I am looking for help on how to make my own design wall. Please tell me what you used and how you attached it to the wall. I have a newly renovated sewing room (my daughter's old bedroom) and am considering putting up a design wall. My husband is very handy and is willing to make it for me. I'm one lucky lady!! thanks

I bought something from my LQS called the Wonder Wall. It has holes and grommets in the top to hang it, so I put some hooks at the top of the closet doors and just hook it up there whenever I need it. The rest of the time it's folded away inside the closet. I thought it was well worth the price!

I just use a flannel backed table cloth I tacked to one wall. It works great except when I have the ceiling fan on...... :-)

I bought an insolation board at Lowe's and cut it to size. Cover with felt or flannel. I like it because you can use pins with ease. Also it is light weight reasonably priced around $15. If you do not use all of the panel cut up and make a small design board to take to class or use next to your machine. I put it up with nails. :roll: It has been up for several years.
Works for me!!!! :D :D :D

When I went to a retreat the lady had them in our work room walls. That is where I got the idea. :roll: :? :wink:

I use a flannel backed table cloth and on the wall I have two (should be 3) Command clips.... and clip the tablecloth on... when finished the clips stay and the cloth gets put away.... when we sell the house the new owners are going to wonder what those clips are for !!!

For three years, I just had a queen size Hobbs 80/20 batting tacked to the wall. It worked, but would pull down when I had a full quilt layout on it, and the bottom kind of puddled on the floor (and had several too-close calls with the vacuum cleaner!)

When we moved here, I have one room with a 9' ceiling - which I immediately claimed for my sewing room :D DH helped me put together 2 4' x 8' design walls; a frame, foam insulation, a layer of muslin and a layer of the Hobbs 80/20 batting. He put hangers on the back of each panel, so each is held up on its own with only 2 screws in the wall. I didn't want to attach it permanently, because inevitably what goes up must come down :wink:

Here's the post with a picture:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/21991.page

It's been up 2 months now, and I'm still lovin' it!

Roben,
I get the idea of the insulation panels...4x8'
But is the covering flannel (so it sticks) or muslin (i didn't think it had mucy stickiness)
Please advise.
Kirsten

Yes, I use a flannel back of a table cloth from wally world. It worked so well, I got two :lol: So for $10.00 I have a double design wall! I like the idea of going to Lowes for a travel design wall, may give that some thought!

I use the block butler, it sticks to the wall and feels tacky to the touch, holds my block pieces very well. You can see it at www.blockbutler.com

I use two flannel backed tablecloths also. (My cat loves to climb them- darn cat. Good thing he's cute.) I got mine at the thrift store, think I paid 50 cents each for them, maybe a buck. The one that the cat prefers (he can get a running start at that one and make it to the ceiling) is sagging a bit, but the other one is still going strong.

Mine is push pinned to the wall. Not everything stays on tho' so sometimes I have to pin the pieces on. Nothing fancy at all but it serves it's purpose.

I just have a large jpiece of flannel stapled to the top of the wall in my sewing room. It's been there for years, and works great.

Here's a neat tutorial for a large design wall: http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2009...-tutorial.html

She also has a tutorial for a smaller version.

I use the flannel back table cloths...if it is not doing it's job I lightly spray it with Quilt basting spray..that works great!

My friend uses car ceiling liner for her design wall at the store. I'm telling you it works great, but like many of you I have a ceiling fan. I'm going to buy some from her just to try on an insulation board and see if it works well with the ceiling fan.

Love the ideas here!

I have the styrofoam design wall. It's wonderful. I do a lot of dressmaking, so I pin other things to it, too - patterns and fabric sketches, for example, and measurements and pictures drawn by my granddaughter. I used a soft cotton fabric, heavier than calico, but woven like a jacquard. I stapled it to the back, like re-covering a kitchen chair seat. DH attached it with those nails that have the washer in front, so it won't come off.

My fabric cover is not quite opaque enough to hide the bright pink of the insulation! I deliberately chose a messy picture of it. :wink: At least the rest of the room is fairly clean.

[IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/k...ewingroom2.jpg[/IMG]

Because I sell quilts, I can also use this as a backdrop and position the quilts smoothly for photographing.

Oh you are good to get them at a thrift store for .50 each! Hats off to you and I thought my $5.00 was a bargain! Still happy with it, I put mine up with thumb tacks, holds just fine and since my wallpaper is already busy, no one will notice if I choose to take it down. When I do, I will replace that wallpaper, it is a bit dated, but in a sewing room who cares. Makes it easy to use thumb tacks and whatever!

Very very nice, here is a pic of mine

Oh, I LOVE that quilt on the right!!

I have two, one black and one white, and I LOVE them. I wrote up detailed instructions, including the pitfalls I ran into and the specific materials used on my Flicker photo here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/athomesewing/2726109619/

.

Thanks, that is my broken dishes quilt. I think they are just beautiful, an old pattern that I had for 20 yrs and finally made it! Now I have others making it, now that they seen this one! All this is very addicting!

