Sewing Room Revamp

Our house guest left, so I had to put my sewing area back into sorts this week. I wanted to rearrange it a little so that I could make room for a little something new- a design wall! For quilters of all stripes, a design wall to help visualize your quilt before stitching it all up is a really useful tool.

Some squares from the twin quilts set out.

These seem to be all the rage, I've seen ads for various kinds in several different magazines lately. Some have all sorts bells and whistles- retractable, fold-able, portable, etc. However, they all seem to be quite expensive. Many of them weren't right for what I needed, either. I need something permanent that doesn't wreck the apartment walls.

I have a quick and easy alternative way to make your own. You start with some flannel. Flannel has this awesome ability to 'stick' to quilting fabric. All you need to do is push your blocks to it, and they stay in place for as long as you need.

No pins necessary!

Clean off the wall space you need and buy some solid flannel. I chose white, but you could use cream or grey if you prefer. Decide how much you need based on the wall space you want to take up. I bought 4 yards, cut it into two yard pieces, and then sewed selvage to selvage to make a 76" wide piece that was 72" long. I used some clear push pins to secure it to the wall. I put five across the top and five across the bottom.

For less than $15 I had a quick and functional wall that I can easily remove when we move out. I was able to stick an entire quilt top up there without any problems getting it to stick. I can't believe I waited so long to try one of these out!