I developed this design wall back in 1995 and have been sharing it in my workshops ever since. It’s lightweight, inexpensive, and very portable. Here are the supplies you will need:
• 1 dressmaker’s cardboard cutting board (the kind that folds up for storage), when folded measures 14″ x 40″
• 2 curtain rods that extend to at least 72″ (the white metal ones that curve on each end)
• a piece of flannel 44″ x 80″ or a flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth
• 10 – 12 large binder clips 2″ size (from the office supply store)
• double sided carpet tape
I washed my flannel first this time – it was purchased at goodwill 5 yards for $2.99 total! You only need a little over 2 yards. You want to cover the backside of the design wall with the flannel – the design wall will fold up with the grid side on the outside so the flannel will stay cleaner longer.
Backside facing up, apply the double-stick carpet tape along one long edge at a time.
If you have not washed your flannel it might be wider than the design wall – if so, apply the tape to the grid-side and attach a couple of inches of flannel to the front(or whatever you need to make it fit).
Press flannel onto the tape, allowing the flannel to extend past the cutting board at the top and bottom by a couple of inches.
Tape both sides, then turn the board over. Apply tape to the top, press flannel into place, and repeat on the bottom edge.
When all the edges are taped down you are ready to attach the curtain rods. Extend curtain rods to 6′ and lay them under the long sides, one side at a time.
Attach binder clips to hold the cutting board to the curtain rod.
Use 5 – 6 binder clips along each side. Finish attaching the clips to one side, then do the other.
Ta Da! Finished design wall!
I use these all the time. My quilting studio is in my attic with all those interesting sloped ceilings, so I have very little wall space. With these I can create my wall space by leaning them up against almost anything, blocking windows, doors, whatever it takes to layout my quilt blocks. For larger quilts, simply set two or three of these design walls next to each other.
Enjoy!
Pat
nickelquilts 