Product Review: Cheryl Ann's Portable Free-standing Design Wall
 

By Lynn Holland

I am not a camper. So why am I holding a little portable bag that is filled with things that look suspiciously like tent poles? 

It is because I am not the owner of my own quilting studio. Although I have graduated from a spot behind the door of my cramped kitchen, I do not have unlimited space. My sewing machines live in a small spare bedroom and my cutting board is a rotary mat on the floor.  There is no wall space that is not significantly broken by a door or a window. Given these constraints, a design wall has been out of the question. Until now. 

For a brief period, I tacked up something to a wall in Rob’s office. However, because there is furniture and stuff in there, it was usually half hidden behind the computer desk and really wasn’t particularly functional. Nor was it decorative.  I had also contemplated one of those clinging fabric things that stick to the wall and can be taken up and down, but realized that I would have to put it over a window or take down pictures on the wall or both due to the configuration of the rooms.  Forget that. 

For years now, the floor has had to do. Not that I have lots of floor space, but if I moved furniture and stood on a chair, I could get some distance from the project and get a look at the options. As an added bonus, climbing up on and down from the chair to make adjustments provided some mighty good exercise. 

But finally, someone figured it out. Just like portable tables and chairs, Cheryl Ann developed a portable design wall that brings its wall with it! Sort of like a portable soccer goal. The 6x6 wall sets up quickly, using telescoping legs that even I could manipulate and assemble. In the bag, which is about the size of a doctor's bag, you will find the 6 X 6 foot flannel cloth that serves as the wall, the tent-pole like support poles, and the molded resin clips and brackets that hold it all together. The whole thing weighs only five pounds.

All of this can be assembled in just a few minutes, and you can leave it up as long as you like, or take it down when you need your guest room (or dining room) back.

Once again it is proven, the space program notwithstanding, that the cleverest bunch of people on the planet are quilters!

New! Cheryl Ann's Design Walls now come in three sizes: 6 X 6 feet, 3 X 3 feet, and 18" X 18". The medium size is great for a small sewing room, and the smallest for taking to class to preview blocks.

Cheryl Ann's Portable Design Walls in all three sizes can be found in our online store!