Design wall, just realize how important they are.
 

I am a novice quilter, I have made several rag quilts, a Quilt in a Day ATW (25 years ago, think 80's peach and green).

I am making a quilt for my mother's 80th birthday. I needed to be able to see it (controlled scrappy), but laying it on the bed was not working for me.

We have a wall in the basement that has a weird soft white paneling on it. I decided to pin the squares I had already made on the wall. It allowed me to really see what I had done. It also allowed me to see that I need to add some more colours to balance what I have so far.

I need to find a place for a full sized permanent design wall.

My birthday is next month, hmm maybe dh can help me make one.

I made a big mistake putting a quilt together before I had a design wall! Much better to have one and keep track of all the rows etc, and everything being in the right direction and order!!!!

I wish i had something better than what i have but it's working for now. My sewing area has a wall of shelving covered by 3 full sized flat sheet curtains. When i need to, i pin a fleece blanket to the curtains and then my blocks can be pinned to the fleece blanket. They don't fly all over because the fleece works just like a flannel design wall does.

I need to come up with a better way to do this eventually but for now it works.

I just added a giant design wall to a bedroom we have upstairs that wasn't being used. Love it, but I have to keep my step stool in there to reach the top. If we need the room later for a guest room, my design wall will become my art wall :). Don't know how I got along without one.

I have a plastic flannel backed picnic table cloth that gets thumbtacked to the wall when needed. I agree with the lady from Oregon "Much better to have one and keep track of all the rows etc, and everything being in the right direction and order!!!!"

I also made my first couple of quilts by laying the blocks out on a bed or floor thinking vertical, horizontal, it really didn't matter. After I got my wall up I was amazed at what a better overall view of the design you get. Much easier to arrange the blocks. In addition to making it easier to just keep the blocks in order.

I hang mine off the closet doors using pants hangers. The first time I put it up, my son (12 at the time) spent an hour rearranging the blocks for the quilt I was working on to try to get the best color balance.

Cheers, K

I have 3 portable. I use flannel backed tablecloths attached to pant/skirt hangers. I can hang them on my sewing room (formerly bedroom) window (6ft wide) curtain rod. I can also hang them in my hall on another curtain rod with small. would be happier to have a designated wall but right now that is not possible. When up on a wall much easier to get better perspective and catch mistakes before they become a pain to repair or fix. I like that I can also take my design wall with me.

I made a design wall this winter and love it-why did I wait so long,lol.I used 2 sheets of the solid insulation and covered them with flannel-love it

Every one needs a design wall - However- i was taught to also lay the quilt as it is to be used. - bed quilt on a bed, Wall hanging on a wall. the reason for this is that what looks good on a wall may not flow right/show pattern when laying flat. I speak from experience- I made a lovely 9 patch pazzaz quilt that looks great when on a wall but when laid flat on a bed you can not see the pattern at all.

Also you can use a flanel back table cloth as your design wall . I also put the table cloth on the bed/floor when laying out the top. then I just roll it up and take it to the sewing room and either hang it up or lay it on a table for sewing. This table cloth also works great to take to a class or on a retreat to carry your layed out project.