Which design wall fabric do you prefer?
 

Can you please tell me which of these fabrics will support the weight of a pieced 12" block without pinning?

cheap flannel
dense flannel (a premium heavy weight sheet)
poly fleece
batting
headliner fabric


I want to cut insulation panels into two pieces and cover with one of these fabrics. Thanks!

I also made my design wall with insulation panels. I used 505 spray adhesive to attach cotton batting (a smoother batting than warm and natural). This has been great. I 505 spray attached it, thinking someday (after much use) I may want to replace it. It holds blocks with ease. It has even held a 60" x 60" quilt top with no problem. I have attached a picture. Along the top I placed hanging over the door hooks. These hooks hold a skinny rod. This allows me to hang a heavy quilt with clips along this top rod. Once I was working on a quilt and didn't want to remove it, so I covered it with another piece of batting and then hung another quilt top over that for temporary working needs. No problems. Hope this helps.

I use cheap flannel back plastic tablecloths bought after a holiday and tape those suckers to the wall with blue painters tape. It's worked for a lot of years. I clean the flannel side now and again with freezer paper ironed on and the pulled off. Keeps it pretty clean. When it's totally shot, I buy another one. I'm able to position 4, 12.5 inch blocks with 2.5 in sashing across and 4 to 7 down with nothing falling off or the "design wall coming loose" from the wall.

OR you can spend a ton of money and get the same results.

Using freezer paper to clean the batting was a great idea. I'll be using that tip, Thanks!

I do the same thing except I use push pins to hold it up on the wall. My $3.00 tablecloth has lasted about 4 years so far and still holding up.

Cari

My design wall is fleece on top of tentest sheeting.
I seldom pin to it, but it is soft enough, that I can put pins in, if needed.

I have even hung completed queen size flimsies without pins.
However, I do put in a few, if I am leaving it for any length of time
...... just in case it decides it does not want to stay in place!
I'd sooner do that, than to come back to find my nicely pressed flimsy in a jumbled wrinkled mess!

I used black fleece because I hated all the grubby looking white/cream design walls I was seeing in stores. If threads collect on it, I simply run a lint roller over it and it is soon back to basic black!

I have tried everything on your list and found that batting (W&N) was the best and stickiest. I can put entire rows up without pinning.

Batting. It works best of all the alternatives I've tried. Like Peckish, I like Warm & Natural as well.

I did a whole wall with insulation board and Warm & Natural. Use spray adhesive or something to keep the batting against the board. Two pins will hold a whole quilt and blocks stick without pins. One of the best investments ever. Whatever batting you use, one with a scrim is best to hold the fibers together when you want to clean it of excess threads.

I used a heavy felt and it works perfectly. I don't get a lot of loose threads sticking to get like I did when I used batting. I used good old duck tape and adhere it to the back.

i agree, great tip!

I used 4 foam boards from the Dollar store and covered 2 with W&N batting and the other 2 with flannel just to see which one worked better. Can't tell the difference. Both W&N and flannel work great. I also used command strips to attach the back of the foam boards to the wall so no damage.

Great idea! Thank you and again today I learned something new. grammasharon

I used two 4 x 8 sheets of foam insulation and covered them with a cheap felt. I have to stick pins in it to keep the blocks up. Now that I have read this I will be changing to batting. Thanks guys!!

I used a queen sized batt of warm and natural. I put it up with push pins around all 4 sides. We are renters and they leave very tiny holes in the wall that paint will cover up. It works great!!

Another flannel-backed table-cloth user. I've done queen sized quilts on mine. Cheap and works great.

Watson

I stapled a sheet of batting onto the wall and have been using it for the past two years.
I've never had a problem with it.

I used headliner fabric on my design wall. It is strong enough that I can vacuum the threads off when needed.

I am also a fan of the headliner fabric. I have left blocks or sections of a quilt up for a couple of weeks with no problem.

I use Warm & Natural. I had some left over when I discovered Dream Cotton batting :D

i can put rows after rows after rows up there and it sticks great!

I have felt over cork board. Only complaint is that it's not long enough. I thin it measures 8' wide and 4' long.

I also have the foam insulation boards (4' by 8'). There are 2 taped together. Then I have Warm and Natural batting just draped over the top. I can put a whole quilt up there without using any pins. If I need a pin here or there, I use straight pins.

I used insulation board covered with flannel because I didn't have a large wall to put a design wall on and I can stand these in front of the closet doors. I really like that I can put them where I want them and the cost was very nominal. It works fairly well, I may try batting on the other piece of insulation board that I have never finished.

I use insulation board with Warm & Natural duck taped to it....just wrapped it over the edges and duck taped on the back. My wall is "portable"...just leans against my closet doors, and I move it if I need in the closet. I didn't have a blank wall to make it permanent.

I cut off the top one foot of an eight by four insulation sheet, thinking the whole 8 feet wouldn't have fit. I sort of wish I hadn't done that, as I think I could just have easily leaned the whole board against my closet doors. It has lasted 5 years though, and I really have no complaints.

Dina

I prefer a 100% cotton batting, no scrim. I've used foam insulation boards for 25 years, love the height and width I can get with them.

I have a large wall with homesote panels covered with white felt (wide from Joann's). I cleans up nice and stays flat.

When half of the basement was finished off in 2007, we did a permanent design wall of four insulation boards (6 feet long and 8 feet wide, butted up to the ceiling). I ordered enough yardage of flannel backing, cream on cream, on sale to cover the boards as a whole piece. A lint roller is used for picking up the little threads, and the wall is still going strong. Love it.

I went to Joanns and bought extra wide washable white felt. Works great and no seams and on sale too.

I used a poly fleece which I attached at the ceiling with lathing and a few tiny nails. I used it for 17 years before I dismantled my sewing room. It was great! I could hang a queen-sized top without any problem.

I used to use batting. Now I have one with an old white wool blanket. If you can find a steal of a deal on wool, that's what's worked best for me.

I use the insulation boards (2 full size) on a frame of 2"x2" built by DSIL (he put boards in the middle to stabilize it and then screwed it into the wall through the supports). I stapled W&N to it. First did this 17 years ago. We moved 2 years ago and the movers trashed the batting cover so I replaced it with more W&N because it held up very well. We were able to use the same frame and insulation boards.

I used the pink insulation and covered it with a queen size flannel sheet. I use straight pins to attach the sheet around the edges. This way I can easily take it off to wash it. I have used this system for 30 years and still love it.

Poly fleece here. The only thing that removes blocks is a certain Border Collie's tail. It will hold anything I put on it without pins.