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Cutting Border Strips

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:39:56 -0500

Have you ever cut a border strip and added it without cutting the border strip to length?

I am sure everyone has done this at least once in their quilting life, but do you know why this is not good practice?

When you cut a border strip any length and just stitch it to your quilt, the border strip can be stretched with the pressure foot as you sew it in place. This sometimes happens even using a walking foot without us realizing it. After the seam is sewn, the fabric relaxes again and the outer edge actually ends up shorter than it should be. This can create waves in the border.

So what is the correct way to add borders to your quilt?

You should always cut your borders to the correct length before attaching them.

This way you can match the ends and middle of each strip with the quilt top. Yes, it does take a little longer, but the results are worth it.

You should also know that you do not measure along the side of your quilt to find the length. Often with the piecing, the fabric can stretch so you should measure through the middle, preferably along one seam if at all possible. This is the place you will less likely have any stretching. By measuring through the middle, you can take the average measurement between the two sides so that once the border is attached it will relax back into its regular shape. If you do not do this, often you will result in wavy borders that will not lay flat no matter how much starch you use.

For very large quilts, you can measure in the middle and also at the quarter points, then work out the average and use this measurement to cut the strips for your borders.

Improve your quilting

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:16:02 -0500

How you can improve the quality of your quilt making.

Introduction

One of the best ways to improve your quilting and patchwork skills is to learn to work accurately. For accuracy, always start out slowly and increase your speed as you become more familiar with a process but ensuring you do not lose accuracy along the way. Quilt designers, such as myself, develop quilt instructions with accurate mathematical calculations for units or blocks to fit together perfectly. Success is based on you the quilter, cutting accurately, stitching an exact 1/4" seam and pressing accurately. These are the technical skills you need to create a quilt. By developing and improving these skills, you can make more challenging quilts. Have you heard the saying "You need to learn to walk before you can run"? This also applies to quilt making.

Pressing

It is important to press your fabrics right from the beginning of your project, before you even begin cutting. Following is some general tips on how to improve your quilt making with pressing.

Iron Settings

Use the correct settings on your iron for the type of fabric you are using and select steam. Steam is always a debatable selection; you either love it or hate it. I found it gives a much better, crisper finish to the seam as well as to the finished project so I urge you to give it a try.

Fabric Yardage

When pressing any fabric yardage, glide the iron from the center of the fabric out towards the edge, following the grain lines. Avoid pressing on the diagonal along the bias, as this can stretch the fabric.

Seams

Before pressing seams to one side or open, it is important to set the stitches. Why? Because this allows the stitches to settle into the fabric and helps prevent the seam from stretching or bending out of shape, particularly for those long strips.

How do we set the stitches? To do this, place your block flat on your ironing board so you can see the stitches or seam you have just sewn. Press the seam by placing the iron down onto the seam, lift the iron and reposition in a new location along the seam. Repeat this right along the seam. Do not slide the iron along the seam as this can push the seam out of shape.

Should I press a seam open or to one side? Many quilters insist you should press all seams to one side, while others insist pressing all seams open. In fact, for accurate pressing, a combination of both should be used, depending on the block or design you are stitching. It can also depend on the style of quilting you wish to do.

So why do we press to one side? Pressing to one side allows the seams in joining blocks to butt up or lock together and reduces the amount of pins required. This is definitely less time consuming and seams tend to match more perfectly. When quilting in the ditch, this type of pressed seam will create a high side and a low side, which makes ditch stitching much easier and neater.

With this being so, why would there be a need to press seams open? Sometimes when pressing to one side, seams will bulk up together. This happens mostly when diagonal seams meet together. In these cases, pressing the seam open will give a smoother, neater finish.

How do I press a seam to one side?

To press a seam to one side, lay the block or unit flat on the ironing board with fabric you want to press towards on top, seam away from you. Lift the top fabric with one hand and gently fold this over the seam. Now use the iron to press in place being careful not to get too close to your fingers. Steam burns as well as hot irons. Check both sides of block to see that the seam is pressed correctly, lying smooth and flat.

So which seam should I press towards? General rule is to press towards the darker fabric when possible, otherwise trim the darker seam allowance slightly narrower than the light. Why? The darker fabric often leaves a ‘shadow' on the right side when it is under a light fabric. By pressing to the dark side or trimming it back on the light side, we avoid this shadow. We should also ensure to remove any loose threads floating about as these can often get trapped between the layers.

