My $2 design wall
 

Hello everyone, as I've gotten more into quilting this last year or so, I have seen the need for a design wall but wasn't about to spend the $$ to buy one. I tried several different cheap ideas, and finally landed on this.[ATTACH=CONFIG]573559[/ATTACH]
I bought a cheap fleece throw blanket from the dollar store for $2, it measures about 50"x56". We had some heavy duty cardboard panels from ordering solar panels for our RV. Hubby used packing tape to tape them together which created a "hinge" so I can fold it and store it away. Attached the throw to the cardboard with 3 binder clips. It won't hold a huge quilt, but will hold a small quilt or a bunch of squares for a bigger one. Quick, cheap, portable...works for me since I sew in our formal dining room. Also, the fleece blanket was cheaper than batting or flannel yardage and everything sticks really well.

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a second-hand room divider/screen. One side can be decorative, the other can have the cheap fleece permanently mounted on it. Then, if we have folks over and need the big dining table, I can set my machine, etc in a corner of the room (it's a big room), put the screen in front of it so my current project will be tucked invisibly away, then moved back out when company leaves.

thanks for sharing... sounds like a good solution

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How clever of you! Sounds like a good plan in your dining room also.

I did something similar with four syrofoam boards I found in Home Depot. Nice job.

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.

Frugal, effective, and creative!

Necessity is the mother of invention........never thought of a fleece blanket.......

I never thought of the fleece blankets. I will hopefully have space for a design wall, soon, but I was worried about the cost. This is a GREAT and inexpensive idea. I need to keep my eyes out for a white one like you have there. Perfect!

I bought a couple of flannel backed plastic tablecloths at a cheapie store a couple of years ago. Sewed them together for a nice big design wall. Works well. Only problem is having a large enough space to hang it!

I like the idea of your decorative screen for your DR as well. Nice double-duty idea for your situation.

Great idea, and I love your bright nine patches. What are you going to do with them?

Great idea nd if we can do something for less, why not?

Some good ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love hearing of others ideas, makes us all think.

Love your idea! Thank you for sharing.

Creative solution! Thanks for sharing.

cindynvb, I am making a granny square quilt, but have come up with a different, easier way to put it together. I posted part 1 of a tutorial on that page. Will finish the tutelage soon and post pics when it is done.

Great ideal

Great idea.

Well, that is a fabulous idea. I have a set of white fleece sheets that I bought a couple years ago... hated them on the bed... but I think it would work on a design board! I also have one of those tri-fold cardboard things that kids use in school for their projects, which I picked up at the Dollar Tree thinking I could use it for a photo backdrop. I'll bet I could glue the fleece sheet onto that board because it's not very thick fleece. Then I could just fold it up and tuck it behind something when it's not in use. Oh boy, another project to try!! :) :)

Excellent re-purposing idea.

Great suggestions!

Thank you.

Be careful! I started out with a make do design wall using cardboard and an old plastic tablecloth. That fit perfectly in my little 8x 6 sewing room. I thought what more could I want. LOL I now have two 8 x 4 felt covered insulation foam boards in my converted den with attached bedroom that is now my sewing studio.

I have sliding pocket doors to my sewing room and since there are windows and closets on other walls there is mo real room for a design wall. But a thought popped into my brain about hanging a flannel Roman shade just above the door way on the inside of the room. Maybe I could lower and raise it and it would be out of sight from the rest of the house??

Great idea. Thanks

Why not put a thin covered board on the pocket door?

I agree, some of my initial cheap ideas included hanging a flannel sheet, length of batting, etc. over the curtains in my dining room...nothing stuck. You kind of need the firm surface underneath to press things onto. The cardboard or other firm surface works MUCH better, blocks stick just fine.

Hey, it works. For years I've used a flannel-backed tablecloth tacked over a closet door (for easy removal).

I love your idea. Thanks for sharing

Clever and thrifty. I use cheap flannel backed plastic tablecloths and tape them to the wall with blue painters tape. They work great.

Depending on the style of the door, you could put flannelette or fleece right on the surface of the sliding doors. Would need to check that the one at the back would still have room to slide, if it had the covering plus blocks on it.

Lots of great ideas here. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I copied them and put them in a file on my desktop so I can use them later when I move. I had been using a flannel backed tablecloth or a piece of white flannel (same issue as mentioned above as to strings bugging me; never thought of black though.) The flannel was on a rod using round spring clip curtain rings and worked well when I could pin it stretched tighter on both sides, otherwise, it moved and swish, there the blocks would go, on their own trip around the room.