I'm dreaming about a quilting wall and have no idea if they really work, where to find them, is it a waste of time and resources. etc. I did find one web site that has them but I'd like to compare prices and quality. I know you gals/guys are the ones to ask. Please advise...

Do you mean a design wall? If so I made one by hanging a piece of batting, another one the batting is stapled to the wall.

I'd be lost without my quilting wall. But I did it on the cheap. I had way too many books that I didn't want to get rid of, so I bought a bunch of small boxes and filled them with the books. Then I stacked the boxes along the wall, about 3 boxes wide and four boxes tall. Then I went to Hancocks and bought some white flannel on sale. I attached the sheet of flannel to the top row of boxes - voila! The boxes were hidden, and the quilting wall appeared. On the top of the boxes I put a cheapo white very small bookcase (like you can buy in pieces at Walmart). All my stash is stored there, in full view.

I love having someplace to stick blocks, etc., to be able to stand back and see what they look like. It's fun to go back into the room later and look at the same arrangement of blocks on the wall and see if I feel the same way about it.

Bottom line is, you'll love a quilting wall and you don't have to spend much on it.

I made mine too. Glued felt to a cardboard graft board I bought at JoAnns.
The do help when you are trying to decide on the arrangement of your blocks- no more bending over the bed or table.

renee...you are much craftier than I....I salute your creativity. :-)

Made mine recently too, bought 2 yards warm and natural with 50% off coupon at Joann's (So it was a whole of $11) and nailed it to my wall. Loooove it!! Don't know how I lived without it. :)

Rachel

Oh and as for the "if it works" part, here's my 365 blocks up on it:

[img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/...abe5182979.jpg[/img]

They stay so nicely, no pinning, spraying or anything! It's great for checking out color flow and easily moving things around.

Rachel

PS (And yes mine goes around the corner, darn window was in the way, but it works anyway LOL)

Great ideas already. Many thanks! I have a crafty hubby who can put one together using your ideas! I knew you'd come though. This is such a neat place to hang out when I'm not in front of the sewing machine!

Thank you, Dragonfly Nana! Necessity truly is the mother of ....creativity!

And, don't forget a flannel-backed table cloth ... very portable, can be rolled up with the blocks still on it and stored if needed. <wave>

I took one of the insulation panels from the home improvement store (4ft x 8ft), covered it in batting and flannel and mounted it on the wall. If your DH is crafty, he should be able to come up with something. Google quilt design wall and you'll see several sites with instructions.

I made mine with a 2 yard piece of felt from Joanns. Sewed a sleeve in one end and then used a slat from Home depot and some nails in the wall to hang it. About $15 invested and I love it.

I had a design wall before I had a sewing room. It's something I have to have if I'm going to quilt.

I had one back home that was a bulletin board with batting tacked to it.

I like the idea of a bulletin board for a design wall to take to the retreats with me, never seems to be a design wall open when I need it. This would be easy to travel with.

My problem is that I'd be tempted to pull it down and use it in a quilt when it came time to buy batting :D

I use the back of a plastic table cloth that has the felt stuff on it. You can also use head liner material, it is the stuff they use for the inside roof of your cars. (now don't be running out and tearing off the one in your car)

Oh trust me I've been thinking about that, but luckily it was cheap enough and I love it so much it *should* be safe (maybe ) :D

Rachel

I have a folding screen with batting draped over it that i use since my walls are covered.

I have one large quilt where I pinned a flannel sheet to my living room window..only large enough space.. That one is a UFO I need to pull out, maybe for March:)

Thanks for the great ideas. Like the reversed table cloth

You might want to try http://www.bing.com/
next time you do a search - easier to find things.

For my quilting weekends away I always take a flannel back tablecloth; if I don't use it one of the other girls do:)

My design wall is made from a 4 x 8 sheet of styrofoam insulation that came from Home Depot - it cost about $10. One end is covered with white fleece - the other with black fleece - I use black to audition pastel colors - white seems to suck the color right out of pastel fabrics.

I have a long wall in my sewing room, but if I needed to I could cut this sheet in half and have 2 small design walls.

The fabric sticks to the fleece without needing to pin. If I do pin - pins slide in & out of the styrofoam with ease.

