Quick Tip – Easy Design Wall
Many years ago, a fellow quilter gave me a great tip for creating a quick, inexpensive design wall.
Oilcloth
My early sewing spaces didn't have room for a permanent design wall. I needed something I could hang when needed and then store easily for the next time. My quilting friend suggested Oilcloth. Oilcloth is a specially treated fabric which is waterproof. Originally, it was made from oil-impregnated canvas, thus its name. Today the term usually refers to a cotton-backed vinyl material. Most picnic tablecloths are made of today's oilcloth.
The cotton back is often a flannel like material. It works for a design wall because quilting cotton clings to this flannel backing. The clinginess holds quilt blocks in place without damaging the quilt fabric in any way. Blocks can be moved around and repositioned repeatedly.
Quick and Easy Design Wall
You can purchase oilcloth by the yard or simply pick up a vinyl picnic cloth. Look for a design with a 1" grid like a gingham or checkerboard in a dark color like red, blue or dark green. When hung on the wall, the gird is visible providing guidelines for placement of your blocks. I went with a rectangle about 60" x 72". I purchased yardage for my first design wall and when space allowed it, I purchased a tablecloth – doubling the size of my design wall.
Mount the oilcloth on the wall with the flannel side facing you; vinyl side to the wall. Use removable Velcro strips, like 3M's Command™ strips, to hang the design wall. Place one piece of the strip on the vinyl side of the oilcloth and the other on the wall at the height you want the design wall to hang. I used four strips spaced evenly across the top. The strips make it easy to reposition and take down the design wall as needed. You can also use push pins to hold it up, but they leave holes in the wall.
Another Option
Recently, another quilting friend said she attached heroilcloth to a roller shade which she mounted along the top edge of the closetin her sewing room. Now she pulls down the shade when she needs her design walland rolls it up to store it out of the way. Pretty smart quilter, I'd say.
What kind of design wall do you have?