Hanging a quilt on a lath and plaster wall?

[LuluBell]

I want to use a queen sized quilt as a decorative wall hanging. I have old lath and plaster walls. What I am thinking is to mount the quilt hanger near the ceiling and affix it to the beam there (much in the same way the Victorians used to hang their mammoth pictures.) I don't know the under structure of a L&P wall...can I, with some certainty, find a beam near the ceiling that will support my quilt? How do I locate this beam without punching big holes in those delicate walls? Thanks

[J184]

A magnetic stud finder might work IF the plaster is not too thick. The way it works is when the finder passes over a nail which secures the lath to the stud, the indicator on the finder moves telling you the stud's location.

[Drewfuss204]

typically in old houses with lath and plaster, the studs go all the way from the basement to the roof with no horizontal plates at the cieling. You can locate a stud usually to the left of an electrical outlet, and then measure over 16" or 24" to find the next. I would suggest using screws to mount something rather than nails, since pounding a nail in is more likely to damage the plaster.