I bought these Wizard of Oz blocks to make something unique for a friend who seems to already have everything in the W-O-O theme. The sepia-type colors of the photo are surrounded by a matching brown check with a thin red border immediately around the photo. You can see there are 9 blocks, four of which have a duplicate. I don't know if my friend likes browns very much, but there isn't a lot of red in the blocks. I'm having trouble with a layout and border ideas. This will be hand-quilted, so ideas for quilting designs would be greatly appreciated, too. Please help! Thanks so much for all the fabulous ideas you all share.

I really think highlighting the little bit of red in the blocks with using red for the sashing would help to compensate for all that brown! Maybe if you used brown cornerstones? I have no idea what to suggest when it comes to quilting, unless maybe you either echo quilted around the main parts of the block, or you used something from the movie (as in the ruby slippers) as a motif in each of th blocks.

I second all of this :) Especially the red sashing ...

Good luck with this.

I LOVE the Wizard of Oz. My favorite movie!

I also have a huge stack of wizard of Oz fabric that I have yet to use. I will be watching this thread for ideas from everyone. You could quilt with O and Z all over, or small dogs.

I would change the layout and put kneeling D in the center because it is the only single. Then I would put D with wheel in two opposite corners and D with hands out in the other two opposite corners. Marvel stone blocks on each side and D with wizard top and bottom center.

Then I totally agree with the red sashing. It would really pop the blocks. The corner stones could be a beige or even a gold/deep ochre tone from the blocks.

It will be beautiful no matter what you decide.

I agree with the red sashing. But I also think it woudl be adorable to make it kind of wonky, in keeping with the tornado out of control type theme of the movie.

Place each block, not squared, but angled. with different angles to each other, not a lot, just a little.

I like MadQuilter's ideas. I think too a nice deep red and then a tan. I like her layout idea too. Can't wait to see pics when done.

I think this is a FABULOUS idea!

Now that sounds like a really neat idea. Would certainly add some interest to the quilt.

What they all said!! :-)

me too! :)

Ditter

I saw a quilt on this site that i thought would be a great layout style for this w.o.o. quilt. check it out, it even has the wonky layout I referred ot earlier.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-48894-1.htm

I have a rather off-the wall suggestion: start with red sashing in the very middle and get more and more colorful until the outside borders which are in a riot of rainbow colors (like when Dorothy landed in Oz). Maybe even a lollipop fabric here and there. For quilting the blocks, I might try some outlining of the central figures in each block in a thread that won't show up too much.

Great Idea!

I have a large amount of both the sepia and the colour collection. I plan on making the sepia side very plain with just the sepia and brown colours and the other side will be the colourful side in keeping with the tradition of the movie.Both will be in squares framed to make them look like the film strip stills that they are and the quilt will be reversible. One side for when we are in Kansas and the other for when we are not in Kansas anymore. Fell free to take parts of this idea as it may be a while before I get working on it.

You all are fabulous! I wish I could use every one of the suggestions so far. They are ingenious. Keep them coming!

I have 2 ideas one is follow the Yellow brick road! you could do strips of yellow/gold and quilt them to look like bricks. and the other is Dorthy is from Kanses what about looking up the block for that state and using it to break up the blocks.

Ditto this suggestion too!

Those are beautiful. I love the septa tones to the pics. I agree pick up the red and use it for the borders. Keep us posted on how it goes.

i say combine the person who posted to make the blocks wonky with shopella's suggestion. make the block crooked and then do a yellow brick road around the blocks ( so they will be a nice square) and for a boarder to finish it off, use the red in the block to tie it in. and for the reverse use a very colorful rainbow like fabric or even a fabric that has little rainbows all over it. for the quilting I would use a tornado or slippers or the dog pattern. use invisible thread to highlight Dorthy or another in each of the blocks also.

