Kutnso

My DH stapled a thin double bed size batting to a 2 inch board and hung it up in my sewing room. To check blocks etc. I just rub my hand on the batting and press the blocks on.
For larger pieces I use pins. Works really well for me.
Good luck, Kutnso

Decoratenu

I don't have room for a full-size design wall, but to see what several blocks look like together, I have a large sturdy piece of cardboard, covered w/ batting & flannel. I can pin to it (if i want to move it around) or just lay pieces to get the look I want. Then it's easy to store under the bed. I think my next one will be double-size w/ a crease, so it can be folded for storage. If I had the room, I'd love to have a 100" square of double-thick cork. A friend did one of these (she put 2 layers of cork on a firm backing & her husband framed it for her). She could use for notes, pin up blocks & when she needed it, it was large enough for queen-size quilts.

ruthrec

I am fortunate enough to have a separate shop to quilt in and use an entire wall for a design wall. I nailed flannel to the wall right under the ceiling and let it fall to the floor. About 10 feet tall. I sewed all my flannel (white) scraps together and can put up any number of projects or an entire king quilt. It's really neat. I realize everyone can't have this, but I always use flannel regardless of where I put my design wall. It's cheap and washable. Congrats on the new house.

quilthappycathy

foam board - the pink type used for insulation at Home Depot. Covered with white flannel sheet.
Two 4'x 8' sheets side by side. 8' square.
Takes up the whole wall. Love it

cjaye44

I use a 4' by 8' piece of foam insulation board attached to the wall at the ceiling. It has light gray felt stapled on. I had the bottom 2' cut off and made into 3 small boards covered with flannel that I use to keep blocks together at the sewing machine.

seivmom

I bought a roll up patio door blind (very cheap one, less than $10) and used a hot glue gun to glue white flannel on it. Hung hooks at the top of the wall close to the ceiling. I can roll it up is I need to, but don't do that very often. This works well for over closet doors, you can unroll it only when you need to.

quossj

My sewing room has a closet with sliding wooden doors. I put two layers of flannel on each door (thumbtacking the flannel on the back of the doors where it doesn't show). Works great!

SaraSewing

Hey, I just happened to think: WHy not find an old projector screen that is fastened to the ceiling. Since I don't have wall space, that may work. . .

wraez

My design wall is 8ft x 8 ft, made from 2 of the 4x8 insulation boards at Home Depot or Lowes. It comes in different thicknesses, mine is almost 1 inch which I like cuz I can also use pins on it if I want. It is covered with the least expensive flannel that was on sale at JoAnns in an off white color. LOVE it. It is only pinned on in the back and on sides so that I can remove it to launder it. Recommend that if you do you use flannel, launder it first before you apply to your design wall, cuz once it is cut to size and you launder it later it won't fit cuz it will shrink.

If I could've I would have made it 8x12 but had no more wall space left.

good luck, be sure to post photo of your finished wall

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

maryhopkins39

If you have a large wall and the room for a design wall, Do It!! I find mine to be Invaluable! We used a couple left over sheets of foam board that we used in the basement for insulation. I covered them with fleece fabric purchased from a remnant bin. I was lucky to get two nice big white pieces of it. I just stretched those over the foam board and pinned 'em in place. My spouse nailed them up on the wall and TAAA DAAA-Design Wall! It isn't all that pretty, but is very functional and I almost always have something up there.