How do I press a seam open?

To press a seam open, position block or unit right side down on the ironing board. Open the seam allowance with your fingertips. Use the tip of the iron to press open the seam. Again, be careful not to get too close to your fingers with the iron and steam. Check the right side to ensure seam is pressed correctly.

By following these basic steps you will improve the quality of your quilt making.

Should I prewash my fabric?

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:16:37 -0500

Many quilters wonder whether they should pre-wash their fabrics before using it to make their quilt or use it just as it comes from the quilt store. There are certainly a lot of discussion points on both sides.

Allergies: The most important reason for washing your fabrics is if you are allergic to the chemicals manufacturers add to the fabrics. Many people are. This allergy causes many kinds of reactions that often go undetected by the quilter. The symptoms can be anything from itchy/burning/tearing eyes, sneezing and even to the extent of wheezing. If you have any of these symptoms, ask yourself if it is your fabrics causing this.

The main reason to pre-wash is to remove the sizing (chemicals). Why do the manufacturers add sizing? This is to reduce wrinkles in the fabric. Sizing makes it a little stiffer to use, which in most cases is a good thing. Some quilters wash the sizing out then spray starch the fabric to stiffen it again. I sometimes wonder if there is any advantage to this.

Shrinking and color bleeds: If you use low quality cotton fabrics, it is advisable to wash your fabrics to prevent shrinking and color bleeds. Most high quality cottons are not known to do this; however low quality cotton fabrics cannot be trusted. In my 25 years of quilting, I've made over 100 quilts and have only had one dye bleed which was in my early quilting days when I used a solid hand-dyed fabric. Colorfast has greatly improved since then. I have not had a problem with shrinking in patchwork fabrics, but know it can certainly be a problem if using cotton denims or like fabrics. Cotton battings can also shrink so I prefer to use a cotton blend batting to prevent this.

Workshops: One reason for not washing fabric is if you happen to be doing a workshop in store or guild, and find you need or want to purchase fabric for the class project. There is really no way to prepare the fabric to use in time without losing valuable class time. Another problem can exist if you like to participate in round robin quilts, some quilters use pre-washed fabrics while others do not. It is preferable to always use one or the other rather than a mixture of both.

Accuracy: As a quilter, I do not wash my fabrics, as I prefer to work with the slightly stiffer textile. Most importantly, I find my cutting, quarter inch seams and quilting is much more accurate with less movement in the fabrics. I do not have a reaction to the chemicals so I really find no need to pre-wash and it saves me valuable time as well. As a traveling teacher, I also find the washing inconvenient.

Suggestions: My suggestion is that you should not use a mix of washed and unwashed fabrics in a quilt and my advice is for you to determine whether you should pre-wash your fabrics or not taking all the points we have discussed into consideration.

Quilting - New Zealand style

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:17:28 -0500

There is an estimated 27 million quilters in the United States alone, add to this quilters in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and many other countries. That sure is a lot of quilters, and a lot of quilts! As a quilter and traveling teacher from New Zealand, I am often asked how different quilting is in our small South Pacific Island.

In the beginning, cotton fabric (the most popular patchwork fabric today) was not readily available. Many quilters used scraps from dressmaking and furnishing fabrics, and this is still often the trend for many quilters. Furnishings come in a large array of textures and prints, and are a great source of unusual designs, in particular large prints. Although I myself no longer use furnishing fabrics, I do enjoy the challenge of silk, lame and organza.

New Zealand quilters are typically like any other quilter in the world, they love to form quilt groups and guilds, organise shows and symposiums, go on shop hops and to quilting retreats, and donate quilts for charity such as the Cancer Society and Children's Wards in hospitals. Quilters cannot resist a day out stitching, sharing, conversing and indulging in the odd chocolate.

There is no particular New Zealand quilting style but there is a definite use of colour. Known as a ‘green' country with clean air and bright colours, this is often projected through to our quilts. You will find many use a great deal of blues, greens and purples, known as cool colours. In comparison, quilters in Australia are more inclined to use muted or earth-tones fabrics, warm colours, which portray their climate and surroundings.

Arts and crafts are a big thing in this small country, and I find quilters here break free of the traditional styles more readily than our American friends. Influenced by our strong embroidery backgrounds, many quilters add embroidery and detailed quilting into their work, thus many consider these quilts are textile art rather than quilts.

