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I am in the process of revamping my design wall and have been toying with the idea of using black batting to cover the wall, rather than the white, which is on there now.
I'm interested in knowing what other quilters feel about this - pros and con.
Here are two pictures of a small quilt that I recently finished. I took the first picture with the wall as it is now. The second picture was taken with a piece of black fabric acting like black batting. What do you think?
Seems to me that either one would work.
I'd love the black for contrast, but not so much for lint and making the room darker. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Black batting will show every teensy piece of thread.... I wouldn't enjoy it, but if you can live with that, the contrast to the actual quilt looks good. Another thing, wondering if the black would "shine" through the quilt fabric on whites or lights? It doesn't seem to on your photo, but wondering if that might be a concern too.
Have you thought about using something like a foamular insulation board? You could put black on one side and white on the other, that way you'd have the best of both worlds. Or you could put up a white wall and if you needed something with more contrast you could always in some black batting on top of it.
i couldn't find black when i was shopping, so i bought chocolate brown...and i love it... i make more dark quilts than light so the dark background serves me better while designing.
I think there is too much contrast... a neutral color is best, like a gray. Otherwise you are seeing the color behind what you have on your design wall, not JUST the design you are putting up.
I have a black design wall and absolutely love it!
Yes, black shows threads, whereas white would go grubby/dirty, which is why I decided on the black. Once in awhile I go over it with a lint roller, but not too often. Besides, most of the time, you have things on it, so you really don't notice the loose threads left behind.
The fleece is stretched on sheets of tentest sheeting and then screwed onto the wall. 7-1/2ft x 10ft!! A quick swipe of my hand and the blocks stick. Also, I've had pieced work on, and they stay put without any need for pins. I've even had fully put together quilts on there after I pressed them, just to keep them flat and no problems with their sticking without pins!
Some mentioned concerns about the black showing thru lighter fabrics. Sure, this could happen if you have very thin fabric, but you would know why, so is that really a huge concern?
An interior designer once told me that black is the best way to "see" a true colour. Meaning that putting a piece of fabric on black will give you a better read of what it is, than putting it on white.
It really comes down to what you want and prefer!
Yes, I love my BLACK design wall and have absolutely no regrets. I don't know how I ever sewed without it before!
Last edited by QuiltE; 12-28-2011 at 07:59 PM.
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Sew many ideas ... just sew little time!!
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Just think of it this way, a jewelry store shows jewelry on black and photos are matted and framed with black. But those are finished, so it shows it off. Quilters like to sash in black or border in black because it frames and finishes. A black design wall won't tell the whole story because its an unfinished project. Just my thought for the day
Jenni
The Quilted Cow
www.thequiltedcow.com
On Hwy. 76 Cape Fair, Mo. 25 mins. from Branson
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Black sounds like a good idea to me.
Sewbeadit
Montesano, Washington
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