Mounting an Art Quilt on Canvas

 Mounting a small quilt on an artist canvas

Supplies I use:

Canvas of a suitable size

Black Gesso

Cheap foam brushes (I like a 2” width) these are disposable.

Plastic spoon for dipping out the “glue) 

Artist’s Matte Medium  (Or Matte Mod Podge - less expensive) -this is your glue.

Waxed paper (from the grocery) 

A cut open trash bag to protect your working area. 

Rubber gloves or food service gloves. 

Paper towels or old rags for quick clean up of any spills.

*** Note, If you want the quilt to “float” on the wall, you may mount the quilt onto a piece of black foam core cut slightly smaller than the quilt.  This is then mounted  to a canvas that is slightly smaller than the quilt.

I like to have a small border around the quilt.  I prefer  to get a canvas that is roughly one to two inches bigger than the quilt.  For example, for an eleven inch square quilt I would choose a 12 inch square  canvas.   (for a rectangle, example, a 10” by 12” quilt, I would use an 11” by 14” canvas) 

I use black gesso (because it covers well) to paint the edges of the canvas - both the outer edges and the surface/  I do not paint the entire surface because the quilt will cover most of that space.  I do make sure that I paint enough so that the quilt covers all the unpainted area.  

After it dries, I check for white showing through and if there is any, I fill in  those spots with more black and allow it to dry again. 

(FYI - there are canvases that are already black, but they tend to cost more.  Those would work just as well, but I prefer to save the money since I already have black gesso) 

Once it is dry,  I place the quilt on the canvas to determine the final placement.  You can mark the corners with a bit of chalk if desired.  Just remember to avoid the chalk lines once you start gluing.  

Apply the Matte Medium (or Mod Podge) to the middle the canvas - put a spoon full and spread it around with a foam brush.  What you want is a thin layer of the “glue” that isn’t too thin. It needs to be enough to hold BUT you don’t want it to ooze out at the edges.  You also want to avoid putting too much that could soak through the quilt.   You want the glue to go about  a half inch from where the edges of the quilt will be.  This does not have to be precise, I usually go between a half and a fourth of an inch. 

Once your glue is in place (work quickly so it doesn’t start to dry too soon)  you are ready to place your quilt on the canvas. You will be able to move it around just a bit.  You don’t want to smear the glue beyond where the edges of the quilt will be.  

With the quilt in place,  cover it with waxed paper to protect it and place a few heavy books on top to weight it down while it dries.  I generally leave it for several hours (overnight) to be sure it gets dry.  Then you can add a  hanging wire to the back  of the canvas.