New Zealand certainly has an inspiring terrain with many natural and serene qualities. The birth of any artistic piece comes from within the heart and mind, however the seed is planted by inspiration from our beautiful surroundings. Thoughts grow and drawings become reality as passion flows from within. Textiles are chosen, manipulated and sewn to create a unique original art work using a variety of techniques, and so, another quilt is born.

Color and Quilting

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:17:57 -0500

Colors and how they affect quilting

When we admire a quilt or pattern, it can be determined that the color plays a big part in the decision to like or dislike it. The use of contrasts or complimentary colors can make or break a design. To understand this, we need to look closely at what colors are.

Color is the term we use for the entire subject of color. This is broken down into the following terms to help us understand the different aspects.

Primary Colors: We have three primary colors, blue, yellow and red. All other colors can be made from these primary colors. Often people think that green is a primary color, but it is not because it is made from blue and yellow.

Secondary Colors: The secondary colors are purple, green and orange. These are formed when you mix equal amounts of the primary colors. See my basic color wheel.

When you mix different amounts of the primary colors together, you start creating the "in between" colors. For example, I work with a lot of green for my flower quilts and landscapes. Often I will pick green fabrics to work with and one will jump right out telling me it doesn't belong with the group. This happens when the greens I am using may be tending towards the blue side of the color wheel and the odd ball is tending towards the yellow side.

Complimentary Colors are a pair of colors opposite on the color wheel. For example, blue and orange, or yellow-green (color between yellow and green) and red-purple (color between red and purple) . These pairs can work extremely well together and can make a very dramatic quilt.

Other color terms include hue, value, tint and shade. The hue is the name of the color, blue, red-orange, green etc. Value is the lightness or darkness of any color. Tint is the color you get when you mix white with a pure color, these colors have a high value. Shade is the color you get when you mix black with a pure color, these colors have a low value.

Warm and Cool colors. Warm colors are those on the red - orange - yellow side of the color wheel, while cool colors are on the purple - blue - green side. We can often warm up or cool down a room, using colors. Here are two quilts to compare. The red/yellow one projects fire and heat while the blue one projects icy cool water, yet there is no visual picture that tells us this, it is purely the color.

Knowing about the color wheel and its colors, can certainly help when choosing fabrics for a quilt. Warm and cool colors can also have an impact on our decision. A fun exercise to try is collecting small samples of fabric from your stash and seeing where you can place them in the color wheel. You will likely find you have a lot of fabrics for one side of the color wheel and much fewer on the other. Check my fabric wheel out.

Washing Your Quilt

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:18:30 -0500

There are many suggestions and ways quilters wash a quilt. I hope this article will help you decide how best to wash your quilt.

Before you proceed, you should consider what the quilt is made of. This doesn't mean just the fabrics but also includes the thread and batting. Check whether the quilt is made using standard cotton patchwork fabric, flannel or specialty fabrics like silk, organza and furnishing fabric. These all react differently to washing. Also consider the batting. Is it cotton, wool or polyester?

Cotton is the preferred quilt making fabric because of its natural fiber, which is soft and subtle, yet hardy enough to last for years to come. When making your quilt, I recommend you use good quality cotton fabrics, cotton batting and preferably cotton thread too, to make your quilt last longer. Many quilters wash their fabric before they make their quilt. This is a good way to reduce colour runs and shrinking, however, it is not necessary for today's high quality cotton patchwork fabric, but definitely recommended for low quality patchwork cotton, flannels and if you are mixing various types of fabric together in one quilt. I have a separate article on reasons for and against pre-washing your fabric. Click here to read more about pre-washing fabrics...

Detergents: Most detergents are harmless to cotton, however some of the additives found in detergent can be harmful if used regularly or directions provided are not followed correctly. As a guide to prevent damage to your quilt, always use an unscented, colour-free, liquid detergent that does not contain a fabric softener. What ever you do, never use bleach on your quilt. This will surely ruin the colour and can also damage the fibers.

