DIY Quilt or Blanket Display Ladder

 

I’ve been bumping into a stack of my quilts in my studio for a few months now, that is until I asked my really nice husband to make a quilt ladder (also called a blanket ladder). Quilts that are not to be used right away, or given as a gift, what to do with them? After some thinking, I decided it would do my creative soul a lot of good to be able to have them out and see them each day.
There is one smallish wall in my studio. Its behind the door, and really too small for a design wall. But perfect for a quilt ladder! Not having any real idea what I was talking about, I roughly explained to Peter what I hoped for. After that, he played with the dimensions so that it would
be wide enough to display a couple quilts across each rung of the ladder, but also utilize every bit of vertical
space it can (boo! you low ceilings).
This ladder project this started a whole chain of events that ended with my studio completely rearranged. But that’s for another post.

I am SO happy with the result. (So happy, in fact, that he has built a second one, slightly narrower, for our living room.) Now I can see and enjoy my quilts as I work in the studio (which can be a very positive thing on those days I feel nothing gets done in here). I was going to paint it white, but decided it’s just right as it is.
 
Peter and I are by no means expert woodworkers (ha!), but I thought I would post instructions for my quilt ladder in case anyone out who’s feeling handy might be able to use. (I know that Jeni made one for her quilt market booth!) These are very rudimentary instructions, but easy to adapt to the space you have in mind.

Quilt or Blanket Ladder

General things to keep in mind:

• Using a smooth wood like a poplar will prevent snagging.
• We didn’t bolt this one to the wall, but I would definitely do that if it were in a high traffic area or if our kids were small.)

 
If you make one or have questions about the instructions, please email me at blairwisecraft@gmail.com.