Choosing HST layout and some more questions...
 

Hi everyone,

I'm sewing a baby quilt for a friend's daughter, but I can't decide about the layout. Please, help me... what do you like the best?

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Another questions:

- There are some color combinations in the HST units that are not the best: is it too late for unsewing and redo? (They are all trimmed now...)
- If I finally choose the option 1, how could I quilt it? Since I haven't got a quilting foot, I thought I would do straight lines with the walking foot, but there are 2 different designs (square in square and pinwheels), so I don't know how to do it... simply SITD?
- I'm afraid the quilt will be a bit too small. I didn't plan to add borders, and I don't have more fabrics in the same style. Would you add a narrow sashing between the blocks? If yes... what colour? Solid white? I'm not sure I like it... has anyone more ideas?

Thank you in advance!

My thought is if the HST's are all trimmed to the same size then use them. No need for any re-doing. Personally, I like the pinwheel setting better. Try setting everything in pinwheels and see what you think.

Consider adding a 1" sashing in a white that will match the background as much as possible.

Good luck!

As for quilting, try straight 1/4" stitching.

I think the first one is the prettiest. Since it's a baby quilt I think I'd just do a nice SITD, or, if you want to get a bit more creative, do a cross hatch.... that always looks nice. I think I'd also add a small border or two..... maybe the inside one in white to frame it and then the outside one in strips of the colors that are in the blocks. I just noticed that in the second row from the bottom you have two yellow squares right next to each other.... you may want to move one of them around a bit.

I'm very attracted to the pinwheel blocks. Sashing in white would be nice and simple SITD quilting would do. Adding a border would make it bigger. Love the half square triangles.

Thank you, thank you.

I tried to set everything in pinwheels, but there's no good contrast in some of the HST (that's the reason I wanted to redo), so I was no pleased with this layout...

I'm going to try the white sashing, then. And I will SITD.

Good appreciation, I will move it :o

P.S. I liked the second and third layout the best (I love scrappy look), I surely would choose one of them if the quilt was for me... but since it's for another person, I thought it would be better to ask you. So glad I did it!

I think putting a white sashing in would help make the colours stand out and be friendlier with each other if that makes sense.........your eye would be viewing each HST more individually. I also think pinwheels all over would look beaut and if you are concerned about it being too small I would add 2 borders to it.

There is something that makes the pinwheels so very cute. Good Luck. Adios.

Pinwheels are always winners when it comes to baby quilts. :)

Same here with the pinwheels. Love your fabric. I vote for pinwheels.

I'm so surprised that everyone voted for the same option... I wish I could see the things so clear! Many thanks, I really value your point of view :)

Well, I set everything on pinwheels, and this is the result:

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I've always seen the pinwheels with white background, maybe it's the reason I wasn't sure about this layout. I like almost every block individually but, when I put them together, I am in doubt...

And now: Do you prefer the option 1 (pinwheels alternating with square in square) or the option 4 (only pinwheels)?

If I can't unsew, I think I will have to remove some blocks (the one in the middle of the bottom row, for example). Anyway, tomorrow I'll look at it with sunny light.

Ohhhhh, this is so pretty!!!!

i like the first setting

I like the second setting - it looks more modern to me. I don't mind all the pinwheels, though... I think a white sashing between them would be a good way to make it a bit bigger. What size are your HST's?

I like layout #1 best but all of them are very nice.

I like the last layout. If you put a sashing between the & the same width as an inner border I think it would shine.

Yes first layout for baby quilt

ditto on the pinwheels and also agree that a light/white sashing would be perfect. Pretty fabrics.

I like your pinwheels!!!

I like option 4 best.

I like option #4 too. Pinwheels and babies just go together. Leave the middle one in bottom row. It is a resting place. If no sashing, add a 2 inch white border, then a 1 inch pieced scrappy border from left over fabrics, last another 2 inch white border. It will enlarge the quilt and bring the eye out too.

I love the pinwheel one. It is so cute. When you add the borders it will really finish it off nicely. Great job!

Really like those pinwheels and you can't go wrong with this layout. Gorgeous for a baby quilt.

This is exactly my opinion!!

I like all pin wheels.

I would make four more blocks so I could sew four blocks together to make one block. That would really save me lots of time and be easier to sew together. I like all the layouts. The colors are perfect for a baby.