The best way to wash your cotton quilt is in the washing machine. Use a warm or cold cycle, never hot. Start filling your washing machine and add the detergent, (preferably liquid, not powder) mixing thoroughly, before adding the quilt. Use a regular cycle for the wash. When the cycle is finished, do a second rinse cycle to ensure all detergent is removed from the quilt. Any detergent left in the quilt will break down the fibers over time and lessen the quilts life span, so this is why I recommend liquid detergent. Use the spin cycle to remove excess water, never wring your quilt out by hand, again, this can damage the fibers in the fabrics and may leave unsightly crease marks which dry in place.

Once you have finished washing your quilt, I recommend you air dry it, being careful to avoid direct sunlight as this will fade your fabrics. A tumble dryer may be used if you cannot air dry your quilt, but be sure to use a cool to warm setting if doing so.

For more delicate fabrics or quilts using specialty fabrics, it is advisable to hand wash your quilt. This is best done in a large bath tub, however can be hard work on ones arms and shoulders. Fill the tub with cool or warm water, never hot, and mix the detergent in thoroughly before emerging the quilt. Wash with gentle actions and do not rub harshly with additional detergent or hard soap. After washing, rinse your quilt at least twice allowing the water to drip out. Do not wring. To help remove excess water, lay the quilt out flat on toweling. Lay more towels on top of the quilt and press down firmly so the towels soak up the water. Air dry, avoiding direct sunlight.

For quilts that are used as wall hangings, a simple light vacuum may be used instead of washing as these quilts are not handled as much and do not pick up dirt as much as bed quilts do. You may find you never have to wash these at all, however if it is necessary, just follow the directions above.

For antique quilts and quilts that are not in good condition, please seek professional advice from someone who deals with antique quilts on a regular basis.

Designing a Quilt

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:18:52 -0500

Turning Idea into Quilt

Patterns and quilts I design are always unique and often portray the beauty of nature, whether it is scenes or flowers. 85% of my work involves combined techniques of traditional patchwork, modern day appliqué and artistic quilting. The question is; how do I get from point A, the idea, to point B, the finished quilt?

My designs usually start out by seeing a particular scene or flower, or a suggestion/idea from a friend. In either case, I will take photo shots of the subject matter, at all angles if possible, to make the drawing process easier. Really, I cannot draw that well, I never went to art school - what I do is copy what I see or even trace it. This is why it is so important to take my own photos and lots of them. Take shots at all angles. For example lets use our sunflower as a subject. Photos need to be taken face on, to the right and left of the flower, below and above. Take group photos of 3 or 4 flowers together, shots of droopy flowers when they have their head hung. Even take close ups of the center and petals to see how they are formed. Oh and don't forget to take photos of the leaves - several of them and at different angles. You can see I end up with a mass of photos.

By the way, capturing these images on digital camera is the way to go. I store all my design photo shots on disk so if ever I'm looking for a new idea, I just access the disk rather than sift through a pile of photographs stored in a box. This way you can print only what you actually need when it is time to design.

Once I have the photos, I start thinking of arrangement. For our flower example, I already know that an odd number of flowers looks more balanced than an even amount - something I picked up from my flower arranging days. I check group photos to get an idea of ways the flowers should look. Now we all know sunflowers face the sun, so it would look a little peculiar if I had one looking the other way! I also know that the main focus flowers, should be pointing in towards the center of the quilt so it takes ones eyes into the quilt rather than away from it if it were facing out. I look at bud and leaf formation and how the flower is positioned in comparison to the leaves, nestled within them or stretching above, smaller or larger.

I select a number of individual flowers, some leaves and perhaps a bud or two, then print them out and arrange them on my page, moving them around until I am happy with the layout. Sometimes I will enlarge a flower if I want it to appear closer or make it smaller to push it away from me further into the distance. Now, I either draw or trace the flowers and leaves onto my page, just the outline of each petal. If sections are too small, I sometimes incorporate them into one piece. When I have finished drawing, I use a black marker to define the edges. Usually at this time, I put my design away for a day or two without looking at it, then when I get it out again, make sure I am happy with it. Sometimes I will ask a friend if it looks good or what may look wrong in their eyes. I make any necessary changes.

So you can see, the actual design process can be quite long, days in fact, to research the subject matter and get appropriate photos. Sometimes it can even mean a trip away if there is a particular subject you want to quilt. I once did an 8-hour hike, around one of New Zealand's beautiful lakes, just to get shots at every angle. I coaxed a couple of friends to come with me, they weren't so impressed by the long walk and particularly the icy cold water we had to wade through at the top of the lake, so I never did tell them that I used one of the photos I'd taken in the first five minutes of our walk.

