33

Hope Yoder is back with an easy tutorial on how she made a design wall for her cozy quilting space.

First, what is a design wall? I would liken it to an old fashioned felt board. Remember the felt boards used in school or the small quiet games made of felt? A quilting design wall is usually made of cotton batting and can be on a loose portable structure or a fixed structure. How to use it. As you cut your blocks of cotton quilting fabrics you can finger press (or pin) them to the design wall and the fabric clings to the cotton batting. This allows you to rearrange your blocks, take a step back and check out your masterpiece. Arrange, step back, look and repeat.

If you search for quilting design walls, you can find a wide variety of directions on how to make them. Here, I’ll share with you how I made mine using supplies I purchased from our local Lowes store. I had plenty of wide cotton batting in my sewing room and the extra supplies I purchased at Lowes came to under $35.00.

MATERIALS USED

·       Embellish™ Angel Loft Batting

·       Panel Foam/DIY Insulation Kit 

 

·       Duct Tape

·       3M Command™ Brand Picture Hanging Strips Value Pack 

·       Level

DIRECTIONS

·       Measure you wall space and decide how many panels you will use from the foam kit. I used 5 of the 6 panels.

·       Cut pieces of batting that are 4” longer and wider than the foam.

·       Cover each piece of foam with batting, wrapping it to the back and have a friend help duct tape the batting on the wrong side. 

   

·       Follow the directions on the 3M Command™ package and apply two strips at the top and two strips at the bottom of each foam panel. Remove the release paper from the 4 strips.

·       Use a level to make sure the top of the first panel is straight before pressing the batting covered foam panel to the wall. 

·       Take each of the other panels and apply the same way, butting each piece of foam to the next.

 

Some observations about my design wall:

·       It’s nice and neat and esthetically pleasing, fitting in nicely with my cozy quilting space

·       Each foam panel is wrapped individually with the batting

·       Each foam panel is placed right next to the previous panel with no empty space between the panels

·       The panels are super light-weight and won’t fall off the wall when using the 3M Command™ picture hanging strips.

Until next time, happy crafting! Hope Yoder.

Here's where you can find Hope:


Comments   
#14 Yvonne Aubichon 2021-01-09 14:09
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I used the 2’ x 8’ Interlocking pink styrofoam wrapped with batting and just love them. I did cut the boards to 6’ and Wrapped the additional 2’ x 2’ squares with batting to use as mobile design boards beside my sewing machine.
#13 SewWhatbyMaria 2020-10-07 08:49
Can you pin into it. I understand that a felt board is used to just place the fabric to it, but some fabric needs to be pinned because it is too heavy. Just wondering.
#12 hopeyoder 2020-05-18 09:18
Quoting Brenda Marsh:
Just wondering where you got your craft tables if you don’t mind sharing. Thanks!

The small table is from Ikea. It’s a top and you pick your legs.
#11 Brenda Marsh 2020-05-17 23:18
Just wondering where you got your craft tables if you don’t mind sharing. Thanks!
#10 Penny K 2020-05-11 15:19
I made the design wall just as you instructed and it was an easy job for two people! I put gridded flannel over it and added 1 1/2 more pieces horizontally to the top to make it taller. Thanks for the great idea!
#9 Carol from Texas 2020-01-29 04:30
I made my design wall from a new TV box.
It is lightweight and movable. I covered it with white flannel. I can slide it under my bed when I want a clean house. I don’t have a lot of space for my sewing so everything needs to be able to be put up when I’m not sewing. The story of my life. My family is so good about my sewing but space is at a premium. I really need more space saving ideas.
#8 TammyR 2019-08-10 07:00
I did the exact same thing! I used batting and used spray glue to attach batting to boards. I did use command hooks instead though, 3 to 5lb. I turned them upside down along the top and right side up along the bottom. I have 8 across and two along the bottom horizontally. They lift out easily if i need to change the batting. Ive had them up a couple years and so far no problems.
#7 Genevieve from SD 2019-06-06 00:29
That is brilliant! Thank you so very much for sharing!,
#6 hopeyoder 2018-06-17 09:02
Quoting Ann Santistevan:
I see a design wall in my future!!! What weight of Command strip did you use?

The label say "12 Large Pairs" and Up To 24" x 36". I don't see a weight.
#5 Kathy 2018-06-11 16:44
Wonderful! Thanks for posting your design wall!
I made mine of white flannel, but didn't use the insulation panels. I love seeing another way, and may use it if I decide to change. I made buttonholes in the flannel, and hooks. I can take it down with no mess, muss or fuss!
Add comment