Studio, Mini Gallery Wall Construction

Completed Mini Gallery Wall

Hey there,
I thought that today I should share the technique I used to make the mini gallery display walls in my studio. I needed an easy, affordable way to display both finished pieces as well as works in progress.
I wanted a nice, dark background so that the vivid colors and patterns of the pieces would really pop in photographs as well as it being easily pinned into. An additional motivation was the butt ugly luan panels I had nailed up to cover existing plumbing and sewer pipes for the first floor bathroom which is above the area in question.
***Supplies Used***
2 sheets of pink insulation board from Home Depot, cost $23 each
Leopard print hot glue gun
Hot glue sticks
Sharpie marker
Electric carving knife
Pearl headed dressmaker pins
2 yards of (72" wide) cheap black craft felt from Joann Fabrics, cost $3.50 per yard with coupon, regular price $6.99 per yard
Total cost out of pocket approx $53
*And I've got multiple pieces of the foam scraps and felt leftover for another project! I'm thinking of inspiration boards for the walls above my sewing machines and printing press 😻

***How I did it***
#1: I wrangled My Beloved Klingon into being my extra hands as the neuropathy in my hands has severely limited my strength and ability to grip items safely. I never, ever use electric saws,knives,etc without another adult lending a hand. I'm not gonna let my pride cause me to lose a finger, hand or any other appendage!
I'm pretty damn handy, having grown up with my Mother being a Master Electrician and my having lived for nearly 20 years as a single Mom in this 🏠.
I've always been that person who looks at things and thinks to myself "hey, I could build that!". I'm not a construction professional but have built many items around the house over the years, all of which are still standing.
I measured the luan walls and they measured approx 30" wide by 72"tall, I say approx because this is an old house, and nothing is straight or plumb.
#2: We transferred the measurements to the pink foam sheets using the Sharpie and a wooden yardstick
#3: Using the electric knife we cut the foam sheets to approx requisite size. Then we stood up the foam sheets to test the fit against the luan panels. We kept shaving bits away from the bottom edges of the pink foam until it would fit securely against the luan. It's a snug fit but this way we didn't need to actually glue or screw it to the wall. It's just wedged securely in place, which is great for my purposes in case of an issue with the upstairs bathroom, did I mention that it's an old house? Problems are sort of a constant around here 😲
#4: I unrolled the craft felt on the floor and cut it lengthwise on the fold. That gave me two pieces 36"wide by 2 yards long
#5: We layed a single layer of felt flat on the floor and placed a single foam panel on top like when wrapping a present. We checked for fit, making sure that there was an even amount of felt on each side
#6: Preheat the hot glue gun and insert glue stick. Wait impatiently for it to get all melty. Resolve to find my good, high temp, xl glue gun which was lost during the studio organization. Curse at the tiny glue sticks.
#7: Use the hot glue to make a long bead of hot glue along the edge of the foam board on one edge. We worked in approx 12"-18" sections as it seemed easiest. We would lay down the line of glue and then pulled the felt edge in place and press down the felt firmly. We continued this along both horizontal edges and then the vertical edges leaving the corners for last. This process seemed to take a zillion tiny glue sticks but The Beloved Klingon thinks it was around 20-30 total for both panels. I'm sticking with my zillion estimate however. Perhaps some glue sticks fell into an alternate dimension.
#8: Remember that one should keep a glass of ice water nearby when using hot glue so that you can put burned fingertips into said ice water.
#9: Ponder how long it takes fingerprints to grow back. Imagine a life of crime as a notorious cat burgler. Discard plans as Cat Woman has that gig already well in hand, also this thick chick ain't wearing latex and a mask. Hot flashes are no joke.
#10: Back to the job at ✋. Curse like a sailor as we get back down on the floor, cold concrete is not comfy at all. Have a lively discussion with aforementioned spouse as to best method of pulling and gluing felt corners. Compromise. Pull felt corners up into points and apply lots of hot glue, smoosh corner points into glue. Hold in place then add more glue. Let cool and dry for a lil while.
#11: Stand up the now super cute black felt covered panels. Marvel at how well they turned out. Wedge them into place. Notice that one is now a smidge too short to stay in place. Find a few scraps bits of thin wood on tool bench and use as shims at bottom edge by sliding them under panel edge. Step back in surprise as it actually works!
#12: Have a snack. Thank patient spouse for assistance. As he often reminds me, handyman work is not his skill set but he's always as good sport and helps me out anytime I need a second pair of hands
#13: Using long Pearl headed dressmaker pins, hang finished small fiber art pieces on one panel and in progress works on the other. Step back and enjoy the view. Do a little dance,make a little love, get down tonight😻