How to Hang Stage Fabric

In this article from Noble Mosby, he shares one great way to hang stage fabric when using it in your stage designs.

Ok, so you have the fabric, now what? What’s the best way to hang it? If you’ve purchased fabric from suppliers like Dazian or Rose Brand where you know your specific size, it’s easy to get it finished in their shop with grommets. However, what if you bought an entire bolt of fabric that you’d like to cut into smaller pieces as needed or have fabric without grommets? If you have a good seamstress, that’s a plus, but putting grommets into long lengths of thick blackout is no easy task!

A few years ago I was looking into some “how-to” videos on theatrical fabric techniques by John Weygandt, Visual Arts Director for Willow Creek Church in South Barrington, Illinois. What I learned has been a huge time and money saver for my productions, given greater flexibility, and ultimately allowed me to be more creative in my designs. He introduced me to a miraculous invention called the Griff Clips.

The Griff Clip, by Reef Industries, was originally intended to hang Griffolyn and other textiles used for temporary walls, shipping container covers and liners, cleanroom enclosures, etc. An interlocking wedge-shaped device, they are designed to hang any kind of fabric or thin material, without tools and without damaging the material being hung. The end of the Griff Clip is shaped like a ring acting as a grommet. Attaching one to fabric takes only seconds and once firmly attached, the interlocking wedges tighten and hold the fabric without tearing it! This allows you to place a “grommet” in any location. If hanging fabric on pipe or truss, pre-cutting pieces of tie-line the length you need and tying it to the Griff Clip prior to attaching it to the fabric will make the process much faster and easier.

Recently I was working on a VBS set where I needed to hang 30’ pieces of aluminum screen from truss. This is a great application for Griff Clips since they handle tension well. If using tie-line only to hang screen material, it would only be pulling from the points where you ran the line through the screen. Doing this can put a lot of stress in those spots because the tension area is small and could damage the screen when pulled tight. Since the Griff Clip has a larger surface area, it helps hold the material more securely.

Where can you find them? Many online retailers carry Griff Clips, but my recommendation is to contact Reef Industries directly. Located in Houston, TX, they have the lowest pricing, great customer service, and fast shipping.

Griff Clips should be an item in every stage designer’s toolbox. Using Griff Clips will help you hang fabric and other materials easily, saving you valuable time and allowing you to be more creative in your set designs.

Noble Mosby is a Technical Artist passionate about sound, lighting, stage and cinematic design that create captivating environments to facilitate worship. He received his Bachelors of Music from The University of Mississippi and currently is the Director of Technical Arts at FBC Lafayette, LA. For more information visit noblemosby.com.