Hanging sleeves for quilts are required for most quilt shows and instructions are available many places online. I have for years used the instructions from the American Quilters Society website, as I consider them the definitive resource for such things. Recently, however, I’ve made a few tweaks that I think make the process easier.

Here are my changes, step by step. If you aren’t already familiar with how to make a hanging sleeve, go to the AQS site for basic instructions. These are just my changes.

1. Use leftover quilt backing (108″ wide) to reduce the number of strips that have to be joined.
   

   I often buy backing in 3-yard packs, and that means there’s some left over that’s still 108″ wide

2. Use two rulers to add up to the 8.5″ width needed for a regulation quilt sleeve and cut a strip 8.5″ x width of fabric. Cut whichever way gives you the longest strip. In this case, I had a full width of fabric, so I got a strip 108″ long!
3. If you’re making sleeves ahead of time, just stop here and roll up the fabric for storage. If you’re ready to use it for a sleeve, measure across the width of the quilt and cut a length of sleeve 1″ less than that. (Most instructions say to cut the width of the quilt then hem the ends, but that’s unnecessary.)
4. Now serge or zigzag the ends of the strip to finish them. Most modern machines have the equivalent of a serger stitch, so you don’t necessarily need a serger to do this.
   

   Just serge the ends to finish the edges rather than hemming.

5. Fold the sleeve lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press lightly so the fold opposite the raw edges can be seen. Either join the raw edges with a 1/4″ seam or serge them together.
6. Baste 1/4″ from the folded edge of the sleeve, opposite where you just joined the raw edges. This allows for the ease required in the sleeve so the quilt will hang flat when a big pole is put through the sleeve.
   

   Left arrow points to the basting; right arrow points to the seam joining the raw edges

7. Now re-fold the sleeve, still lengthwise, so the basted seam is on top and the seam that joined the raw edges is on the bottom.
8. Attach the sleeve to the quilt back by hand. Note that the way the raw edges were joined puts the long seam on the outside of the sleeve, facing the back of the quilt. It’s thus out of the way.
9. It’s possible to avoid half this hand work if you think waaaay ahead and put the top edge of the sleeve under the binding as you attach the binding, but really, who plans like that?
10. After attaching the sleeve, remove the basting stitches

One more thing: After the quilt show, remove the sleeve to be used on the next quilt! Making a hanging sleeve still isn’t my favorite thing to do, but it’s easier with these little modifications.