Hanging Textiles as Art

One of my favorite ways to decorate bare walls is by hanging textiles collected during my travels. A piece that was originally made as a tablecloth, table runner, decorative throw or rug can also be displayed as a handwoven work of art. It’s a low cost option for large wall art with a great story. Here’s how I hang my favorite textiles in less than 10 minutes and under $2!

What you’ll need:
-A textile you want to display
-A wood dowel from a home improvement store (Or a beautiful branch fora more natural look)
-String, rope or twine to hang the dowel
-Scissors
-Safety pins (or double sided tape or hem tape)
-Nail and hammer

Prepare your materials:
-The Textile – Before heading to Home Depot to get your dowel, decide on what textile to hang and how wide you want it to be displayed. Your dowel should be 5-6′′ longer than what you want your textile to display. This will leave 3′′ on each side of the textile for the string.
-The Dowel – Most home improvement stores will have small dowels that they can cut at the store to whatever length you desire. The dowel can be an diameter you want for the look you’re going for. I like 1′′ diameter. Just be sure it’s not too skinny so it doesn’t bend under the weight of the textile!
-The String – Before cutting your string (or rope, twine, ribbon, etc.), you need to decide how long you want it to hang. The longer it is, the more exaggerated your triangle will be above the dowel. Keep in mind that most strings, ropes, and twines stretch a little when weight is put on them. Once you’ve decided on the length, add 26′′ more inches, so you have extra string to tie around the dowel.

STEP 1 | Securing the string.

Once you have materials ready and cut, it’s time to put them together. With 1′′ of the end of the string, hold it above the dowel as you wrap the rest of the string around the dowel 3-4 times. Be sure to wrap tightly and that it crosses over the 1′′ end at least once so it’s secure. Tie a knot using the 1′′ end and the longer end of the string. Repeat on the other end of the dowel. (You can also just tie the end of the string to the end, if you don’t want a wrapped look.) Trim the extra string that’s sticking out from the knots. Twist each end of the wrapped edges so the knots are even and on the same side of the dowel.

STEP 2 | The textile.

Now that your dowel is ready, grab your textile and fold it to your desired width (if you need to). Lay your dowel on top of your folded textile to double check the width. You can secure the folded edges with double sided tape, hem tape, or safety pins if you want. (This is especially helpful if the textile is a little slippery or heavy.) I like to use safety pins so there’s no sticky adhesive on my textiles.

STEP 3 | Putting it together.

Lay your textile out and place the dowel on top of where you want the textile to fold over. (This part will be hidden.) Secure this placement with double sided tape, hem tape, or safety pins. If you do use safety pins, be sure to tip over your piece when you’re done to make sure the pins aren’t showing in the front.

STEP 7 | Hang it up!

Grab your nail and hammer and pick the perfect place on your wall. Make sure it’s straight, style your space, and enjoy gazing at your new piece of art!