Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing a little bit about Quilt Ladders: Quilt Decor & Inspiration. It’s demo-day three in our master bathroom, so my coping mechanism was to clean up my studio and take a few pictures while it was sunny and beautiful outside. (I do love having two windows in my sewing room for light). I get a lot of questions about my quilt ladders and quilt display and decor. So hopefully I can answer several of those questions in this post.
Quilt Ladders: Quilt Decor & Inspiration
Over the years I’ve collected a few quilt ladders, racks, and stands that I use to display many of my quilts. I love to change things out seasonally (and in some cases monthly where there is a lot of natural light that might affect my quilts). As a new quilter I was inspired by the book Living with Little Quilts and dreamed of the day when I could one day have quilt decor throughout my house. In fact, I feel like wanting to decorate with quilts actually motivated me to quilt even more than having them for our beds.
Wooden Quilt Ladders
Several years ago I was able to purchase two quilt ladders, one with a wood stain and one with a white stain from a local quilter. I’m so happy I got those when I did as she has since moved away. I also have a nice quilt ladder purchased from Magnolia which has since sold out. Additionally, I have a lovely stand-alone quilt rack I use to display quilts in my studio. Here are the dimensions for eachof these pieces:
- Homemade Ladders: 72″ tall, 17″ wide rungs (4–15″ apart)
- Magnolia Ladder: 70″ tall, 22″ rungs (4–13.5″ apart)
- Quilt Rack: 42″ tall, 30″ wide bars (3)
Other Quilt Display Options
I also love using curtain rods and rings in order to display quilts. I have several of these installed throughout our home and love the ease with which I can change out quilts to display. For the best results with this method: use lots of rings to ensure there isn’t too much pressure put on the quilts, and change out quilts fairly frequently. Find the rods and rings I use for my indoor quilt display here.
I’m also really blessed to have a handmade quilt rack made by my late uncle along with some other small quilt racks that have been gifted to me. And I’ve recently purchased the lovely swing arm quilt display rack (now available in three different sizes) from Primitive Gatherings (link above under the photo).
Quilts as Decor
In addition to hanging quilts on walls and on ladders, there are endless ways to display your favorite decor quilts. They are beautiful stacked on shelves, in cabinets, on top of cupboards, and even draped over the edges of sofas and chairs. I also like to roll small quilts up and put in baskets and crocks. You can find an additional post I wrote about decorating with quilts here.
More Quilted Decor: Mini Quilts and Pillows
Mini quilts can easily be used like paintings to add decor to any area of your home. And quilted pillows also function as mini quilts wherever they are placed. I feel like I should probably dedicate an entire post to minis and pillows in the future 🙂
Inspirational Books for Quilt as Decor
The following are some of my favorite books for inspiration and ideas about using quilts for decor:
- Living with Little Quilts (my earliest quilt decor inspiration find…back in the 90’s!)
- Minick & Simpson Blue & White: Living with Textiles You Love (great price on this one!)
- Blue & White Quilts: 13 Remarkable Quilts with Timeless Appeal
- Really…I could easily add all of my favorite Martinale quilt books to this list…their quilt photography always includes decor ideas for quilts. I’m especially happy with the quilt photography and inspiration they did for my Labor of Love: Scrappy Quilts at the Heart of Home book.
Your Decor Inspiration…
I’d love to have you share any thoughts or ideas you have on quilt display and decor in the comments below…there are so many fun ideas out there!
Happy quilting, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Missy Reynolds says
I received the most wonderful quilt display piece for Christmas. My daughter, daughter-in-law and sister got together and purchased an old gun cabinet. My sister and her husband installed glass shelves, chalked painted it a lovely, soft green, and waxed it with a dark brown. It now occupies a prominent place in our den and is full of my Christmas quilts and runners and the quilts I intend to donate to the peds ICU where I used to work! It is one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received! So much nicer than storing the quilts in the linen closet!
Maria Wells says
Sherri thank you so much for this lovely post! Your style is so bright and cheerful and uplifting! Thank you for all of the hints.
Dee Glenn says
Are you worried about putting the quilts on wooden ladders especially. the stained ladder? Do you put anything between the quilt and the rung? I would presume that it wouldn’t be an issue with painted ladder. Thanks for all your posts and pod cast; I enjoy them all.
sherri McConnell says
When I first got the ladder I put a piece of batting on the rungs to form a barrier between the stained surface and the quilt. I never had a problem. So now I don’t even worry about the batting. But I would definitely suggest testing it out on a new ladder.
Sara F says
Your quilt decor all looks wonderful. Quilts just make a home look so cozy and cheerful. I have a couple of the curtain rod quilt displays in my house too. I’ve been looking for just the right ladder recently. Now you’ve provided even more inspiration.
Abbie says
Love your quilts . The navy blue one in your down stairs I would love to do. I am partial to 2 color quilts. Where is the pattern from. Thank you.
Bex from Texas says
I have an old fashioned wire laundry basket with legs that I have stacks of lap quilts for guests to use in living room or on our screened porch. I want to make some small quilts to hang on the wall. Do you have a book of those? I love your sewing room! The colors are so pretty! I would love to hv a glass door cabinet to display quilts. Maybe someday! Love your work & fabrics! I hv a lot of Apricot & Ash:) I made a needle book with your fabric line.
Linda C says
I love the top quilt on the ladder in the last picture. Where can I get pattern, I am new to quilting and it looks like something I can start my quilting adventure.
Monica Kostak says
My husband made me a quilt ladder from my kids Jenny LInd baby bed end rails. The end rails we took the spindles off and My my husband will be making both my kids a quilt ladder and with even the extra spindles I’d like a stand up one similar to yours Thanks for sharing