So - - no need to purchase a design wall - just look around the local hardware store and your creative mind with figure out the best materials to use to fit your needs. :)

I bought two pieces of flannel (white) each two yards and hung them one under the other.

A design wall is an absolute must for me. I got two pieces of foam insulation board (4' x 8' each) from the builders' supply store. First I cut two feet off the end of each since there's nowhere in my house where I can stand up something 8 feet tall. I hinged the two big pieces together on the now 6' edge with duct tape and also bound the outside edges with duct tape so the foam wouldn't fall off later. I covered the entire thing in a flannel-like fabric. (And yes, there is a seam, but that's not a problem.) Now it will fold in the middle and slide under the bed when it's not in use. I did the same thing with the two smaller pieces I'd cut off, hinging them on the 4' edge, covering with flannel. That gives me a smaller design board that will fit into my car and can be taken to classes, retreats, etc. Two for the price of one!

All of your suggestions are really great. Hubby has some long boards out at the shop and I had some W & N I bought for 50% off and never used.... Viola - My quilting wall! Thank you so much for all the great ideas. I could even make a smaller version with flet I have. hmmmmm The walls could be totally padded - which I probably need. lol Thank you all!

I found the fold out design wall at Nancy's Notions on sale. It works great, once you get the poles inserted, it goes together very fast. The poles have an elastic going through them, so you just straigten out the pole and it is together. It comes in a carry case so it is easy to take to class or retreat.
D in TX

I did the same ... only used 2 panels of 4x8 ft insulation material. A friend helped me hinge the two panels together with duct tape. We used commercial spray adhesive from Office Max to adhere the warm & natural batting. Then I duct taped the batting on the back for more security.

My design wall is folded behine a large bookcase in my living room ... with a beautiful mola covering it ... and it is now also a design feature in my LR.

It is easy to access and use. Once I have my blocks just as I want them ... I take a picture ... then take off the blocks in order and pin the rows together labeled.

It is fun to be creative.
alice

alice

I used a plastic tablecloth that was flannel backed. I bought it several years ago at a fall clearance sale for 75 cents.

Hello, you had so many good ideas. but if you can bear one more idea..
I purchased 1 sheet of foam core. The sheet is 4feet by 8feet. This works for me for now. I do have to use pins to hold the squares. But when I can, I will purchase some off-white flannel to put on top of the foam core. I also plan to by a second sheet. Then the quilting wall will be 8feet by 8feet. The sheet of foam core was under $11 dollars. I am fortunate to have a company by the name of Allied Plastic Supply in my town. But you can do a search in a town near you.

I love my design wall and it was very inexpensive to do. I bought a sheet of foam insulation at Home Depot and attached a sheet of flannel with spray fabric glue. It's very light weight so easy to move. I have it leaning against the wall in my sewing room - a few months ago I made another one so it will hold a full size quilt if put side by side.

i used an old flannel back tablecloth and attached to wall using velcro dots (which come real easy when you need to take them down.) sister gave me the idea and it really works

i used an old flannel back tablecloth and attached to wall using velcro dots (which come off real easy when you need to take them down.) sister gave me the idea and it really works

Buy a plastic table cloth with a flannal back at the $ store. Attach it to a wall with the flannal face up and the plastic facing the wall. I have a drop ceiling in my sewing room...I used cloths pins to attach the cloth to the metal part of the drop ceiling. Works perfect.
Linda

when the terminal i worked in moved, i took home a couple of those cubical partitions home. i put the batting on it, my dh made a frame out of scrap 2x4s around it. he mounted it on locking casters so i can move it around my studio (which i share with my dd and ddil. since it is 2 sided, 2 of us can be using it at the same time....i figure it cost me less that $25.00 for the batting.

This is what I have, bought it at JoAnn's. Eleanor Burns' son made her one with headliner and a wooden frame around it. I just tacked mine to the wall.

My den is my sewing room. I used push pins to attach a piece of white flannel to the door leading to the garage. I can stand at the end of the hallway and get a distance perspective to view color choices and block placements. I leave them in place as long as needed and look whenever I pass the doorway. No cost at all. I had the fabric and push pins.

Great idea - can't decide which one to use for my design board

I just got one at Joanns with my 40% off coupon. It still cost $15.00.I love it though.

Renee765,
I'd love to see a picture of what you've described. It sounds like a creative and inexpensive way to store quilting supplies.

Anna