Good-bye Design Wall

PIND Design sans fabric
PIND Design sans fabric

I sold my design. I bought the design wall at least 5 years ago, probably more. I don’t remember exactly when, though it was at a Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show. It was an impulse buy and I had high hopes for the additional design space. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me, as it turned out. I know you are thinking “how can she say that?” when I have used it for many, many projects.

I was able to use it and make quilts. It just wasn’t ideal. I felt that the fabric part was too flimsy for me. The flannel wasn’t sticky enough for me either.

Empty design wall space
Empty design wall space

It is off to a new home and my workroom seems a little empty now.

Since I sold it I have the money to buy the supplies to build a new design wall. I have sweet talked DH into helping me. I need him to cover the Home Despot part of the project. I did some research at Britex a few years ago and think I know what I will get to cover the masonite or Insulfoam. I am using Quiltin’ Jenny’s guide as my basis as she has practical tips. My goal is to have a firm back so I can press patches and blocks on to the design wall. We will paint this room sometime, so I need to be able to remove the wall without too much trouble.

Author: JayeL

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

4 thoughts on “Good-bye Design Wall”

  1. Ahhh, design walls! So, so useful, but frustrating if they are not done right.
    I have large polystyrene sheets that I covered in cream coloured flannel (couldn’t get white) and DH screwed them to the wall for me. The polystyrene lets me pin to it for heavier things and the flannel lets me press blocks etc to it simply and very easily repositioned.

    My bug bears: not big enough, but I’ve covered almost a whole wall, so really that’s because I want to put too much stuff on it!
    The polystyrene is not ironable, so I can’t lightly fuse something in place before taking off the wall.
    The polystyrene is not strong so that if I want to take it off the wall and move house (done several times already) I have to be very careful not to snap the sheets.

    But I wouldn’t be without it!

    1. I don’t think I can ever have a design wall that is large enough, so I understand where you are coming from. Good point about polystyrene. I’ll keep that in mind.

    1. I’ll let you know, though it could be another blog post for you!! We plan to hang it up the same way as my small design wall – using a sleeve and a strip of wood screwed to the wall. It works for me and I have no reason to believe it won’t work for a larger design wall.

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