First, THANK YOU Grand Rapids and all those who attended the show!!  I had a great time with lots of laughs!  My new friends…the sisters (coffee does help!), my shortarm friend (as apposed to longarm!), students (send those photos!) and all the kids who visited my booth… Thanks for making it memorable!

I’m still moving my studio/workshop/catch-all room around.   And my design wall was removed from its previous location.  So, I thought it would be a good time to show you how I make mine before it gets put back on another wall.  My two tips will be the process of making a design wall and hanging it!!

I use construction insulation board for the base.  I’ve seen it blue or pink.  Blue is thinner than pink and my preference.  It comes in 4′ x 8′ sheets.  Cut it to whatever size you like or put several together for an entire wall!  I have used one board/sheet (cut to 5 1/2′ long) and covered with flannel.  This is an old cream flannel sheet wrapped around the front and stapled to the back.

Mark the placement for hanging.  For the greatest stability, measure wall stud distances and mark accordingly.  We drilled a hole through the board, BUT made a slit in the flannel so the drill did not chew up the flannel.  (Or drill the holes first and then cut slit after board is covered.). A flat 1″ washer goes between the board and the long screw.  Make sure the screw is long enough to go through the board and into the wall/stud.  We used a 1 1/2″ flat head wood screw.

Screw design board into the wall.  Hand sew slit closed.  TaDa!  A design board without a lot of work or cost!

In quilting,

Debbie