A few years ago my husband gave me a "Hansel & Gretel" quilt for Christmas, but the lady who made it for him did some strange things. She quilted "rays" from the outside leading to the center, bound it, and for the central design, made little "pillows" of Hansel and Gretel and the tree they slept under, and "free standing" angels, and attached them to the quilt. It wasn't very effective, and I removed the central design, only to find a lot of excess material bunched up in the center. Any suggestions what to do with this white elephant?

Bonniebusybee :-(

I'm not sure if I could help, but is it possible for you to post a picture. It might make it easier to understand what you are describing. Sorry, I am a very visual person.

She creatively hid the mistake in the center. She quilted from the edges toward the center, which then "trapped" excess material.

About the only thing I can think to do would be to remove the center to get rid of the excess fabric and cover it with an appliqued piece. Perhaps the Hansel & Gretel could be appliqued to a background piece, which could then be stitched to the center. The center could then be hand quilted.

But is it worth that much work?

Got a picture?

Wow, I would love to see a pic of that.

Thanks, Prism 99. Your suggestion is the most logical I've heard. Yes, it would be worth the work, as the rest of the quilt is nicely done. It was just a wonky idea she had (among others). Everything on the quilt was free-standing .... poorly-made angel "dolls", pink satin ribbons attached just here and there .... what a monstrosity! Thanks for your help.