How to Make 1 Design Wall in 2 Hours with 3 Friends!

Step 1. Enlist the help of a friend or two (or be lucky enough to have friends visiting from Alaska to spearhead the project -- thank you Terri Wangstrom and Dana Hyams!)

Step 2: Measure the maximum wall space for your new design wall. I had room to make a wall 7" high by 8" wide.

Step 3: Gather tools and supplies you may already have at home including: a battery operated drill, a utility knife, a stud finder, several screws and large washers, sewing pins, and a can of spray adhesive.
Step 4: You will also need a very large piece of batting to cover your design wall. I used a King Size package of Warm and Natural that I bought at JoAnn fabrics with a 50% off coupon.

Step 5: Head to Home Depot for sheets of 3/4" thick Foam Insulation Sheathing measuring 4 feet by 8 feet. (Since I already knew my allotted wall space was 7" x 8", I asked the Home Depot employee if he would cut each of my boards down to 7 feet in length so that my two 4' x 7' boards would make one large 8' x 7' wall. I consider myself lucky that the employee was willing to do this for me knowing that I am a die-hard Seahawks fan and he is a die-hard Patriots fan with a big Super Bowl showdown less than two weeks away. :-) But, never fear... even if you cannot get your boards cut at the store, you can do so with a utility knife and a long straight edge back at home.)
Step 6: We opted to peel the silver lamination off of our boards. This makes it easier for pins to be used on your design wall when it is complete. We placed the boards' R-Tech blue writing against the wall to avoid having the letters shadow through the batting which will cover the board once it is attached to the wall.

Step 7: Use a stud finder to locate the studs along your wall. Mark several spots so you will know where to place screws when mounting your boards.
Step 8: Have one friend position a board on the wall and hold in place. Have friend #2 place a large washer on a long screw and drill it through the insulation sheathing board into the stud in the wall. Make sure to drill deep enough that the head of the screw isn't poking out, but not so deep that you create a big hole from the washer sinking too far into the insulation board. We used two screws for each 4' x 7' board. The boards are so light you only need to make a few holes in your wall.

Step 9: Use a utility knife to cut out holes for electrical outlets or light switches which may be covered by the board.

Step 10: Cover entire board with a large piece of batting. Trim batting a 3" beyond the edge of the wall boards, then simply wrap the edges around the board and pin, pin, pin...

Step 11: If your board butts up to a wall or window like mine, simply use a ruler and push the edge of the batting into place.

Step 12: Cut a hole in the batting in areas covering electrical outlets or light switches and pin the batting around these openings as you did along the edges of the boards in Step 10.
Step 13: Spray your batting LIGHTLY with an adhesive to help your quilt blocks stick to the wall when you are designing your next project.

Step 14: Let your friends use your design wall to lay out their next project.

Happy Quilting!