of this table at my grandmother’s house when I was a younger girl).
Another way I use quilts is to roll them up and put them in bins, baskets, and yes, even this antique crock that belonged to my great great grandmother.
I like to hang quilts above beds, and used extra blocks from a quilt to make the quilted pillow sham above for our guest room. One of my summer projects is to re-do this headboard with chalk paint!
Sometimes it’s nice to just set a folded quilt out on a couch or shelf. Here I have a quilt and two pillows all pieced with fabrics from our Desert Bloom collection.
Quilts are everywhere in my sewing room…this is a side of the room that doesn’t get photographed very much…but some of my happy quilts are right by the door so I see them right before leaving the room each day!
I also use this antique bassinet to store quilts, and it sits next to another quilt ladder I have in my entry way. Since quite a bit of light can come in through this window, I change these quilts frequently.
I think it helps to have a plan for decorating with quilts. At least once a year I like to evaluate and think about new projects to make for specific places in our home; I keep my notes in a home keeping notebook with ideas listed under the following categories:
- Quilts and quilted decor I currently use in this room
- Quilts and quilted decor I want to make for this space
- Seasonal quilting and quilted decor ideas for this space
Additionally, here are some other ideas for decorating with quilts:
Tips for Decorating with Quilts
- First, take an
inventory of the quilts you have. Group together in categories: color,
season, or fabric style so you know what you have to work with. It really helps to write this down. - Pay particular attention to places where there is a lot of light–change quilts in these areas frequently to prevent damage.
- Make a list of
things you notice as you are working: write down the measurements for
that perfect sized wall-hanging or table runner you need to make. - Quilts that have
been on display for awhile might benefit from washing…or at least a
visit to the fluff cycle in the dryer to remove dust. - Look for ways to use
items you already have for your quilt display. The bassinet shown above was in my storage closet for quite a few years before I brought it out to use for quilt display.
What are other ideas you have for decorating with quilts and quilted items? Thanks so much for stopping by!
Karee says
Love quilts throughout the house. Don't think I am crazy but I just staple my minis to the wall. That's right: a regular office stapler. It does no damage to the quilt and the holes in the wall are invisible.
Question of the decade: What paint color & brand is your quilting room?
Thank you!
Karee
Needled Mom says
They look beautiful in every room.
Cotton Blossom says
Love this post. Thanks for the inspiration!
Tanya Simmons Weiss says
Great ideas! Now I need to make more quilts! How do you store your quilts when you're not displaying them? Is it ok to use those space bag thingies that you suck the air out of?
Elaine M says
Very inspiring post. Love the ideas and I must make place mats this week!
Lucy says
Your display of quilts looks great. You share so many great ideas. Thank you so much you inspire me to keep on stitching new things all the time.
Apple Avenue Quilts says
Great post! I love your ideas for displays and the quilts are stunning.
Hildy says
I love how you display your quilted items through out the house!
Tumlaren says
Lovely quilts you`ve done!
Brenda says
Thanks for all the great ideas. Your rooms look very inviting.
Brianna says
Ooooh, you just gave me an idea to make a hanging for above my bed! Been trying to figure out what to put there forever. Thank you! Just love adding more projects to my list!
Star Brown says
You have such a beautiful home. The choice of quilts displayed and placed on your family heirlooms is so nice and creates new memories.
Leeanne says
Stunning! I LOVE your sewing space………….
Rosemary B❤️ says
Your quilts are wonderful, Your house is so pretty, and neat and tidy!!
Thank you Sherri for these great tips
Rivah Rats Quilting says
Loved your decorating with quilts ideas!! Will start looking for those ladders in my travels this week!
GabiP says
Thanks so much for sharing your quilt decorating. It was very inspirational and you have so many lovely quilts…in all shapes, sizes, colors and forms. Your sewing room is similar to mine…but much more organized. I really need to do something about that! It started out so nice too! LOL! Thank you for sharing. Love your posts and tutorials.
Little Quiltsong says
Such beautiful ways of showing off your gorgeous quilts. Love how you have them all spread around. You've given me many ideas – thank you! Just recently I bought a few deeper decorative 'hampers' at Walmart. They are a brown basket weave, with a cloth liner. This way I can store them within sight and the hamper does not take up too much room.
mascanlon says
Such beautiful quilts and your home is very warm and inviting. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Ginger Marien says
Thank you for sharing your decorating with your beautiful quilts. I too love to decorate with quilts and I love your ideas.
Federlily says
So many wonderful ideas. Thank you for sharing. I especially love the framed Dresden by your great great grandmother. I have quilts everywhere too, and recently I've started putting quilts outside with a barn quilt! My website is putaquiltonit.com and I've started designing modern barn blocks so quilters like us can show their quilty love outside the home as well.
Nancy in NV-wheres the dude at blogspot says
I love your ideas. I too have a lot of mini quilts on my sewing room wall. I don't have very many large quilts because I make them and then gift them. When you change over the red, white and blue I would love to see your new displays.
Patricia Lessell says
Love your designs, photos and ideas. I haven't put anything on my blog in almost two years. The first thing I put on I wanted to be really special. Would you let me put this post on my blog please? Thanks either wsy Patricia