How to Make a Quilt Rack
Step 1
Be related to some insanely talented women who create the most beautiful quilts you've ever seen. I lucked out in this department, having an aunt who makes gorgeous quilts for a living and a great-grandmother who made beautiful quilts by hand that have been passed down to me.
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| The top two quilts are the ones my great-grandmother made and the bottom two are my aunt's creations. The bottom right is not displayed on the rack because it gets displayed on our bed every day. How gorgeous are these quilts!?! |
Talk for several years about how you would like to display said quilts and toss around ideas until you decide you want to build a ladder stand to hang them on.
Step 3
This one is key. Send your husband on a 30th birthday trip with his buddies Be sure to ask your husband where he keeps his stash of extra wood, his drill, and his saw before he leaves. Convince you mom to come stay with you for the weekend because a project like this is much easier to complete with a female partner in crime. Why? Females don't take as much time to plan a project like this....we're much better fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants carpenters.
Step 4
Select 2 large 8 foot long pieces of wood for the sides of you ladder and call them 2 by 4's until you actually measure them and realize they are in fact 3.5" wide by 2" deep and not 4" by 2." Drive into town to purchase large dowels and screws because your teeny tiny town's hardware store probably doesn't carry these items. Make sure you stop at several other places to shop while you are you, including but not limited to JCPenney and Costco for food and a little retail therapy.
Step 5
Once you make it to Home Depot, find 3- 2" inch diameter dowels. Bat your eyelashes at the man in the lumber department so he will cut your dowels to 32" long so you won't have to bother with the saw once you get home. Proceed to the screw department and ask the advice of the man working there about the length of screws you should buy. Wait until he walks away and swap them for the size you were going to buy in the first place....3.5" because you doubt a 2.5" screw will work.
Step 6
Come home, eat, and take the dogs on a walk.
Step 7
Measure out and mark where you want to put your ladder rungs and attempt to screw the them together with the drill, and nearly strip one of your screws. Realize you're going to need a drill bit and search your husband's tool bag for bits, but come up bit-less.
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| Hawk said he liked the rungs better like this. |
Venture to your teeny-tiny town's Walmart because the hardware store is closed (on a Saturday afternoon-seriously) and you need drill bits--and possibly a new screw since you nearly stripped the one your were using.
Step 9
Arrive back home, drill bits in hand and decide it's time to crack open a bottle of wine.
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| A pretty bottle of Rose like this will do! |
Drill holes in your 3.5" by 2"'s and your dowels. Match them up with the marks you made earlier and screw them together. Make sure not to touch the screws right after you screw them in. They are hot and they WILL burn your finger. Have a minor panic attack when your half-stripped screw completely strips an inch from being completely screwed in. Applaud your mother when she hammers that sucker all the way in! Have another minor panic attack when you realize your ladder is as tall as your ceiling, but breathe a sigh of relief after you've finagled it into the corner of your guest room.
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| Clockwise from top left: 1. I now consider myself a professional carpenter...anyone need any holes drilled? 2. We made it halfway! 3. It's all done! And SUPER tall! 4. My poor baby finger after I touched the hot screw. |
Attempt to fold your quilts to display them on the ladder. Realize that as long as the dogs are in the room, jumping and laying on the quilts as your are trying to fold them, that it will never happen. Remove said dogs from the room by distracting them with treats and shut the door as you run back in the room.
Step 12
Fold quilts and hang them on the ladder rungs.
Step 13
Step back and admire your handiwork. Take lots of pictures. Text/instagram/facebook your pictures to show off your handiwork. Make a mental note that once it warms up you need to take the ladder outside and paint and/or stain it.
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| I love love love it! |
Go back into the kitchen and pour yourselves another glass of wine. Make a goat cheese/bacon/pepper/tomato/spinach pizza and some Kaluah-Brown Sugar Baked Brie to reward yourself for a job well done!
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| Can you taste the deliciousness?! |
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