A new old ladder ~~ finished

Years ago, after my dad died, Richard was piddling around at their house and ran across this old ladder. He recognized it as being Daddy's so he decided to bring it home to (one day) make a quilt ladder from the side with the rungs. The balance side was missing several pieces. It got put in a corner of Richard's shed and forgotten. Until... 

I had gone out to ask Richard something. I rarely go out to his shed because it is just too hot! But Richard was doing something near that corner where the ladder was and I happened to see it. Oh yes! Of course, at the time life had us by the ear and there was no way either of us could take on another thing. So there it stayed. There in the corner of the shed and in the back of my mind.

Last week I climbed on a milk crate, so I could reach the top of an old crawfish burner and onto the top of a stack of wood piled on a
 
barrel (maybe?) It's much heavier than it looks, so moving it from the corner past the mountain required more muscle than I have. So I climbed farther into the corner which, admitted was a bit precarious and scary. How many snakes, rats, or opossums might I be disturbing anyway? At this point I was able to get enough leverage to move the ladder, tilt it sideways and slide it over the mountain peak and onto the dirt floor where the snakes would surely be lying in wait. 

Once the ladder was situated in the snake pit, I started the downward climb. You know how people say, "Don't look down"? How do you know where your feet are if you follow that sage advice? As I contemplated that universal question, I maneuvered contortion-like to the ladder and dragged it to the front of the shed where Richard and Adam were discussing some mundane subject. 

And that's where my story ends because, you see dear reader, Richard took over the project as I knew he would. Sure he'd have done all the climbing and whatever, but I needed to be able to claim reward for something, so I had to do something. Apparently I'm only afraid of heights when I am perfectly safe, such as in a stadium, on a real mountain, or on a balcony. 

Richard hosed off the dusty cobwebs and the following day asked me what I wanted done. I had a couple of changes: cut the top rung in half to make two quilt ladders, remove the paint shelf and use the wood to replace the missing rungs, and reinforce whatever needed reinforcing. 

Voila! Check out my quilt ladders made from my daddy's old wooden ladder with authentic scratches and paint drips and split rungs. The pictures here are of the ladder in our bedroom. The other one is in the dining room, waiting for me to put a table in storage and open a corner of the living room. It will display quilts that I'll occasionally change out.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: Ladders

I know I'm stretching this a bit, but I love old ladders for storing or hanging quilts. So today I'm hoping to inspire you with some beautiful quilts on a few ladders.

I really like the idea in the picture above on  the right. The rungs swivel so that hanging the quilts is easy and each rung can be set so that all the quilts can be seen.

Some ideas for ladders include 

• old bunk bed, half of an old wooden step ladder
• a wooden single-side ladder
• turning a step ladder into a shelf by adding boards across the rungs
• old aluminum ladders could also work and are easy to move around because they are light-weight
• shutters with some of the slats removed would work well
• vintage gates (both wood or metal)
• using both sides of a step ladder to form a corner shelf 
• hanging the ladder horizontally on the wall
• baby bed rail (turned sideways)
• library ladder (for homes with high ceilings)

I highly recommend that you attach the top of the ladder to the wall. If a child decides to climb, there is less worry that he/she will pitch backward. 

Another concern is that the rungs of old ladders and decorative ladders may not hold the weight of a child. Test your ladder and, if this is the case, consider hanging it horizontally or reinforcing the rungs. 

A carpenter or woodworker should be able to help you with either of these.

For more ideas on storing quilts, see my Pinterest board, "stacked, quilts." Anything that works for holding books, home decor, and plants will also work to hold quilts--either folded or hung. And we all know how a handmade quilt can warm up a room.

Pin It Weekly #70 Quilt Displays

There are some beautiful quilts in Pinterest.  I discovered that there are also many beautiful ways to display some of those quilts.  I show some of those display ideas on my "stacked, quilts" board.

A small goat cart makes a darling display... 

As does a reconfigured baby bed...

Of course, old chairs are especially easy display shelves since they can be plopped just about anywhere.  Just be sure that no one moves the quilts and plops themselves on the chair if it is too old to hold them.

Here's a different use for vintage farm implements...

Or if you can use a ladder this way...

Or that way...

How about an empty basket or box...

And if you happen to have an empty cabinet...

And of course, there's always a rack made especially for quilts...

AMB's Blog Tour is almost finished.  Today we visit Fireball Quilts (Utah) and Hollyhock Quilts (Oklahoma) today.  If you haven't been by yet, you should definitely get going.  There are some surprises waiting and, as always, a chance to win some lovely AMB fabrics.

Tomorrow jog on over to Dora Quilts (New Mexico) and So Many Quilts, So Little Time (Arizona).  Then on Friday (our last day of the tour) hop over to Quilt As You Go (Alaska) Barbara Bieraugel Designs (Hawaii).  

I have thoroughly enjoyed following the blog tour and hope you have also.  It's going to be odd not checking in with the tour.  I'm also going to miss reading about the states and the talented quilters who created the license plates.