I bought this fabric to make my son a quilt. I didn't realize it when I bought it all the animals are not going the same direction nor are the boxes are the same size. If I used a large piece of this for the quilt center (say 42 x 42, then put borders all around, do you think this would look okay? If you have any other ideas, please let me know. Thanks in advance. (The fabric is Timeless Treasurers and I got it from Joanns.)

love this fabric. Can't wait to see what you do!!

You have many options. If you just add a border to it, no matter which side you look from, the quilt is always straight. I vote for that. On another idea, if you cut each block and add a border to make them all the sale size, your borders will not be all the same size, but if you cut them again a little smaller but arranged in different angles, it wouldn't matter. You can then make them all face the same direction. Was that one as clear as mud?

But if you cut them you loose the beautiful birds in between the blocks.

It would look nice with borders around it. Or, maybe you could make strips using the blocks that are the same size, with sashing between the strips, and then border it.

There's a pattern in the new issues of Quilts N' More (the one with felt donuts on the cover) that is for those big prints you can't bear to cut up.

Do you have enought to fussy cut and put a border or two around each fussy cut? I think that is what I would do with it. It really is beautiful fabric.

Sweeterthanwine, Maride makes some awesome quilts. She knows her quilting! I vote for keeping it a wholecloth like she suggested. I love the fabric.

I go for whole cloth also. or piece another top & use this for the backing. just too great to cut apart.

I like your idea of leaving it the way it is and add boarders to it! Nice fabric! :)

If you make the quilt center square, and make the borders non directional and keeping it square, it could be turned any which way :D:D:D

Love the fabric, I would hate to see you cut it up. Would definitely just add some kind of border and leave it at that.

I looked on the timeless treasures website lots of wonderful free patterns for their collections, I didn't see this one off hand but maybe if you spend a little time on the sits and know the name of the specific print you can find a pattern.

I would leave the fabric together & have brown & navy borders. One navy top & side & the same for the brown border

I like the idea of keeping it all in one piece and putting borders around it and then maybe quilt around some if not all of the animals. That would make the animals stand out more. It is beautiful fabric!

Gorgeous fabric. Wow Not seen that one. Will be interesting and make a beautiful quilt!

I would have a hard time cutting that up. It would look wonderful as a center panel with borders.

Thank you all for your wonderful ideas. Now I just have to decide on what to do. Have some thinking to do. Again, thank you. I have learned so much from this site since joining in September.

This would make a great backing. You might want to fussy cut one of each of the animals to use as corner stones in the quilt top to tie it all together. You have lots of options. Don't forget the pictures when you're done.

That is a great idea too. When I get it done I will post pictures. Hopefully will get it done before Christmas.

I made a King size quilt for my son, using Horse material like this. I used a 36" X 36" panel of the material for the center.
I did a quilt as you go method and quilted along some of the lines of the blocks. When I ended up, I had a big square.
I then cut 15" strips of other horse related fabric, drew me some lines for quilting ending up with long quilted strips. I then attached these to the center square by adding long strips of fabric to the back of each. Brought the joining strips to the front and folded one to the left and one to the right and stitched them down. It turned out more than just breath taking if I do say so myself......I grafted it all out on graph paper first.
don't forget to add your 1/4" seam allowance to what you cut.
For my joining strips, I cut those at 2 1/2".........kw

I am suggesting that, if you have enough fabric that you use it as a large central block. Use a wide sashing around it and then use this lovely fabric again as a border. It would looke wonderful.

However, if you found another fabric in the same theme, you could make a quilt from that in the normal peiced way, and use this gorgeous fabric as a backing and you then have a reversable quilt.

I did exactly that, put borders around a horses panel, which had 5 different sized panels. Then I backed it with fairy fabric, thereby satisfying my grand daughter's two passions!

And Maride also wrote: if you fussy cut themyou lose the birds.

You could do both and save the birds for the border or maybe another project. What ever you do, I'm sure your son will love it. :o)

I'd use a large panel, in the center, and add borders. No matter which direction a person looked at it, there would be animals going in an upright direction.

Your son is going to love it no matter what you do! Adding a border and just using a whole piece in the center would look quite nice when it was machine quilted. Other methods depend on how much experience you have. All the suggestions are possible.

I made a quilt similar to this for my son-in-law once while visiting them ...in a hurry, didn't have many supplies on hand ...so just used the wild life fabric and backed with fleece, no batting, etc. Then I made a pillow to match. It is now 17 years later and he is still dragging that around to nap with on the couch or in his chair.

I agree. I love the fabric, so I would either use it as backing or keep it as a wholecloth!

That is awesome!

I've got a similar problem but decided to fussy cut some of the animals and use a log cabin type border around them. Connecting Threads had a kit in one of their catalogs but instead of ordering the kit-I purchased the fabrics to disign my own - would have saved $4.00 ordering the kit!! Am anxious to get working on it tho'.

I love this fabric especially the moose (of course). You could cut the images and resew them in the row style with a log cabin or other quilt square in between. This would allow you to make each row the height needed to match. Moosegirl

Too Much Work. Just use as quilt top as is and quilt along each line. Dimension, Dimenson, Dimension.

think I also would use for the quilt back as one whole piece, and use something different for the quilt top that co-ordinates with this fabric

I think it depends if you are just wanting to make a quick quilt, & leave it as it is, or fussy cut & jazz it up a bit! Either would work out nicely, just a matter of personal choice. Me, I like to play, so I would cut them up & have fun creating something! Show us what you end up doing later, okay, & have fun, whichever way you choose!

You could make a quilt of neutral background blocks larger than the squares in your fabric, fussy cut the blocks of animals and then applique them at tilted angles on the front of the blocks.

Leave it together with borders. It does not matter that they are not all going the same way. It will be unique

Wow, such great ideas. My head is spinning. I would like to keep a large panel for the front and then put borders around that. I think I will use the leftovers and applique some of the animals and birds on them. You all have such great ideas. Much more than I could think of. Thank you so much.

I think it is beautiful fabric just as it is. I would probably use it for the quilt's back, so I didn't have to cut it up, and do patchwork on the front, maybe using just a few of the squares from the back.

Here is a quilt where I used whole cloth and then then did patch work top and bottom, added a border with fussy cut corner blocks. This is made of flannel and given to my grandson when he turned 16. this is not my pattern and I cannot tell you who's it is off the top of my head. If anyone wants the name I will search my pattern box for it.

Dani

I would leave it intact - way too pretty to cut up!!

Beautiful quilt. I have given some thought to doing something like this, but I think I will leave the fabric intac t, make a center panel then put on borders. Thanks for your picture.