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Home / My Blog / quilt design wall / ::Design Wall 101::

::Design Wall 101::

April 13, 2015 By Katie

SEW KATIE DID/Design Wall Tutorial

Hopefully in the next month I’ll be updating my design walls for the studio so that I can expose the electrical sockets and make them floor to ceiling.

SEW KATIE DID/Quilt Design Wall Tutorial

I’ll make sure to document the process to be included in the tutorial.

 I use two types of design walls.  The grey one above is insulation board wrapped in flannel (tutorial here).

SEW KATIE DID/Layered Design Wall

 I’m sure none of you have more than one project you work on at a time, but if you do the other is a layered system (tutorial here) that allows you to roll things up and keep them in place so that you can work on what’s underneath or take it for travel.  This system is also perfect for those of you in small spaces since it can be rolled up and stashed somewhere like under a bed.

SEW KATIE DID:Psychedelic Baby Block

SEW KATIE DID:Psychedelic Baby Blocks Square

Design walls aren’t an essential tool in everyone’s creative process, but I do talk with my students about it being number one for mine.  I like to step back and see how things are getting along.  I encourage students to take photos of their project’s progression and even when they think they’ve got it perfect to take everything down and rearrange it.  This is how new ideas might develop.  In Quilting Modern we talked about not being ‘married’ to what’s on on your design wall, and in a workshop Jacquie and I taught together one of our students joked, “You’re just sleeping together.”  That quote has stuck.

SEW KATIE DID:Triangles

I’ve developed some tricks along the way when it comes to using the design wall and the one I utilize the most is not sewing things together, but rather use bits of scraps pinned up to audition color or placement.

SEW KATIE DID:Triangles Add

I now have a bowl of various 90 degree triangles for this task.  Like so.

photo-3

I have the same with strips.  This system does add to the amount of scraps, but I’m good with that.  I can’t tell you the number of times something has been all sewn together for me to realize I should have changed out something dead center of the quilt.

Happy Monday Peeps.

Hope you and your design wall are finding some time to sleep together:)

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Filed Under: quilt design wall Tagged With: classes, creating a quilt design wall, improvisational patchwork, make a quilt design wall, modern quilt, modern quilting, modern quilting instructor, seattle, seattle modern quilt guild, Seattle Modern Quilting Guild, sewing classes, tutorial for a quilt design wall, workshops

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Teri says

    April 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    Dear Katie,
    I always love receiving these updates – but, this time I wanted to let you know that when I tried to click on the links for the design wall, my computer froze up! Don’t kow if others might have this problem, but…

    If you have the instructions (including the grommet ones) in any other format, please send. I’m working on my quilt ‘studio’ now too! So exciting.

    AND…on a less happy note, with both the Ballard and the Vashon Island Quilt shops closing…where will you be teaching??
    I don’t want to lost you!!

    THANKS.
    Linda

    • sewkatiedid says

      April 13, 2015 at 6:27 pm

      Hi Linda!

      I’ll be teaching in my studio as soon as it’s done. Likely end of May. I’ll add you to my newsletter so you’ll be the first to know;)

  2. JCinTX says

    April 13, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    Love your ‘scrappy’ planning bowl of snippets! Might have saved me from my latest ugly quilt top disaster!!! Wish I had a pet to give it to!

    • sewkatiedid says

      April 13, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      Friends with pets?

  3. Wanda Dotson says

    April 13, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    Your idea for a design wall has helped me tremendously. I love fiddling with fabric pieces and auditioning them on my design wall. I’m been experimenting with sketching but the plan always changes once I get the pieces on the design wall.

    • sewkatiedid says

      April 13, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      Oh good!

  4. jodi says

    April 13, 2015 at 10:49 pm

    hi katie…
    great to revisit your gorgeous walls!
    what is the name of the gray and is it alex henry/mike miller/robert ? I can’t remember and have been wanting to do this for ages!
    thanks much
    jodi

    • sewkatiedid says

      April 13, 2015 at 11:26 pm

      I think you’re talking about the flannel. I buy sheets from Garnet Hill. If you follow the links you’ll find the information;)

  5. sakurako says

    April 14, 2015 at 3:37 am

    Beautiful color coordination!!
    It’s like the color coordination of the neck of the Japanese kimono.

  6. Creatopath says

    April 14, 2015 at 3:51 am

    What a great idea to roll up your project (keeping it all in one piece) so it’s not taking up all the space. I have pieces of material all over the air-hockey table at the moment!! Love your idea of sewing the scraps together.

  7. creaturecomfortquilts says

    April 14, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    Great idea for the prolific quilter to essentially have a duplicate design wall in the space it takes for one!

  8. jodierichelle says

    April 15, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    It’s nice to hear that you like to see things exactly as they will be as well. I always have trouble “picturing” the finished project in my head – If I can see it ahead of time – I will know if it’s right or not. If I am just imagining it – It can be a mess.

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