I have three- two "permanent" and one portable. For the permanent ones I stapled cheap flannel to a bare wall - one is behind my machine in my studio (which was the master bedroom) where I can easily put up and take down blocks as I work on them. The other is in the living room, which is now a big sewing room where my friends and I quilt on a regular basis. The third is a piece of flannel backed oil cloth from Walmart - I stapled pieces of velcro (the hook side) to the front edge of a couple of bookcases then sewed the corresponding loop side to the edge of the oilcloth (in my studio). When I need a portable design wall for class or just for a project that doesn't need to be out all the time, I hang up the oilcloth and do my work...when I need to take the work some where else or put it aside for a while, I roll up the oilcloth from the bottom, take it off the bookshelves and off I go. This works great for class projects, etc. (I don't have a huge house, I just live alone and decided that wasting space on traditional functions was...a waste...)

And I wouldn't live without any of them now that I'm used to them.

This is how I do mine. I get the cheaper roller shades in Family Dollar and take off the plastic.
http://www.digsmagazine.com/lounge/l...llershades.htm
I made the shades to just fit inside my windows thinking I would make curtains to cover the frame. Next time I will make them to cover the frame. I like the simple look much better.
Not so much fabric to collect dust either. And there is the little thing of rather spend it on quilting fabric. lol

I bought 2 sheets of 1"x4'x8' foam insulations panels and covered them with wide flannel. They are just leaning on the wall and I can move them if I rearrange the room. GK love to design with the scrap blocks.

I have one too. I used the 4x8 foam board and covered it with felt. I can't imagine being with out one.

mine is a twin mattress and i use it all of the time. I want to make one for my wall. That mattress can get in my way at times!

I remember thinking I didn't need one and then started using one at a quilt retreat. I couldn't believe the different perspective I got on my work!
Mine is a foam wallboard that a construction friend got for me. I used a glue gun and a 1/2 bolt of cheap flannel to cover it. I'm blessed enough to use my finished basement as a sewing room, so I can 'see' my work in progress. It's been a big help.
But, JIC you don't have the room...when I teach at the store where I work, when it's time to preview our blocks, I just bring in a large flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth - pin it to the wall & voila! that works too.
Don't go without one!

This is the method I use. I just got some really inexpensive vynal(sp) tablecloths at the discount dollar store for really cheap and used thumbtacks to put them on the wall. They have a flannel-like back (maybe more like batting) that makes my blocks stick quite well. I don't know what I would do without my design wall and it cost practically nothing. Can't get any better than that!
Doug in Akron, Ohio

I use mine all the time: keep track of block sewing order, leaving up a partial quilt til I get ideas of how to proceed, just to admire my work sometimes.
I bought 2 1/2 yards of outdoor table cloth fabric at my local quilt shop (one side oilcloth the other side flannel-ish).
Tacked it with push-pins to a wall in my quilt room, flannel side out. Blocks and pieces stick to it. I straight pin on heavy pieces.
Works perfectly and alot cheaper than those my friends made.

I've use large pieces of polyester batting sewn together and hanging from a curtain rod and flannel. I'm hoping to have the foam board covered with flannel installed floor to ceiling soon.

My design wall is a wall sized piece of fleece tacked to my wall. Works great!