I like the blocks. I don't have crafty ideas so I can't offer a suggestion. I am enjoying all the suggestions you have gotten and can't wait to see the quilt./Regards, Dorothy

Don't be afraid to use the more traditional colors and patterns that are associated with the Wizard of Oz. By incorporating the red (ruby red slippers), blue and white gingham (Dorothy's dress), yellow (Cowardly Lion), silver or gray (Tin Man), etc. the quilt may match the rest of her collection better. Just because those colors aren't in these blocks doesn't mean you can't use them. We all know what colors are traditionally seen in the Wizard of Oz and so those colors will look natural with your blocks.

By the way, I love the sepia-tone pictures!

Whatever you decide, I am sure your friend will love it!

wow, cool ideas, I would suggest red sashings around each block, please post when you get the quilt done, will love to see it

always one for different ideas, how about using only the five different blocks...use them in a large 9patch in four corners plus center, then make the other four blocks out of a mottled dark red...using all nine is almost too much for me, especially since most are duplicates. I like the wonky idea, and you could use the plain blocks to do wonky log cabin to reflect the tornado and the cabin, then even applique toto and other WOO characters on these four blocks.

I agree with MadQuilter on the layout and red sashing would be great! It really would bring out the little red borders. I, too, love the Wizard of Oz and these panels are wonderful! Good luck and please post pics as you go along!!

I love the "wonky idea and the red sashing. I would make the outer boarder yellow (if you could find a brick patterned fabric, or piece bricks and then do a rainbow, spiral binding...!

I love the "wonky idea and the red sashing. I would make the outer boarder yellow (if you could find a brick patterned fabric, or piece bricks and then do a rainbow, spiral binding...!

Isn't there a pattern supplied by the manufacturer for these prints? Also, I have seen Ruby Slipper Red material at my quilt shop that goes with this. I'm sure there are others too. Try searching the website of the manufacturer to see if they have something availble

I jusr did a quilt like this all wonky blocks of Cats and at the show everyone wanted to buy that quilts because it was so different. I did 3" sashing in two colors sewn together and kind of alternated that also. It really was a fun quilt.

A little beige in the squares might lighten them up just a bit too.
Great ideas!!

actually whatever u have them laying on looks very nice i would look for something with a paisley or tapestry print in the reds and browns i love dark red and burgundy with browns and tans it is such a striking look like the red black and white quilts good luck love the wizard of oz prints cant wait to see what u come up with

Since you are cutting blocks apart anyway I would not use the repeats myself, you can do the red sashing as many suggested and then maybe sq in sq borders then a flying geese border either around entire quilt or just sides using more colors since you were saying too much brown and I do like the lollipop fabric idea, just depends if you want fun or conservative. ( I tend to go with fun) what ever you decide let us see it when you finish.

I love this fabric my sister collects everything from Wizard of Oz. She has breast cancer so i made her a quilt, I printed pic of woz from computer on fabric, she loved it, i just found a large panel of the wicked witch and just sewed the edges. i'm giving it to her today. Post pic when you decide. would love to see it. Denise

great idea! that would make it interesting, not just a "picture quilt" maybe crooked log cabin pattern, with several reds and browns and tans around the panels?

i love Wizard of Oz and all the suggestions on here are great! your friend will love whatever you do with the blocks. for everyone that love w-o-o check out John Pinette's Oz Buffet on YOu Tube! you will die laughing!











!

Ditto!

I also agree with the red to make it pop and the idea of little angles is awesome!

I would pull out the repeats and only use one of each. I would use gold and red and maybe black as additional fabrics. Just to break up the blocks a bit, I would put log cabin blocks or other quilt blocks in between the picture blocks. How about a black center and use a variety of gold and reds in the log cabin blocks. I think that would be nice. As an example, here is a quilt i did for my hubby that used log cabin blocks and it works great, just as an idea.

I love the idea of Red Sashing, but I would use the Matching Red from the fabric with very small darker red dots that look solid from a distance. The rainbow Idea is great to use. I would get the Ombre Fabric for that. The same kind Nancy Zieman used on her show, that gradates from the darkest color to the lightest color.