Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Design wall

Hey everyone!  Just a small update on the sewing room.  No stitching yet (sadness!) but a major step forward-- I now have a design wall!  Whoo-hoo!  Odd how that can make me so danged happy.  Here it is:


Well, I wasn't going to take a picture of a blank wall, was I?  I put up the Grandma's blocks just to have something good looking and inspirational in there.  They're really lifting my spirits.  Plus it lets me rearrange them every time I walk by, which may or may not be a good thing.

This project cost me about $25 or so.  It's constructed of some styrofoam panels covered with an old--but clean and still useful!--flannel sheet. I used these panels, which I found at Home Depot:



I got these because they were the cheapest ones I could find, they were fairly thin, and they were easy for me to get in the car and to wrestle upstairs and hang.  I got two packages, which was 12 panels, and I used all of them except for a little bit that I had to trim from a couple of panels because of the way I arranged them.  I hung the panels on the wall with these Command hangers:


I used these in case I ever want to take it down or arrange it differently, but you could use small nails, or screws or maybe even hot glue.  (Just kidding!  Do *not* hot glue your wall!)  My wall ended up about 8 feet high and 7-1/2 feet wide.  I'll need to get a small step stool or something if I want to put blocks at the top since I'm not 6 feet tall, but I'm okay with that.

After I got everything up, which was really easy to do by myself, I hung the flannel by pinning it into the styrofoam around all of the edges.  Here's my advice for this step--enlist the help of a supportive friend.  The flannel gets heavy and it helps a lot to have someone hold it so it won't fall while you're trying to pin.  Note that I said "friend" and not  "spouse,"  because that person is likely to say something silly like "what you really need to do is. . ."  after you have done hard work and have everything the way you want it.  That never turns out well, does it?

Flower picture to add a little color!

Anyway, another step forward!  I put together the new sewing table today, so let's hope that I've used the machine by Friday.  Starting to get itchy without it, even though the work we've been doing is exhausting.  Hope you're all having a good, non-itchy week with lots of stitching!

Sharing at Linky Tuesday and Let's Bee Social.

19 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

love your quilt!

JanineMarie said...

What a great idea to use those Command strips. They will hold up so well. I had a hook in my office at work for years that I used for my winter coat and it never fell off. The day I retired, I removed it easily with no damage. Amazing. Your sewing room is going to be awesome. It is already with those happy quilt blocks on the wall.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I adore my design walls - so I totally "get" your "so danged happy" comment.

Bernie Kringel said...

Feeling a bit green with envy reading about your design wall. My space doesn't have a decent spot for a good design wall. I have a little one that is about 3 feet wide and 4 ft tall. It helps but I can't lay out a full project on it. How wonderful to be putting your space together! I hope you are sewing soon!!

Miaismine said...

Aren't design walls the best!? Your quilt blocks are so bright and cheerful! Lovely!

Jo said...

I can understand. Always inspiring to have your work on the wall or where you can see it. Hope you are stitching away soon

Preeti said...

You moved, you unpacked and you dealt with the ups and downs of the move. Then you set up a design wall with lovely, colorful blocks. That sounds like a celebration!!! I am happy too :-)
Hugs,
Preeti.

Kate said...

Love those Grandma Blocks. I couldn't live without my design wall. Looks like yours is going to work well for you. Hope you do get back to the sewing machine really soon.

Lorna McMahon said...

Yay! You are going to have so much fun with that design wall. It really is so handy.... And so pretty! Love those colourful blocks!

Tish Stemple said...

You're design wall looks great! I love how lots of quilting supplies can be found at building supply stores, it makes me smile. And I love those command strips. I just used some yesterday to hang a quilt outside to take pictures, worked like a charm.

Allison said...

Oh, I love walking into my sewing space and seeing my design wall... and it sure would make me happy walking into this! I've wanted to put styrofoam on my design wall for a while, but since we will be moving again in two years, I decided to wait. I know it's frustrating when you are ready to sew, but your surroundings are not, but in any case, enjoy your next steps.

Run 'n Stitch said...

Thank you for the design wall construction tips. Your quilt blocks are so pretty.

Leanne Parsons said...

A design wall would make me happy too! I'd love to have one, especially a huge one like yours. Enjoy :)

Cut&Alter said...

Design walls are fab - and I love the blocks you put on your new one!

LA Paylor said...

friend not spouse, lol!

KaHolly said...

You're so lucky! I don't have the wall space to put up a design wall, so the floor will have to do, for now! The one wall that could work has a thermostat right smack dab in the center! Maybe I can get creative.

The Cozy Quilter said...

I used the command strips to hang my design wall too. It's always fun to look at a project on the wall. Hope you get your machine set up soon.

Rachel said...

Congrats on your new design wall! I hope to have one soon as well, but I've been waiting to see how everything settles in after we replace my desk. Spouses do say silly things like that, a friend is definitely the way to go! ;) Hope you're stitching soon!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Yay!! What a happy wall!! And the pop of color probably lifts your spirits each day too!~