Design Wall
 

Would any of you share an idea, or picture for a Design Wall or flannel board that you have in your sewing area? I have heard that they may not all be made of flannel, but also can be made from quilt batting. How do either of these work for you? Thank you!

I tried quilt batting and the fabric blocks just didn't stick to it well enough. Then I used a piece of felt and hung it from a curtain rod in my sewing room. That works like a charm, as the fabric pieces stay in place. Then I placed a second curtain rod at the bottom, and essentially stretched the felt between the top and bottom rods. That keeps it flat and hanging straight. It was relatively cheap to do, and it works very well.

here's a post from earlier today http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...p-t240291.html

May husband put up plyboard that I covered in flannel it is really large works well.

MacThayer, just have to comment on what beautiful furbabies you're holding there. They look sweet as can be!

I have used the same flannel backed table cloth for years. Works great. Just hung it on the wall.

I bought 2 thick pink foam boards from Home Depot. They are each 4' x 8'. I can't remember what they are really intended for. We attached them to a wall making my design wall 8' x 8' and covered it with a gridded flannel that I ordered from Keepsakes years ago. I like it because I can stick pins through the foam board when needed although it's not necessary for blocks.

My experience was exactly the opposite - I tried flannel-backed tablecloths, a flannel sheet, and finally quilt batting, and the batting is what works the best for me. I also think the type and brand are very important - I used some leftover Warm & Natural, which seems to be very Velcro-like and sticky. Not even a big thumpy dog tail whacking the wall will knock those blocks off. :D

There is a great tutorial: How to make a design wall fast, easy, and inexpensively.

Have a look under tutorials and see what you think. I'm redoing my sewing space and I do believe that's what's going to be included. Not only is it a design wall, but also a decorative feature.

Personally, I use the back of a table cloth from the dollar store, and that's great for going to retreats, but I'm looking forward to something a little more classy in my sewing room.

Thank you to all of you!!! What a great Board! When we need advice or help, we get answers! Have a great day!!!

The only trouble with using batting over flannel is the ease of getting all those threads off your "design wall". I would NEVER get my batting clean while the flannel on my 1" insulation is so easy to clean with one of those lint rollers. I work with tiny pieces when I work on a Bargello pattern and it is so convenient to be able to stick a pin into the insulation. I realize not all of you have a room for a large design wall.

Mine is sort of portable. It is one of those pink insulation boards covered in Warm and Natural Batting that I attached with duck tape. I think it is 4 feet wide and six feet tall, as I cut two feet off the top, thinking it would lean on my closet doors better. My original intent was to slide it behind the door to the room when I wasn't using it, but turns out I am always using it.

I am going to take a picture in case that helps. My blocks cling well to the batting, and I have never even tried to get the threads off that linger. I even read somewhere that one quilter's granddaughter had vacuumed them off, trying to be helpful, and blocks never stuck well again.

Okay, I said that blocks stick, and they do, but I have pinned some of these strips up because I don't want to take the chance that gravity might win and thus mess up my order. :)

I have used this design wall for 3 years with no problems. I don't know how I quilted without it. I wish it was a bit bigger, but I have a small room. This is as big as I am comfortable with. (Ha, I just took two pictures, and I had to stand out in the hall to get far enough back to get all of it, but you get the picture. My current quilt is hanging off the left, and my husband walked by, and seeing that I really need a bigger design wall, suggested that we make another one that slides behind this one and I can pull it out when I need it. Hadn't thought of that, and I vote yes!!)

Dina

A nice aspect of using the pink (or blue) insulation panels from the hardware store covered with felt or flannel is that they are heat tolerant, so you can actually iron on the design wall (if it is securely mounted to your wall). I often find that handy when I'm working with a pieced backing-- very large to manage on an ironing board. I also sometimes can layer and baste a smaller project on the design wall, as I find it easier to work on a vertical surface than to crawl around on the floor.

I did the same - only with blue foam board from Lowe"s! Works very very well! Since it is LARGE, I can put a couple of projects on at the same time.