i have a design wall that's made out of homasote. it reaches all the way to the ceiling and is 12' wide. i can hang a whole quilt from it (a little bit drapes on the floor). BUT ..... everything has to be held in place by pushpins. so when i do blocks and want to see an arrangement or even bits of blocks those pins get to be a nuisance.

i want to turn it into a .... different board, that i can slap blocks against and they stay there. i went to my lqs and tried white flannel. i let it drape over the edge of the counter and the lady pressed some fabric pieces against it. they rolled right off. same with felt.

what are you all using? it has to hang straight up and down, not angled. i will simply cover the homasote with the ...... stuff and staple at the ends.

I use an old flannel sheet. Actually not even an old one, just a flannel sheet I'm not using on the bed. An entire quilt top will stick to it even after it's been stitched into one piece.

Flannel backed table cloth (not the kind in the dollar store - found out they don't work very well :roll: )

a new one or a washed one? maybe washing and fluffing helps. you think?

i looked at the tablecloths and i could se the vinyl right through the fluff, so didn't even try it. i felt it needed something better than what i was looking at. right?

I use an "old" flannel sheet stapled to a closet door. It is stright up and down, and works well for me. Don't know about unwashed. I have also heard that you can use batting, maybe the cotton like warm and natural? Good luck with what ever you do.

Washed.

Also - thinking about you stapling it to the board - mine is not taut and maybe that helps with the stick. I don't know. My friend hung a flannel sheet over her closet doors and used that and it worked perfectly. The sheet is not wrinkly, but definitely not tight as a board, either. Just kinda hanging there.

I have a large piece of flanne just hanging on the wall and I have had blocks there for months and they don't fall off.

i thought of batting myself. i think it would have to work. i was thinking poly, cause that's even fuzzier. i'm afraid that dust would cling to it. vacuuming it would suck it right up.

why are those blocks there for months? get moving, you!

:oops: :oops: You are right ,I feel so embarrassed! :cry:

I'll try to work on that this week! :D

just teasing you. :mrgreen:

I do think that having it stapled down taut makes the blocks stay up better.

thanks for that opinion. i would like for it to work that way so it doesn't flap around in the moving air in the basement.

QUESTION FOR EVERYONE: WHAT 'S THE BEST COLOR? I' M THINKING WHITE OR BLACK.

my wall is white now, but it doesn't have to be if you think black is better. opinions please.

I would go with white. I love the idea of a flannel sheet. I'm going to try that.

Mine is off white and all colors show up on it. If you used black, I would think you would have strings and fuzz that would show up when trying to look at blocks!

And I knew you were just teasing!!!

Cause your our BW!

One of my favorite local quilt shops has a huge piece of Warm and Natural batting stapled up on one wall. It has been there several years and the blocks still stick to it easily.

I've got natural unbleached flannel stapled tight over a wooden framework. Blocks stay put BUT any that are up there longterm (only BOMs BW - don't start nagging!) are held with a couple of pins. They fall off when I start fiddling about a lot with placements on there, for eg with OBWs. I think the space behind is the problem - I might get Hans to put some insulation material behind it when he's got a minute! LOL

Warm and Natural batting would be my choice, thats what we use at our guild meetings. Marge

Going to have one in my new house!! Thanks for the suggestions!

b.zang - the old flannel sheet sounds very good. i think washing and then fluffing in the dryer would help it be grabby.

cathe -i agree with you re: stapling. don't want it sagging.

littlehud -
ninnie -
k3n - you all suggested white or offwhite. on thinking it over, i think you're right.

crh - warm & natural? i'm afraid of the dust it would collect in those little crevices. do you vacuum yours? since it will be stapled in place, i won't be able to shake it or air-fluff in the dryer. it does sound sticky, though.

thanks for the suggestions. there was a lot i didn't think of. i plan to hang up a used flannel pillowcase and test drive it today.