I like your last setting. Very pretty. I know you mentioned you don't have much fabric left over. If, however, you have enough background fabric (a neutral/white or similar) you might want to consider something like this to enlarge your quilt:


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Just a thought - - -

OOOOOORRRrrrrrrr - - - -

cut alternate setting squares the same size as your pinwheel blocks. Get the same result.

Oh I think this last way is beautiful. Also choice can be made on best way to quilt it.

Very very pretty, jclinganrey! I think I should have done something like that.

I do love the pinwheels with white background. Plus, since I don't have much fabrics, it would have been the best way to enlarge the quilt (I mean: colour + white in every HST instead of mixed colors). Really, I don't know what I was thinking... :(

But now it's too late for regrets... so I will do what I can.

I've been working with the leftovers and maybe I can get some more HST: if I only could get 4 groups of 4, it would be one more row (plus sashing). That might be enough.

Excuse me, I don't understand exactly what you mean, I don't catch the idea (English is not my first language). Please, could you explain it again?

Someone asked for the size of HSTs, they are less than 5 inches (12 cms).

Thanks to all of you for your help and your encouragement.

I like the pinwheel blocks just as you have them. My suggestion is to use alternate blocks the same size as your pinwheel blocks ((sounds like they're 4 1/2" unfinished)) to make the quilt bigger.

Hope you post pictures of your finished quilt!

I love the last option, although I note that the top leftt and bottom right are pinky, with the bottom left being a dark pink. There is another dark pink that might look nice at the top right. I really like the color combinations.

Lovely with the pinwheels but whatever you do, do not overbuilt it. I did that on a baby quilt and it turned into something resembling bark. Hard!!!

I also love pinwheels.

I agree with the group. I cannot see any of them that don't go together. Good job.

I like the second. It's modern and implies a colour block. Quilt it by treating the 4 as a single block.

love the pinwheels

I don't like all pinwheels, and I don't like all squares either. I love the first one with a pinwheel here and there. I see five of them in that layout. It makes you look around more to see what you can find. With the all-pinwheels layout, it may be more interesting if there where a square or five to break up the monotony.
Love your colors, and your English is almost perfect. Congratulations on being bi-lingual. Wish more of us were.

I like all pinwheels. If you need a larger quilt, add a narrow white strip between each row. You have done a good job. Just enjoy the process; if the recipient doesn't quilt, they will love whatever you do. Good luck and let us see the final result.

The top is done!

I hope not to disappoint you (I'm really worried about it, because you are so kind and patient), but I finally chose the second layout.

I woke up this morning and sewed 3 pinwheels. Don't ask me why, but it didn't appeal to me...
Then, I decided to try the first layout, but looking to this picture I realized that there was something 'wrong' (to me) with it:

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It seems to me that the blocks on the intersection are 'mismatched'...

I didn't like that, but I thought I would put sashing between the blocks to solve the problem. I looked for my white fabric and decided that it was too much shiny (the whites in the HST are not pure white), so I went with a very very pale pink. I was pleased with this decision, but... again, I had not much pink fabric. Despairingly, I phoned my mother and asked if she still had some scraps from the fabrics she gave me this summer. Luckily, she said yes! So I went to her home and carried all of them...

The scraps were pretty small, so I couldn't get the same HST size (12 cms) but, with her scraps and my scraps, I got 10 new groups of 4 smaller HST! (10 cms).

So I trimmed (again) all my previous HST from 12 cms to 10 cms (it was SO HARD!) and started to sew them together. And this is the result:

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The top size is about 87 x 106 cms (35 x 42 inches, I think).

The colours are too much saturated in the picture because of the lamp, I will give another try tomorrow with sunny light.

Another picture (I love the music fabric, I wish to have more):

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Well, at least I learned some very valuable lessons today:
1 - Don't start cutting and sewing until you have a definite plan.
2 - Be sure you have enough fabric when you choose a design.

I'm going to dinner, today I did nothing but sew!

My favorite is the first. Can't help with the other questions.

Silk you have done a splendid job...I love this layout...looks fabulous and you can stll add a complimentary border or two if you want to set the HST's off more and too increase the size otherwise it looks terrific as it is. And look at all your pointy points! Well done. Isn't it funny how sometimes inspiration just comes to you "out of the blue" and inevitably leads you to making the correct decision. It really is lovely and now I like your final layout better than pinwheels!! Lovely, lovely, and lucky, lucky baby!!