Design wall. I've read about them and seen many different ways of making them. I've tried laying my quilt out on the floor, and on the bed. I even tried hanging a piece of felt inside the closet in my sewing room. But nothing was working for me.
I have a very large wall space in my sewing/laundry area. It is pretty much wasted space, because the washer and dryer are right across from this wall, not leaving very much room.
So with the help of my very tall hubby, we hung a flannel backed plastic table cloth and taped it down with painters tape.
I hung the blocks from a quilt that is in the works. Kept it up over the weekend to see if the blocks would stay put.
So far so good :-)
BTW, I have been saving black and white fabric for a while, waiting for just the right quilt pattern. I found this pattern on
All People Quilt.
I have an account at this website, so I hope you can open the link. They often have some really pretty patterns.
Have you solved your Design wall problem?? Does it help you to visualize your quilt in the making?
Have a Happy Quilting day!
21 comments:
I could not live without my design wall. Like you, I used to have a design floor and design bed, but a design wall works so much better, especially when there are pets in the house.
I used the table cloth for my first design wall. I put 3 button hole at the top of the table cloth to hang on the removable 3M hooks. Or you could use the cafe curtain ring clips instead. Love my permanent wall now.
I also used a flannel backed table cloth (my mother was throwing her's out). I used a ladder and a few small nails to put it on the only wall I had left in my sewing room. I love it I use it more than I thought I ever would. Great minds think alike. ;-> Toni Anne
now just crawl up on those machines = sit and look at your quilt blocks to see if you like them :)
I have a portable design wall - put it up on rickety legs and stand back and look and do this every time you want it up. I wish I had a permanent space but I don't - I got this one from Connecting Threads.
Well, I think I did something unheard of...I originally set out to go to the Dollar store for some flannel backed table cloths but on the way, I past our local Joanns and I started thinking...I had an entire wall in my sewing room,with old fading wallpaper on it that will eventually be removed. If you have ever removed wallpaper, you know that the older stuff, tears up the walls as you take it off...so I thought, what the heck! I stopped at Joann's, bought 5 yards of 60" wide Fleece and a box of large Thumbtacks for $22, (wasn't sure if fleece would work but I tested it before I put it up and it works better than the flannel) My house is not very big so we're talking approx. an 8' by 11' wall, ceiling to floor. I set about thumbtacking the fleece to the wall stretching it as I went and I was delighted and surprised, how well it works. It not the prettiest design wall I've seen, I'll admit, but the thumbtacks lay so flat that I can hang blocks on it over the thumbtacks, where I overlapped the fleece in the middle of the wall. I will send you a photo if you would like, Like I said, it's not the nicest design wall I've seen, but it holds single blocks and even the heavier projects that are partially assembled. I've only had one block fall off the wall since I put them up over a month ago, and that was when I had the window open during a gusty wind storm. The rest of the projects and blocks held fast. Before I made my fleece wall, I used a 'bunk board' covered with flannel that I could move from place to place and it works well too, but not as well as the fleece. Hugs...
***Note: Someone asked me why I didn't sew it down the middle to save the row of tack in the center, which is what I originally planned to do...but I tried a small test piece and the seam was so bulky it wouldn't flatten down. Also the fleece was heavy and would have needed a few tacks down the center anyway for support.
I used a flannel backed vinyl tablecloth, too! I have mine attached at the top of one of the bunks in the quilting room of our RV, and I roll it up out of the way when I'm not using it. I had to cut it down to fit the space, so I used the smaller piece down the window to use for small projects -- it stays up all the time. :)
I desperately need a larger design wall. I never thought of using painter'r tape and I think that is the perfect solution for me! Brilliant! Thanks!
I use a flannel backed table cloth and have it on the wall with push pins. I still use the floor or the bed sometimes, too, though.
Jocelyn, this is a great idea & I LOVE that quilt pattern fabric. How are you doing now, my friend. Think of you often. As you can see from my blog(less) Mackenzie keeps us pretty busy.
Miss you
TTFN ~
Hugs of love,
Marydon
Love it! Also, inspiring :-) I want to make one too!
Great design wall idea!
Oh you are so lucky to have room enough for a design wall...I have to lay things out on the floor and then take a picture to see how things look. What a great idea for your wall.
I couldn't do a quilt without my design wall. I love your quilt. The border fabric is perfect.
Nice looking black and white and yellow quilt! I have a very small portable design board, and a small design wall. I use my bed and the floor for larger projects, and my curious cat seems to like it when I do!
Gosh I love your sewing/laundry room.
The area you picked for a design wall is great, but I'm thinking that a "soft" design wall/curtain would work by hanging a curtain of batting along the wall that is the entry to your laundry area, and give you a larger quilt wall. We can chat offline if that interests you, but your room looks like this approach may work. You may remember how my post with limited space so I used Ikea's floating wire curtain hooks for a "soft" batting wall, in front of some cabinets. Not perfect, but gives me a large quilt wall that has been very helpful and flexible. Another friend has one in front of her closet. Flexible design.
SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
The design wall looks great, better than the bed, saves a few back aches leaning over the bed. My design wall is made from larger left over wadding sewn together but and zig zag the join add a curtain rod pocket then sitting on curtain hooks my hubby put in the wall.
Great solution! So going to try this!!Now to locate the 'lucky' wall. :)
You came up with a great solution. I'll have to do a post showing my design wall, mine can be wound up.
Crispy
That is great looking quilt. I like the black white and yellow together. I think I have seen that pattern before. My design wall is a Block Butler: http://www.blockbutler.com
I have used the High Light pattern for 16 times over the last several years for the graduation quilts I make. Super easy and fast! Reds & Whites, Blues & Whites, Blue, White, & Yellow, Black, White, & Red, etc.
And I like your design wall!
So glad you finally got a design wall. Your quilt is great! I think you did pick exactly the right pattern for those fabrics!
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