I need help with layout
 

I am doing a new quilt top for our youngest son's king sized bed. You can see I have laid it out 6 across and 7 down, but it is skimpy on the side. You can also see that it is going to be longer than the bed requires. It seems obvious to me that I make it 7 blocks wide and 6 long? Does that seem reasonable? Will I be able to add borders all around that way?

The pattern is "Attic Windows" and I wanted to put a 1" (1.5 unfinished) black sashing to make it look like wrought iron bars. Why? The cross-stitched scenes are from India where every house has wrought iron bars.

Yep I would do it 7 blocks across and 6 down. Looks nice.

I have made 2 king size quilts for my bed and both are square. Try that and see if you still have enough room to put borders I am sure you will be happy with it being square.

Instead of taking off I would add a further cross making it 7by7. Sorry for the extra work.

I really like that quilt, it's going to look great when done.

It really would not be that much extra work to make it 7 X 7, since I have the blocks cut already (not sewn, but cut). I have blank white blocks ready to add some applique or maybe even some photos, but I just needed help deciding. When I recently did the 16 patch and pinwheels for another top, I did not put the border at the top because it was already long enough. I thought that looked unfinished and wanted to be sure I had borders on four sides this time. Seven blocks wide by seven long will more than cover the top if I figure correctly, but I know "square" is better for a king.

Give me your opinion of this fabric for a border: http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/Item--i-TT-8665-NEUTRAL

I think this is 11" wide. So then outside of this border I could use the remainder of the Stonehenge fabric that is around the windows.

I like your border print - it will look great mitered!

Some time back I wrote this request for help and now I have made a bit more progress. I wanted to share what I have completed so far. I still have the borders to go, which should be peacocks about a 11" repeat with four across the width of the fabric. The back will be peacock feathers if I get the cloth I have ordered.

I know I broke a lot of "rules" in this top. My daughter tells me that it is not visually appealing if there is an even number of rows across. Well, maybe the eye can focus on the black iron bar in the center.

The bottom row looks to be warped, but that happened because of the way I am holding it. Now my question is how to quilt it. I am not able to do it by hand anymore, so what should I do with the LA?

IDEAS FOR NAMING A QUILT USING ATTIC WINDOWS AS THE THEME

http://www.crystalpalaceyarns.com/eq...ticwindow.html

HAREM, gynæceum or gynæcium, seraglio, zenana [India], purdah [India].

SERAGLIO

se•ragl•io n., pl. -ragl•ios.
1. the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
2. a Turkish palace, esp. of the sultan. Also called se•rail
[1575–85; < It serraglio < Pers sary palace; sense development in It perh. influenced by serrare to lock up]

ZENANA—noun

A harem on the Indian subcontinent, a part of their house reserved for high-caste women; a system of segregating women into harems.

Etymology: From (Pers.) | (Urd.) (fa-Arab, UUU) (ZanAnah), from (FAchar, U) (zan) “woman”.

“LADIES first,” we say in the West; in the East it is “Ladies last.” That sums up succinctly the difference in the domestic ideas of the two civilizations.

Five sixths of the upper ten millions of Indian women live secluded in hareem or zenana; the terms are synonymous for the “women’s quarters,” but the former is only applied to Mahomedan households.

PURDAH
In the lands of India the actual translation of the word purdah is screen or veil. Purdah is the practice that includes the seclusion of women from public observation by wearing concealing clothing from head to toe and by the use of high walls, curtains, and screens erected within the home. Purdah is practiced by Muslims and by various Hindus, especially in India. The limits imposed by this practice vary according to different countries and class levels. Generally, those women in the upper and middle class are more likely to practice all aspects of purdah because they can afford to not work outside the home.

It is also spelled Pardah, Hindi Parda (“screen,” or “veil”) practice that was inaugurated by Muslims and later adopted by various Hindus, especially in India, and that involves the seclusion of women from public observation by means of concealing clothing (including the veil) and by the use of high-walled enclosures, screens, and curtains within the home.
A sikh writes:
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Purdah
With the Muslims came purdah, the veil, and zananah, confinement of womenfolk to the interior apartments. The female became a greater liability for the male of the invaded populace who, weakened economically, had not only to feed his female dependants but also to be ready to protect their honour and chastity in those troubled times. This, among other causes, social as well as cultural, led to the practice of female infanticide, as also of child marriage. The state of a widow was the most pitiable. Polygamy was permissible for man, but a woman could not remarry even after the death of her husband. The smrtis enjoined upon the widow to practise sahamarana, literally simultaneous death, commonly known as sati, by burning herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. Where concession was made and the widow allowed to live on, being pregnant or having infant children, for instance, she remained ostracized from society, submitting herself to rigorous discipline of self-denial.

It's a beautiful top, and your son is going to love it. I agree though that 7x7 would be better. Please post pics when it's done.

I usually like to make my kings between ~112"-120". Nothing worse than sleeping under a quilt and having your butt hanging out of the quilt! :p :o

I still have borders to add--the one mentioned earlier from Hancock's and another from leftover "marble" fabric from the Stonehenge collection. I could have used 7 blocks across and 7 down, but would have had 7 blank windows. There were only 42 cross stitched blocks. If you look back at the original message with the picture of 7 blocks down, they came down too far. Using 6 X 6, the big picture comes to the edge, but not over.

OK, I am slower than most quilters because I have "another life" that takes a lot of time, but I have finally come far enough to make some final decisions with this one.

Right now, the top measures 78 wide and 79 long. I am not sure how that happened because so far everything has been square.

That means it exactly fits the top of a king sized mattress and what is needed now is a "stonehenge" border on the outside like the window frames. The bed has drawers under the mattress, so the next border only needs to be 12.5 or 13 inches wide. That means the sides and end will have a border but not the top. Will that look strange?

Any alternate suggestions for making it look finished?

I love your quilt. I have seen many quilts that didn't have a top border. My sister believes they look better on a bed that way. I don't think I would let it bother me that the top didn't have a border. Or, you could always put one there and just tuck it behind the top of the bed, if it does bother you.

Again, beautiful quilt!

Dina

Thanks for the encouragement! I looked at several nice ready made comforters and none of them had a top border, so I am convinced mine will be OK. I hope I can show you a finished product before another year is out.

I tend to make my quilts square so that I can rotate them every so often to have them wear evenly. I also rotate the blocks so that some are right side up from each angle. If it is to be a wall hanging that is not necessary. I don't know about your son but my husband likes to pull the quilt up over part of his face. By rotating it periodically it wears better despite him.

I love your quilt. The black sashing between the blocks really adds to it. Great job! It's beautiful!