Pam S - Home depot will do 2 cuts for you for free - or at least our store will. So get a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood whatever thickness you want - something you can handle; have them cut it in half lengthwise, so you have 2 pieces 2 foot by 8 foot and have one of the 8 foot ends cut down to whatever length you deem appropriate for you. If you go in with someone else, you can split the cost; you'd only have about a 2 foot x 3 foot square piece left; maybe make a small design board from that. You could cover both with the appropriate supplies yourself. Good luck. Am sure it'd be much cheaper.