Once you have the appliqué design idea, it is time to start thinking about the background design. As much of the design concentrates on the appliqué, it's a good idea to keep the background simple, perhaps squares and triangles. As you can see in many of my designs, I use a color wash effect. This can be a combination of squares and triangles, sometimes, classic blocks such as nine patch or log cabin. Of course, the more detailed it becomes, the more complicated the design becomes to create. The easiest way to start is to simply draw grids in your background. You can leave it as squares or draw diagonals through the center to become triangles

How to Choose good quilting fabric

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:19:12 -0500

Interesting facts about Quilters Fabrics

When I first started quilting, 26 years ago, I attended a class on appliqué. We were told to bring fabrics, none of which were specific to quilting. These fabrics included polyesters, rayons, cotton and knits, just to name a few. It was some time later that I discovered the benefit of purchasing good quality cottons for my quilt making and this is how I refined my art for appliqué and patchwork. Good quality cotton fabric gives more precision for quilting, making pieces and blocks go together with ease.

Some reasons why, as a quilter, I recommend high quality cotton fabrics over other fabrics:
· Cotton is easy to work with. It is easy to press and hold its form unlike may other fabrics.
· It sticks together enough while you sew your pieces that pins are often not required. Fabrics such as polyester tend to slip easily so it is essential to pin when stitching.
· Cotton fabrics have a little give in them so if your seams are a little off, you can usually stretch one section so seams meet accurately. Synthetic fabrics do not have this ability.
· 100% cotton fabric allows air to circulate while capturing warmth and holding it. This makes it ideal for bed quilts, particularly baby quilts.
· Cotton is also a very durable natural fiber. It withstands constant use and lasts for years.

Some cottons however, are not suitable for quilting. These include poplin, chino and velveteen. Generally these fabrics are heavier than our standard quilters cotton. They can be used, however you would think twice about cutting any small squares or strips with them. Some good quality cottons include Pima, Homespun, broadcloth and flannel.

How do you determine a good quality quilters cotton? Good quality cotton has a high thread count. Unfortunately most bolts of fabric do not include the thread count, but a simple test is to hold up a single fold of fabric to the light. If you can easily see through it, it has a loose weave. Try to avoid this type of fabric. Flannels are notorious for this so if making a flannel quilt, always check before purchasing. A sure sign of low quality cotton is the price. Cheaper cotton usually has a lower thread count.

When the thread count is low, the fibers break more easily when stitched thus not good for quilts as they will begin to fall apart. They fray easily and often the batting will shed fibers through the fabric, a term known as bearding.

Batiks usually have a higher thread count than other quilting cottons. This makes them especially good for raw edge and other fusible appliqué methods. An added benefit of batiks is that both sides look much the same, however do be aware that if there is a pattern on the batik, it will be reversed on the back.

Most of the above characteristics apply to cotton batting as well as cotton fabric. Cotton batting creates less movement between layers. It breathes by allowing the air to circulate and it is very durable. This makes it ideal for machine quilting.

Tips for Applique

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:19:38 -0500

Quilting is a very popular hobby and covers a huge range of topics such as applique, patchwork and quilting and then each of these topics cover many different techniques both in hand stitching and machine. When you view the quilts on my website, you will notice that I deal mostly in applique quilts. I found many quilters are afraid to try applique, which is a shame because in most cases, applique is just as easy as patchwork with less need to be accurate in your stitching.

So where does one begin with applique? There are many different forms of applique and the best thing to do is try as many as possible to see which technique you like and which give you pleasing results. One of my favorite techniques, which I have been developing over the past 5 years, is raw edge applique with free-motion stitching on the sewing machine. I heard (when I was at quilt shows) comments from other quilters when they saw raw edged applique - "I don't like the frayed edges" or "Frayed edges look tacky in a quilt". So I set about testing ways to change this and now I ask my students a number of questions when they are first learning this method.

"Are you using a new needle?" Do you have any idea what a blunt needle will do to your fabric when it is dull? It does not slide between the fibers of the fabric but rather hits the fibers causing stress on them and sometimes breaking them. Broken fibers cause the fabric to fray.

