I am back this week with another project using art canvas–a DIY Design Wall. These are so easy to make and are very versatile. This idea came to me as I was trying to figure out a design wall for a bedroom I’m converting into a second sewing room.
My current sewing room is in the basement. It is a large room and it is set up for efficiency. Over my 30+ years of sewing, though, I’ve collected curated so much fabric, thread, rulers, books, patterns, etc., etc. that it always looks cluttered, even though there is space for everything. It also doesn’t help that I always have about 10 projects going on at once. The major drawback, though, is there is no natural light.
Sometimes it would be faster and easier to video a tutorial or demonstration rather than photograph each step and write it out. In my current sewing room, it is hard to get the right angles and lighting to film. So naturally, I thought of the three extra bedrooms upstairs and decided to make a secondary sewing room in the one with the most natural light. We have a running joke in our family. My husband will ask where something is and I’ll say, “In the sewing room,” to which he will reply, “Can you narrow it down to a specific floor?” Yeah, I have quilting stuff everywhere!
In my defense, there is currently only a quilt repository room upstairs, not an actual sewing room. Until now. It’s time to move furniture, paint, and get rid of our son’s stuff since he hasn’t really lived here since 2005 and I’m pretty sure he’s not coming back. Haha!
I know I want a design wall in the new room. Downstairs I have a Cheryl Ann’s Design Wall. It works well and is easy to take down, but with the frame, it takes up a lot of floor space. I want something attached to the wall; preferably easy to remove when we sell this house, large enough to be useful, sturdy, and doesn’t look tacky. Oh, and I don’t want to spend a fortune! I looked at many options and didn’t find exactly what I was looking for with an appealing aesthetics/cost balance. Then I thought of covering art canvas with batting and flannel and came up with a winner.
Canvasses come in so many sizes that it is easy to customize what you need for your wall. They are also relatively inexpensive. Michael’s currently has a buy one-get-two free deal so I bought six 24″ x 36″ canvasses to make a 72″ x 72″ design wall. Canvas is lightweight and can be hung on a single nail or command hook. When it accumulates too much thread, I can simply recover it. I could even cover the canvasses with different fabrics or use different sizes to create a patchwork look. This time, I’m keeping it simple.
The best part is it only takes about 5 minutes to make one once you have the supplies.
What you need:
Level 1 Art Canvas-this is the least expensive option
Cotton batting about 6″ larger all around than the canvas. I used leftover batting for this so win/win.
Flannel (or felt) the same size as the batting. Technically, you don’t even need this. Blocks will stick to cotton batting. I used it because I have a bolt of flannel and it looks a little more professional.
Staple gun and staples
how to make it:
Press the flannel to eliminate the fold line and any big wrinkles. Place the flannel, right side down on a table and smooth it out. Place the batting on top of the flannel and make sure there are no creases. If you cut them the same size, all the edges should match up and make it easy to check that everything is flat and smooth. Unwrap the canvas and place it face down on top of the batting.
Starting with one side, wrap the flannel and batting around the edge of the canvas and staple it to the canvas frame. Continue working around the edge of the canvas, wrapping, and stapling. Make sure to pull the flannel and batting tight around the edges so the front is smooth. After I have a few staples in place, I turn the canvas over to check that everything is flat. I work around all sides before stapling the corners.
Just like with framing a wall hanging, I simply fold the edges on the corners over instead of mitering. I find it results in less bulk and a tighter corner. Repeat this for all the canvasses.
That’s all there is to it! You are ready to hang your new DIY design wall. And what is hanging on the design wall? Why is just might be the next block in the Celebrate Chunk of the Month coming Monday!
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to finish before I am ready to hang the whole wall. I got really excited about this project, though, and had to try. I was so pleased with the results I just had to share!!
Stay tuned for progress updates on my new sewing room. I will even shoot a video to show when it’s finished! In the meantime, if you make your own DIY Design Wall, let me know.
I used a hunk (4′ x 6′) of the solid pink insulating foam from Menards, covered it with batting. It’s very lightweight and I can move it around super easy. Since it came larger and I cut it down, I use the leftover pieces as odd size bulletin boards where I collect, oops, I mean curate, tons of ideas from the web, magazines, etc. Yours if very classy looking. Can’t wait to see your video!
It’s a little late to help you, but two 4×8 styrofoam sheets wedge just right, floor to ceiling, without needing any nails. A piece of duct tape keeps them together. I then covered the board with Warm & Natural 6-7 years ago. They are so full of threads that I am thinking about getting out the staple gun and redoing. So easy to do.