It also had to be lightweight and would not have to take up a lot of space when stored.
I got an idea recently and have completed it.
It meets my criteria and will be a big help as I create new work or finish work in progress.
The idea started with a bracket I hang over a door in my laundry room to hang clothing to dry.
We have double doors between the master bedroom and master bath.
I figured if I got two of these hooks I could space them close to the outer edges of the doors and hang a design wall from them.
I had saved an old shower curtain rod that was a sturdy metal rod and it fit the hooks on the brackets perfectly and was also the correct length.
I also had a 2 yard piece of 60" wide white felt.
I simply stitched a casing at the top of the felt. I left a 2 1/2 inch opening in the casing in the spot where it would slip over each bracket. I also stitched a narrower casing in the lower edge to slip in a curtain tension rod I had.
I slid the shower rod in the top casing and hung it over the brackets.
I inserted the tension rod in the lower casing to help it hang better.
I have the benefit of the felt which will hold small pieces on while I arrange things and make decisions without pinning. When things become heavier I can pin to the felt.
Here you see the design wall with a work in progress pinned to it.
When I want to take this down, all I have to do is take it off the brackets and roll it up to store it. I also have to take the brackets off the doors so they do not damage the walls when I open the doors.
The downside is we can't use the bathroom while it is hanging there. Not a problem as there is another bathroom.
The more serious downside is the master closet is entered through the master bathroom!
I do have the option of pinning everything to the wall and then rolling it up.
I am trying to come up with another solution which will allow me to take it down without pinning each and every piece.
4 comments:
clever solution, Kay!
Kay ... very clever ... nice "thinking outside the box"!
I wonder if there is a repositional adhesive, other than a spray, that could be used to hold small pieces on design wall so you don't have to pin before rolling and storing. Spray goes everywhere so if you know of one, I would love to hear about it.
Perhaps the adhesive spray works like spray starch..I have sprayed starch into it's lid, then used a small brush to apply to the edges of applique pieces before I iron the edges under...Hmmm..going to try that now and will let you know.
I tried it with quilt temprary basting spray (I had no other temporary adhesive spray on hand, only permanent). My design wall fabric is a fairly thin 80/20 cotton quilt batting.
I first sprayed the basting spray into it's cap, then used a cheap paint brush with stiff synthetic/plastic bristles to paint on the basting liquid. I painted it close to edges on the back of cotton pieces and some in the middle on the larger pieces. The fabric I used was 100% pre-washed cotton...both hand painted and commercial cottons. I used some very small pieces up to about 5" X 7" peices of fabric.
I then placed them on my design wall, let them dry, then moved them around. I was only able to reposition pieces 3 times before they didn't stay as well as I would have liked for trying to roll up the design fabric.
I would have to reapply the basting spray at that point. Maybe a temporary adhesive would work even better. Not sure how it will affect my batting in long run. I use my long arm quilt on my personal quilts so I have a huge roll of batting I can replace it with if necessary.
Since you use felt, can it be washed without ruining it...maybe hand washed?
Lesson I learned is to lay fabric piece upside down on something before you paint on the basting liquid. Next time, I will use one of those disposable plastic chopping mats I have that clean up easily.
It was very tough to clean the basting spray off my hand...I still have a couple of sticky areas after several washing with dish detergent. Also had to wash the brush a few times to get it clean too, but it cleaned up better than my skin.
Last, but not least, the spray stinks and the warning on the can says to spray it in a well ventilated area. Once it was in liquid form inside the lid, I noticed no strong odor any longer.
Sorry so long, but wanted to share what happened...now I'm going to get a new piece of batting that I can tack on my wall, but also take it down and roll it around a skinny Pool Noodle for storage. Thank you for this great idea.
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