Whaddya mean 'think it over' of COURSE we're right!!!!! :mrgreen:

k3n ..... egocentric thing, aren't you?


http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/s...olleyes005.gif bad, bad

You KNOW that already, B! :wink: :D

We don't know everything[img]http://www.pic4ever.com/images/laie_14.gif[/img]but we do give good advice[img]http://www.pic4ever.com/images/127fs2928878.gif[/img] :wink:

I use a product called Block Butler. It looks like batting, but arrives with plastic on both sides, because it is tacky both sides. You have to peel the plastic back and apply it to a wall, door or whatever. It is totally removeable if you need to take it off, and when you peel off the other sheet of plastic, it is nice and tacky to hold your blocks. It won't be as inexpensive as just flannel, but flannel never worked for me. I have no connection with this product, other than I am a very happy user and can recommend it.

i never heard of that. where can i get it if the flannel fails?

http://www.blockbutler.com/

I looked into it when I was doing mine but could only find it in the States and shipping was too high! There was a company in the UK did it but they stopped. Alright for you though, BW, you is Stateside!!! LOL

to cover my wall, it would take two sheets (with very little trimming top and bottom) of 6 x 6. that's over $150+/- with shipping. i think i'll try flannel first.

Yup - that's why I went with flannel... :?

get back to me on the pm.

Yes ma'am - it's done! :D

Does $11.99 sound better? LOL Seriously! For 3 years now I've been using the same piece of pieced-together batting tacked up by push pins. The batting is Hobbs Heirloom (an 80/20 Blend) and I've had everything from individual blocks to queen size tops up on it. The bottom is all tore up from not lifting it soon enough before vacuuming :oops: and the top is showing wear from the push pins - but this is how it looks today after 3 years. I've never had a problem with dust collecting on it.

Today hubby is assembling my new, more permanent design wall - 1 x 2 wood frame, 2 pieces of 4 x 8 foam insulation, and covered by one layer of muslin and then one newly purchased Queen size Hobbs batting - I got it at Hobby Lobby, so I used my 40% coupon on that $11.99 price. So this pic of the design wall will be the last; she's getting a much-deserved retirement!

EDIT: i miscalculated. the walls are 9' tall. so it would take 3 sheets, not 2. 2 across and then 1 split in half to go to the ceiling. remember, my quilts are 98 X 98, oversized queens, and the purpose is to see the entire layout. even with that, the quilt would lay on the floor a little. so it's $156 + for each panel x 3.

i tried the flannel pillowcases and they seem to work with blocks and 1/2 yard cuts. i think i'll get enough white king flannel sheets to cover, and if it doesn't work i'll sleep with them. i can always tuck them in. flannel doesn't go anywhere when it's tucked under.

I have beige felt covering insulation boards, some behind my sewing desk and a few boards taped together for a 4 x 4 design board that I can move around to where a need it. Wish I had wall space to have at a least a 8 x 12 design board so I could lay out large quilts. I do have enough space for one that size in the upstairs hallway but there isn't enough room to step back to view the design board.

Picked up some light blue felt and was thinking of attaching it to doors in my sewing room, maybe with velco or double sided tape. What do you gals think? Have any of you used these methods? Room is light blue and felt would blend in nicely and cover some nicks on the doors as well as being design boards. I could have different projects on different doors. May in Jersey

I use a flannel back tablecloth too.

I never said it was cheap, but it is certainly good. I have a 6' x 6' one - would you really need two?
And re the UK, you can get it from
www.quiltdirect.com
I got a smaller one from them only two or three weeks ago.

Lacelady: Glad to hear that you recommend Block Butler. I was about to "build" my own design wall with tri-fold insulation panels and batting, when I found Block Butler at the Omaha quilt show, and bought a 4x8 piece to try. Haven't put it up yet, but looking forward to it!! The best part is no staples, or nails in my wall!!!

El Burns did a segment on making a design wall and used headliner for cars.