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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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How-to: Hang a Giant Map

October 22, 2012 2 Comments

My husband has had this awesome map of The Essential Geography of the United States of America for several months now. It’s a map that Slate called “The Greatest Paper Map of the United States You’ll Ever See“, which immediately appealed to my husband’s appreciation for cartographically sound maps. That’s my guy!

The problem with amazing giant maps is how hard it is to hang them without dropping a huge stack of cash on custom framing. When my husband convinced me that maps should be an essential decorating element in our living room, I put my crafty skills to work.

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

Supplies

12 binder clips

2, 1/2″ thick x 48″ long dowels (My map was about as wide as my dowels were long, approximately 50 inches. If your poster is bigger, you might want to spend some time finding a dowel that’s the right size for your needs.)

12 eye screws

hacksaw

string that doesn’t stretch too much

a freaking giant map or poster

Directions

Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Hold your hacksaw, teeth side up, between your legs. Carefully saw a line through the center of each end of one dowel by moving it back and forth over the teeth. This method sounds a little crazy, but it’s a lot safer than using the saw normally. I almost messed up my thumb really bad, believe me!

Knot your string at each end and secure it to each end of the dowel as shown. I used fishing line in my finished project, but opted for bright yarn for demonstration’s sake in the photos.

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

Screw half of your eye screws into one dowel, evenly spaced apart. Screw the rest of your screws in a similar fashion to the other dowel.

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

Pop a wing off of a binder clip and hook it into an eye screw. Reattach it to the binder clip.

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

Attach the rest of your binder clips to all of the eye screws. When all of the clips are attached, twist the eye screws so that the binder clips all hang facing the same direction.

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

Clip your map to all of the binder clips and use the string to hang it up. Simple! I really like how bookish the map looks hung with school supplies. The dowels harken back to the rolled maps we used to have in my elementary school, which as a Librarian, I love.

How-to: Hang a Giant Map | HandsOccupied.com

You can visit the cartographer’s website to learn more about him or to purchase the map featured in today’s project. 

Filed Under: How-to Tagged With: binder clip, dowel, giant map, home decor, maps

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. andrew

    November 4, 2013 at 6:13 am

    Great tip guys. it’s just what I need. a simple and practical way to hang a freaking big map. thanks for being so crafty.
    A

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Home Decor Question for You! says:
    June 8, 2013 at 9:43 am

    […] some time (and as little money as possible) in improving our living room. So far, we’ve hung the map featured in yesterday’s post, I’ve worked some crafty magic*, and we bought some vintage […]

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop the latest patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️ If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the 🔗 is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2” of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! 🎃💀 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the 🔗 I think. 😉
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. ✂️ The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? 😅
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies ✂️
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. 🤙🏻 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9” (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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