Design Wall

My studio lacks what I consider to be an important quilting tool. It does not have any space for a design wall. Truthfully I've never had any space or surface that I could use as a design wall. So why do I consider it an important tool? I suppose I could come up with many reasons but the only one that really pertains to me is Quilt Layout.

I tend to use many different fabrics and colors in my quilts. My blocks are rarely uniform in construction so, I need a way to lay out the quilt to keep colors and patterns spread out somewhat evenly. For smaller quilts I have made use of my bed. But that isn't always convenient. I do like to sleep occasionally.

I have seen people use flannel backed tablecloths tacked to a wall for their design wall. I have seen people adhere flannel to a wall in their sewing room/studio for a design wall. Recently I purchased a Quilt Wall from Missouri Star Quilt Company. Which is simply a large piece of felt or Pellon like material. The problem I have with all of these solutions is I don't have a wall that I can put these up on.

As I was perusing Pinterest, I saw a posting on design boards. One person had taken a sewing pattern board covered it with flannel and used curtain rods for feet. I liked the idea. It could be folded and put in a corner when not in use. The problem is it wasn't big enough. It would only be about 36 inches by 58 inches. But what if I used 2 pattern boards taped together? That would double the space.

So I set about gathering supplies. I purchased 2 sewing pattern boards and 2 curtain rods from Walmart. I had a box a of medium binder clips duct tape and the quilt wall from Missouri Start Quilt Company.

The only flat surface large enough to work on in my house is my bed. Don't you just love the camo sheet. Needless to say my husband is a hunter.

I bought these two pattern boards at the local WalMart. I was rather disappointed in what passes for sewing pattern boards these days. The ones from my youth were much thicker and sturdier. They also folded accordion style. These pattern boards are nothing more than large sheets of corrugated cardboard with a grid printed on one side. The edges are even raw, not finished. Plus instead of accordion fold these fold in on itself from each side. Not sure how well that will work for storage.

At least he overall size of each board 58"x 36".  That should give me 58" x 72" design surface.

I unfolded the boards and laid them long sides together. I took care to match up the fold creases. I really do want to be able to fold this up when I am not using it.

To help me keep the board lined up while I taped it I used small pieces of dust tape to hold them together. This helped keep the creases lined up.












Since the boards are 58 inches long and 36 inches wide, I couldn't run one long piece of tape easily. So I opted to tape from the center to the edge.

Yes I know my tape is not straight. Nor is it terribly smooth but it should not matter in the end.

Here it is fully taped. Now I am sure just taping one side would probably be enough. Especially since I will be clipping the board to the curtain rods. But I didn't want the tape joint to become a hinge.

So I flipped the boards over. See how nice and tight that seam is. That is a very good thing. If you look closely you can see the fold creases lined up.

I repeated the taping process on the plain side.

The tape is a lot smoother on this side. Probably because I was more confident doing it.

With the boards together it is time to cover it with something the quilt blocks will stick too.  You can use felt or flannel or a flannel backed tablecloth but since I have a quilt wall, I am going to use that.

I spread it out evenly over the boards. If I was positive that this was going to work the way I hope it does, I would probably use a spray adhesive and permanently attach the quilt wall to the boards. But I am not sure how well this is going to meet my needs and I want to be able to tweak things.

Therefore I chose binder clips to hold the quilt wall to the boards. I started to use the medium binder clips, but I quickly realized that I needed many more clips than I had. So I made another trip to WalMart. I wanted to use medium clips all the way around. But as luck would have it, my local WalMart didn't have boxes of medium clips. I could get small clips, large clips, or an assortment of sizes.






Small would work for the top and bottom but not the sides. Large was just  overkill. So I bought the assortment. Which actually worked out for the better.

I wrapped the quilt wall around the edge of the board and held it in place with the binder clips.

I used 21 small clips on the top and bottom edges. They were actually a better size for that part of the job.

For the sides, I needed the medium sized clips.

You see the board is not going to stand up with out help. I need something rigid to help hold it up. Hence the curtain rods. The ones I am using are the old fashioned single white curtain rods. with the slot in the back for curtain hooks if you needed them. These go from 48"to 84".

For the sides, I placed the curtain rod on the underside edge of the boards. I then wrapped the quilt wall over the rod and used the medium clips to hold it all together.

I tried putting the quilt wall between the board and the rod but the clip rested in the slot and made the clips lay funny.

I ended up using 14 of the medium size clips on each of the sides.

Here is the wall standing up in my studio. Well Kinda of. The curtain rods are not the greatest frame. I had to curve the wall slightly to get it to stand and the shelf behind it has a lot to do with it standing.

Does it work? Yes, it works. Here it is with a quilt laid out on it.







Is it all I hoped it would be? No. Time to get the resident engineer (otherwise known as my husband) to work on it.

Pros - It is portable. I can fold it and stick it in the corner. It does hold a lot of blocks. I can sit/stand back and get a good overall view.

Cons - It is flimsy, the slightest bump and blocks will fall. It is not sturdy enough to stand up without curving which affects laying out the blocks. It is not as big as the quilt wall.

I have asked my husband to redesign it, using different materials if needed. In the meantime I have a quilt laid out and am starting to get it sewn together. And I can go to bed without clearing the quilt off the bed. Since I can leave it up, I can sew a row or two every day and not have to set everything up and put it away. That is a definite plus for me. Once Hubby gets the flaws worked out it will be even better.

What do you use to plan out your quilts?