"Are you stitching too close to the edge of your applique shape?" When stitching only a thread from the edge, the needle will push those threads on the edge out, away from the rest of the fabric. As a result, your applique shape will fray. You should stitch about 1/16" to 1/8" from the edge. You do not have to measure this accurately, just eyeball it and yes, I do go over the edge sometimes too, but the more you practice, the more control you have.

"Are you using a good quality patchwork fabric?" With todays economy, we are always trying to save a few dollars, but be warned, it is not a good time to save on the quality of your fabric. Do not buy low quality patchwork fabric as it has a low thread count and can be loosely woven which is not good for applique. In fact, it is not good for patchwork either as it can easily move as you stitch it which in turn gives you less accuracy.

One last question I ask is "Is your applique shape fully adhered in place?" When the applique shape is not adhered correctly, it has room to move under the needle and sometimes the adhesive will even cling to the needle pulling it away from the background. You should always ensure the applique shape is secure especially on points. On the other hand, do not over press your shapes. In several classes recently, I have seen a student press their work too long, which melts the adhesive away to nothing. Of course, then the applique shape will not stick at all.

In conclusion, you will find that if you follow these tips while appliquéing, you will have a lot less problem with fraying in raw-edge applique. This method of quilting is certainly rewarding and once you get into it, you open a whole new world of creativity.

Facts about Fabrics

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Interesting facts about Quilters Fabrics

Make a design wall

Sun, 16 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Is a design wall only for a designer?

Quilters, whether they are art quilters or traditional quilters use a design wall. Quilt designers also use a design wall. The answer to the question is ‘No’, a design wall is found in almost every quilter’s home whether they design or not. A design wall does not necessarily have to be a wall for designing or even a wall at all, but rather an area where one can lay out the pieces of a quilt or block to get an overall view of how it looks before it is constructed. You can use a design wall to view blocks or simply hold the pieces in sequence to be assembled. This is especially useful for detailed and complex blocks or quilts so you can get an idea of how the finished piece will look.

Why do quilters do this?

Using a design wall and being able to have an insight on how the finished block or quilt will end up is a tremendous benefit to quilters and designers alike. Being able to audition the pieces gives you an advantage of knowing if something is not right or wrong, and whether you will be happy with the quilt after it is sewn together. Imagine if you used a certain fabric that you thought would look great, but ended up not looking good at all so you decide to replace it with another. With a design wall, you’ll be able to this in advance before all the hard work is completed. You can swap out the fabric and the result is having a much more pleasing quilt. No one likes to unpick so the less you have to do, the better.

How much does a design wall cost?

This varies on how big it will be, whether it is portable or permanent and whether you decide to make your own, or purchase a professionally made one. A design wall can be as simple as a large square of flannel fabric or batting to as complex as hardwood covered with suitable fabric and attached to your wall or a frame. If you prefer to work on large bed quilts, it’s ideal to have a large design wall when possible. If you only make small art quilts, a smaller area is sufficient. I work with two, a smaller one for block construction or my art quilts and a larger for laying out a large bed quilt.

What if I don’t have enough room for a design wall?

If you don’t have enough room, then a portable design wall might be the answer for you or have you thought of hanging one on the back of a door? I find the solid design walls made from cork board or hardwood are best. I slide mine under the bed, behind the door or in the closet when I need it out of the way or it’s not in use. With it being solid, I can lay it on the bed, on the floor or lean it against the wall when I’m using it and the pieces are less likely to fall off without pinning.

How do you make a design wall?

You can easily make your own. Those flannel backed tableclothes work great for a portable design wall or you can purchase cork board or hardwood (from hardware or lumber stores - ask and they will cut it to size) and cover it with flannel, low-loft batting or felt. Any of these coverings will allow your cotton patchwork fabric to cling to it so there is less need to pin your pieces in place, which of course makes it easier to move them around. When making the wall, slightly stretch the flannel over the front and pin, tape or staple it to the back. The wonderful thing about making your own design wall is that you can make it to the size that suits you whether it be a 20” square for block construction or a 4’ x 8’ wall board.

Some use a roll up blind (roll up shade or screen). To use this, attach flannel with adhesive spray to the front side of your blind so your patchwork bits have a surface to cling to. It can be rolled up when you are not using it or want to travel to a friend’s place to quilt. This is ideal for traveling to classes too. You can adjust the blind to any length to fit the space you are working in.

Roll-up Shade used as a portable design wall