I bought two sheets of 4 x 8 insulation board at Lowe's. It has the silver backing on it. I think it was about $5 per board. I stapled cream colored felt on on them and then stapled it to my wall. The heavy duty staplers will hold perfect and no damage to the wall at all. Eleanor Burns recommends the fabric used on the interior roof of vehicles. It will hold cotton fabric like a magnet. You can find that at most car repair shops.

If I were to do my design wall again here is what I would do, get 2, 4X8 foam boards from Lowel's or where ever. cover with a flannel sheet, and put on wall edged with molding, makes it look like it is supposed to be there, or you could put up cork and just pin sheet to it. either way would be nice.

sonray just posted a how to make a portable design wall just click for sonray and you,ll find it

I am so glad I read this topic, been looking at the foam backed table cloth which you can by by the metre here. Thought that might be a good option. I want to be able to take it down as I use the guest bedroom for my quiltingm not so lucky as some with those great sewing rooms....you lucky people.

Elle

Hubby bought me a good sized bulletin board and I pinned some Warm and Natural batting to it. Worked just fine. Then we moved and it was still there attached to the wall..........

Sorry to be so long in responding, Kristen - I was out of town at a fabric dyeing class.

I used a layer of muslin directly on the insulation board to help block out the color (attached with spray adhesive) and a layer of Hobbs 80/20 batting over the muslin (also attached with spray adhesive.) I chose the batting over flannel because I knew from using the batting that blocks 'stick' to it really well and I chose it over the headliner fabric simply because of cost - I can get the headliner fabric at the local fabric store, but IIRC even at 50% off it was going to be around $6 per yard. I pick up Queen size Hobbs batting for just under $11 each.

I like the wood frame DH made for each of the panels and the way he choose to hang them because they feel really solid - they're not moving around on me the way it did when I just had it tacked to the wall. I can just throw the blocks up there or I can pin.

Hope this helps :D

I presently have a design board made with white foam panels that I ducktaped together and then taped beige felt over it. It measures about 5 X 5 only because I don't have a tall wall for it. Sewing room is in upstairs of our cape cod house and the tall walls aren't in convenient places for viewing. It's portable so I can take it downstairs when I sew in our dining room. I also have felt covered panels behind my large IKEA desk for small blocks, pictures, notes, etc. I use a felt back dollar store table cloth as a portable design board when I want to take blocks for Show and Tell at guild meetings or for suggestions from members of one of my small quilting groups.

Picked up a few good ideas here and plan to replace fragile white foam panels thay have begun to crack with the firmer pink insulation panels, add a layer of batting under the felt and put up some of those command holders on the upstairs hallway wall. I can attach a large felt backed table cloth to them when I need a larger design wall - only thing is that I'll have to stand way back in the bathroom to view it, LOL! May in Jersey

My DH bought foam core insulation board it is like a wall board, but weighs nothing, it is about 1/4 inch thick. I covered it with a very dense batting/felt like fabric I purchased from JoAnns fabric. The nice thing is your fabric will just stick to it like a felt board or you can actually pin into it with straight pens. It is great. I have attached it to the wall with the 3m hooks that do not make a hole or leave residue on the wall. I love it, in fact I have a large one and a small one.

2 yard piece of white fleece ,stapled to the wall at the top and sides, gives you a 60 x 72 inch design area. Cotton fabrics stick well to the fleece and it is easy to pin to if needed. I'm talking about the poly fleece you make the tied blankes with.

I also purchased a sheet of builders insulation which is 3/4" thick and very light weight. They had a piece that was damaged on one end so got it for half price three years ago. Covered it with a flannel backed vinyl tablecloth - just wrapped it around the corners and stapled. I just lean mine up against the wall when using as I sew in a guest room. When guests come, I just stand it up in the closet out of sight. I did mark mine into 2" grids on the flannel for watercolor squares and it works great.

If you don't require a large one and are pressed for space use the inside of the door leading into your room. I tacked a piece of flannel the size of the door and use it. Serves the purpose well.

When someone said they used the back of a table cloth I didn't realize how well it would work. I was amazed that the material stuck to it. I've got one up in my quilting room now and when I have guests and it turns back into my spare bedroom it comes right down. And I also used old sewing machine needles to put it up. You guys have such great ideas.

My husband hung 2 4x8 sheets for me after I covered them with flannel. The flannel material cost more than the insulation. LOL He screwed them to the wall and after a year, I am still happy with the wall. Blocks stick just fine, and I use straight pins for a quilt. Good Luck. Marylou

I use a large foiled insulating foam board which I hot glued cotton batting to. I punched two holes at top on either side and hung it with plastic ties to one of the pipes in the basement ceiling.

I used flannel. I had room for 3 widths, which I serged together. I bought a cheap curtain rod and used cafe clips to attach the flannel. I took it down when I went to class. Just folded the flannel with all my pieces pinned because when moving I didn't want them to float away. I should have prewashed the flannel because I'm getting balls of flannel fuzz on my pieces.
The advantage is it is very large and cheap.