Design Wall for Renters

I've several projects going that really need a design wall to see how they are progressing.  In the past, I've found that things look completely different on the floor than they do on the wall.  My big problem is that my current space has very little wall space and a small window.  I had the same problem in my last apartment but it was a corner unit with two large windows.  The light was fantastic but again, no wall space.  I solved that problem by pinning a flannel back tablecloth to the bottom of the valance over one window.  As it was a 72" window, that worked really well for me.

Since I no longer had that window to work with, I noticed that the top of my bookcase on one side of my door was almost exactly level with the curtain rod on the other side.  I hemmed the edge of the cloth and put on of my leftover curtain rods through it and balanced the decorative ends of the rod on top of the bookcase and the window rod.  Perfect!  This is a 59" wide cloth and when I need to do the edges, I can fill in the space between the door and the window by pinning more flannel to the edge and the valance. 

my new design wall in use

I prefer using the flannel backed tablecloths over batting or regular flannel for several reasons.

1.   They are really cheap!  I get them on the end of season clearance sales or when the stores introduce new patterns.  I do try to get the higher quality ones as they have better flannel than the super cheap ones but I've rarely paid over $2.50 for one. 
2.   Batting is way more expensive plus difficult to store if you haven't a permanent place  to display it.  With the tablecloths, I can fold or roll them up and store behind the couch or a corner of the closet.
3.  They are thin enough that I've been able to pin to a hallway wall with regular office push pins (leaving only tiny holes) and that held an entire 60x72" quilt top.