Welcome back to Triple T Tuesdays! Today I want to wax poetic about one of the tools I love so much... the Design Wall. When I started sewing I was primarily garment construction so I never had much need for a design wall. A dress form was more my style. But once I started quilting it all changed. Design walls come in many different shapes and sizes and range from the uber portable to permanent built ins. No matter if you're just starting to dabble in quilting or if you're a professional, a design wall can be one of your most useful tools.
Most design walls have a white or neutral background that allows you to focus more on your quilt layout instead of distracting from it. They can be as simple as a piece of plain white flannel that you can roll out and hang if you're on a tight budget or don't have a permanent space. The advantage of using something like this is the ease of travel. Simply add a few grommets to the top and some ribbons and you can hang it anywhere.
Using a fabric lined wall allows you to put your quilt squares up and take them down with ease and without the use of pins. The fabric sticks together thanks to the miracle of static cling! Do you have a design wall? What does it look like? What's on your wall right now? Mine's sparse at the moment but I'll be getting the red stripe quilt up there very, very soon!
I don't have a design wall and I'd like to know how to make one... what kind of fabric do you use? is it wadding???
ReplyDeleteI have a Fons&Porter design wall that I love - it hangs on hooks on top of my fabric storage units, and I can put it up and take it down as needed. It is plastic on one side, with a 2" grid marked on it (that's the back) and flannel on the other side - the grid shows through the flannel for ease in lining blocks up and knowing your size. Metal grommets at the top make it very sturdy. And it folds up and gets put away when I don't need it. $24.99 at Joann's, much cheaper when purchased with a coupon!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! I don't actually have a wall-- I lay my quilts out as I go but then my bunnies hop all over ;) I need one!
ReplyDeleteSince I have a dedicated sewing space, my design wall is permanent, not movable but it is really simple - just some flannel backed vinyl yardage sewn together and stapled to the wall. The vinyl back gives it some stability, although it isn't very easy to pin into, but I rarely need to do that.
ReplyDelete