A couple of days ago I finally changed up my large design wall, 8′ x 8′ approximately. It was black for the past 7 years and served me well. For some time now I intended to change the color to a mid-tone grey. Why grey? It goes back to my explorations in photography. Grey will help photograph my work with fewer issues. Grey renders the color more realistically. My white design wall often “swallows” some of the intensity of the colors I create with. A change was in order.

I purchased the perfect grey fabric at 404 in Saskatoon with best intentions some time ago. For the past three months it was gathering dust in my cupboard. But I am soaring into July with a new design wall!

So often we purchase more fabric than we really need. I was left with about 3 meters of grey. I looked around the studio and found just what I was looking for.

Two sheets of whiteboard…

I was in business!

A few more items from my stash lead me closer to my new project:

A roll of duct tape (I had some white on hand, but silver would work just as well), hockey tape (it is nice and flexible – read on you and you will find out why that is important!), several T-pins, a small amount of quilt batting and the left-over grey fabric. I was set to create a travel design board for workshops!

I started with the two sheets of foam core and the white duct tape. With the foam core board, one of top of the other, I applied the duct tape and smoothed it along the joint of the longest side.

I opened up the joined sheets and applied a length of hockey tape. Note: I use it for book binding and designer boxes. It is amazing and lasts forever!

 

Time to add a layer of batting. I used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20, just because I had it on hand.

Small T-pins were inserted to keep the joined edges in place. These pins stay in place and are not removed once the fabric cover is added.

I cut the grey fabric to size and started sewing the cover.

Careful trimming of the corners ensures a crisp corner when turned.

I left a large opening to insert the batting covered foam core board.

The cover was turned right side out and the board inserted. This was a bit tricky. I made sure that the batting didn’t bunch up in areas. I could have glued the batting to the foam core but that renders it less usable as the glue hardens and makes it difficult for pins to be inserted.

The cover is in place. Time to securely stitch the opening closed.

Looks messy and a little daunting? Don’t give up too quickly. Sewing up the opening didn’t take long!

I used a ladder stitch which is durable and helps make the cover fit snug and secure.

And here we are, a folding design wall, perfect for small spaces and workshops.

Had to try it right away…

I added a few small T-pins to the edge for use in workshops (so that I don’t have to start looking for pins when I am in a hurry!)

for travel I fold the board up with clamps…

…which double as hangers to provide the full surface for composition. Fully open the design board measures 30″ w x 41″ h. Folded and standing up I have four surfaces I can share with other students. Each side measures 20.5″ x 30″. For a challenge you could make one side white, the other black or grey… so many options!

Estimated cost of this quick project is less than $ 10 (Canadian) and it took less than 90 minutes to create.

I hope you find this little project helpful. Share the link if you are so inclined! Thanks for your interest!

02 Jul This entry was published on July 2, 2015 at 6:49 am. It’s filed under Creativity Update, Design, In the News, Journaling, Tutorial and tagged design wall for travel and workshops, folding design wall for small spaces, small portable design wall, step-by-step instructions. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.