First of all thanks for everyone that send suggestions and links for making a design wall. Originally I thought about purchasing a tri-fold display thingy made out of cardboard. For some reason, it looked smaller than I remembered it to be when I first saw it. Okay, put it in the basket. I walked around a few corners and saw moving boxes of various sizes. Hmm. I looked at the largest one and it was a whole lot larger than the tri-fold. About half way home, I did a head slap as I remembered that I still had the box that my 4" crafting table came in. Aargh!! Now today, 3 days later I use basting spray and tack up an old flannel sheet, cut to size and used duct tape to keep the edges secured.

The blocks that are up there are a WIP, I have more blocks completed, but they are now listed as run-aways because I can't find them. (Moving :thumbdown: ) I know they are here somewhere. :lol: Since I always have rolls of duct tape around, and the flannel sheet was given to me, plus I had the cardboard, total cost of my design board is $0.00. That's a great price, and in reality, this was a very easy project that took just about an hour. I should mention that the finished dimension measures approximately 4' x 4'.

Good job!

Your headslapping moments are ones I call: honest to pete, why didn't I think of that before?

You are funny! I enjoyed reading & keeping up with your saga but it gave me an idea for a big empty box & a flannel tablecloth....

Very nice!! Can it be done without basting spray! ? I have asthma

Probably, using the table cloth is a better idea! I had the flannel and am such a tight-wad sometimes. Yes, the dollars do squeal when they are coming out of my billfold.

Great idea! And I love your blocks! I just got a book with that pattern, and I want to make it all in one color. I wondered what it would look like. Thanks for the help on that, too!

I don't know about that. Is there someone that could spray for you.? I did this outside and didn't notice any fumes, but I don't have asthma, maybe they are there. I couldn't tell, because the wind was blowing. I bought these extra thick face masks when I was working on removing about a hundred layers of paint on some moulding. Other than steaming up my glasses and making my eyeballs sweat they worked just fine.

Great idea, right price!
Block are out of this world!
The mask with the lipstick
is the final touch :lol:

It is a Jinny Beyer pattern called "Dimentions", I think. In my case I will rename it "Dimentia". Oh shoot! The top block on the left hand side isn't turned right. :lol:

:thumbup:

reduce reuse recycle...great job!

and the lips on the mask are the perfect touch lol

I went to staples and purchased 2 poster boards. Covered them in flannel. Cut to size and stapled all around the edges. You can't see the staples so it works. My only problem was that I didn't have enough of the same color. But it works.
Using it with current WIP.

wow....that's great. I have a 6' table in my outbuilding still in the box....now I'm glad no one opened it for me (I was annoyed) Oh, and great blocks, can't wait to see finished quilt....

Beautiful blocks !! :-)
Great design wall !! :-)

OH you all gave me a GREAT IDEA on how to make a design wall. I bought one of those tri-fold mats that you put on the table top and pin fabric on. I am not sure what they are called. But I HAVE NO USE for it at all and I don't want to toss it out....so I AM going to make a design wall with it...and it will fold up and can be stashed away. Thanks for the cool idea.

The tri-fold was my plan A. :D Having a smaller one just might be practicle if you are having issues with building your blocks. I still might go get one. PS, I call it a contraption or a thingy.

That is sweet! I don't have a way to transport something that large. Sort of cumbersome on a bus. Wait, I'm forgetting, we don't have a Staples around here. One hardware store and Walmart. :thumbdown:

My design wall is a fannel backed vinyl tablecloth I picked up at Big Lots for $3. I sewed a casing on one end and hung it from a curtain rod attached to the top of the wall.
The blocks stick to the fannel backing so I can arrange them however I need. And it is easy to rearrange them if I don't like the way they look.

I love your idea! Design walls or design boards are the bomb! I found a cheap pc of board where a new home was being built. I asked if it was trash & they said it was. So I asked if I could have that 1 pc of maybe 20 inch square. Sure take it! So I did and covered that with some batting & felt & I have that propped in a chair beside my machine to put blocks or block pcs on.I love it. So even a sm pc of cardboard would make a great sm sz design board.

Oh, You are one smart Quilter! Thanks for sharing this idea.

So many different ways to serve our purposes. That is a great idea. We really do have a jar of smart cookies here. Thanks for replying. I hope others will take advantage of some of these suggestions.

I love all the creative women here & frugal ideas too. Can't beat ZERO cost! I think for those that have to put a design wall up & then store it away, a "scroll" idea would work nicely. AS someone suggested, sew a hem on both ends of some flannel (or flannel tablecloth, etc) & put anything long & thin (wood dowel, old straight curtain rod, etc), put up some hooks (same as wall color for camoflauge), hang it up when in use, roll up when not. The lower rod will help weigh it down to keep it straight.

Members of costco & other club stores: there are large flat pieces of cardboard separating the stacks of bundles of paper towels & T.P. free for the taking. Home Depot & Lowe's may have similar free packaging they dispose of.

susie0808: I just saw the neat thing about your 2-toned design wall...what a quick way to audition your blocks with a light & a dark sashing! I love interior sashing & cornerblocks & having the 2 colors (or any light & dark) would be great.

Frugal is a nice word. I'll have to incorporate that into my quilting vocabulary. :thumbup:

Whoo Hooo!!! What a great idea, Will go down to the shop a block away and ask them to call me when they get a large box in. Will go right down and get it and make a design wall. Have all the necessary things on hand. Thanks so much for sharing.

Great idea and you sure can't beat the price! $0

Happy Wall Building! Don't forget the other suggestions about checking at Costco for cardboard, or using a flannel backed table cloth. Post a picture when you are done!

Yeaaaaaa!!! for your inventiveness.

For all .. once you've discovered the wonders of a design wall, you'll wonder how you ever sewed before. Soon you'll have expansion plans!!

(says she who started with a piece of fabric on a dowel to pin to; then to a scrap of flannelette on the wall with painters tape; then a bit larger piece of fleece taped on wall .......... and now bliss, 7-1/2'x10' fleece on tentest screwed to the wall. I LOVE my fuzzy wall!!!

My HB hung a shade above the closet in my sewing room.We unrolled it & hung a piece of felt on it {stapled it in a few places]....my design wall.The thing I like about it is,if you need to go to the LQS to pick out border fabric,etc, all you have to do is pop off the staples, roll up the felt quiltblocks & all. When I get to the LQS, I unroll it on a cutting table & pick out my fabric. Get home & just staple it back to the shade. I haven't tried to roll up the shade with everything on it. I'm afraid it might be too much bulk. maybe I'll try that today.

Very clever idea and worked out perfect. Beautiful WIP, love the colors.

I also have asthma and spray outside and make sure I am downwind of the fumes and no problems at all. Love the lips on your mask :-), and using it outside as a precaution is always a good idea. Good Luck:-)

Great quilt :mrgreen: Your design wall is working great! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Great quilt :mrgreen: Your design wall is working great! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Great quilt :mrgreen: Your design wall is working great! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:I still have problems with being patient as you all can see :cry: :oops:

Love that quilt -- it's so dimensional!

Love that quilt -- it's really 3-D!

Ha! You can tell the uptake is slow -- we keep punching the "send" button!

Necessity is the mother of invention. Good for you!

Well, sometimes necessity is just a mother! :lol:

I have asthma too! Just getting over pneumonia. Anyway, I used basting spray to make mine, but I wore a surgical mask and did it in the garage so I could walk away from it and not have the vapor in my house. Good luck if you use the spray...

So very clever!!