Design Board

I finally got it done - the design board!  There are some projects that I want to start, but have been delaying since I need a design board to help me make some design decisions.  I had decided a while ago to make the design board using artist stretchers and canvas.  I figured that since I was going to use flannel or batting, I would need something firm underneath it to give it some structure and support.

Unfortunately, the stretchers I bought were too big for the wall I wanted to hang the board on.  My sister finally suggested that I buy a pre-made canvas since they come in all sizes now.  I decided to start with a small design board and leave the larger one for when the carpenter working on my house renovation can trim the stretchers down to fit the wall. 

Here is the front of the design board (30" X 40") with flannel stretched over it:

The back view:

A close up of the flannel stapled to the frame of the canvas:

A close-up of a corner:

It's really important to make sure that the corners on the design board are taut and firmly secured to the frame of the canvas.  The tighter you can stretch the flannel over the frame, the flatter your surface. 

This design board is now literally a blank canvas and can be hanged like any other painting.  Thanks to the sis for working on this board!

Craft Room Design Ideas

My craft room is bare except for 2 sewing machine tables, my dad's work table, and two large built-in closets that I use for fabrics.  The 2 sewing machine tables will be removed once I can find someone to take the industrial sewing machine and serger, which both need a little work.  My dad's work table is an eyesore, but I'm keeping it for sentimental reasons because I remember spending many hours with my father in his workroom tinkering with camera parts on this table.  Right now, I'm using it as a cutting table, but it's really not big enough.  It has a shelf though, which I'm using to store some of the sewing notions. 

As I figure out what my design and storage needs are, I'm slowly adding elements to the room.  I've been doing a lot of research on other people's sewing rooms to get ideas, and am particularly interested in the type of design boards that people have installed in their rooms.  I've seen everything from a curtain-like sheet that hangs on a curtain rod to boards that are screwed into the wall. 

Since my wall space is limited, and I'm reluctant to screw boards into my new walls, I decided to make a blank artist canvas for my design board.  I bought stretchers from the art store to make the frame for the design board, but instead of using canvas to cover the frame, I'm using 2 layers of fabric: a heavyweight, tighly-woven fabric and flannel.

The stretchers that I bought are 54" and 84", so the top layer fabric has to be at least 60" wide.  The tricky part is finding a thick flannel that is 60" wide.  My local fabric store doesn't have it, so it looks like another trip to Manhattan ...

Once the design board is done, I'll hang it like a painting, which will become both a design element and a functional board.  I can't wait to get started!

I'll add a tutorial on how to make this design board as soon as I am done.