World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of February 23, 2004:

Our question this week comes Carol:

How do I go about making a design board for my sewing room?

Louise :
I bought the largest vinyl tablecloth I could find and put it on the wall with push pins--WRONG SIDE OUT! That flannel backing is great. Quilt blocks stick to it like glue! Easy to take up and down, too.

Judith Sather :
Flannel has worked well for me. Flat batts can work well too. I just get out my handy stapler and staple it to the wall. also make a pillow case type sleeve with a longer side to slip over the top of a door.
Sharon Hultgren :
HI, I have an entire wall that I can use for my design wall. I use two sheets of 4'x8' rigid foam insulation that I buy at the lumber yard. Cut 1" circles from a plastic lid and put a nail through this first and then nail the board onto your wall. I then cover the panels with a king size flannel sheet. I couldn't work without this board! Good luck!
Pat :
I haven't had much luck with flannel - but I love using 100% cotton batting. My blocks and tops stick to it like glue. I have a china cabinet in the room where I sew and I catch the top of the batting in the tops of the open doors - when I shut the doors it pulls the batting taunt. I use a piece of batting about 60" by 80", the size of my cabinet, and I have a great design surface.
Linda :
wow! great ideas -I'm new to quilting,
and was looking for a portable design board. I figured I'd make a peg board 4x8, cut it in 1/3's lengthwise & hinge it, and then I could fold it away when not using it. I just hadn't decided on the best way to hang it when needed.

thanks

Lisa in Baltimore :
I went to Home Depot and bought an 8 X 4 foot piece of foam board, it's about an inch thick and they have it in the lumber section. You can cover it with flannel or batting. I used "plastic round cap roofing nails" to nail it to the wall. It's awesome, quilt squares will stick to it and you can move them around, and you can also put pins in it. I use parts of it as a bulletin board for reminders and ideas. All for under $15.


Kathy in WA :
The simplest and least expensive is a flannel back tablecloth tacked to the wall. Mine cost about $2 at Wal-Mart. (You will get lots of suggestions for mor sophisticated versions.)

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