Right, I am all ready to make the sandwich, leaving a good 6inch surplus all round, basting 4-5 ins apart (in parallel lines?).
I am going to the quilting shop to buy the thread, some "betweens" and a finger cot. I intend to hand quilt without a hoop and quilt alernate hexagons.
I will keep you posted!! Thankyou everyone for your help with this project. I may be back with more queries, as I still have questions about the binding... :?

What great advice you ladies have been kind enough to share. Makes me want to try my hand and hand-quilting again. I love Prisms tip about working every night and having a goal of using 4 thread lengths per evening. I never thought of it that way. You ladies are really something else. I wish we were neighbors -- literally. Of course, then you'd have to live in South Louisiana. :lol:

South LA??? Why that might not be soo bad, I hear the cooking is really good!

Oh, yea, the food is awesome. That's why I constantly fight the battle of the bulge. Come on down. We'd love to have you. The first thing we'd do is plan a big supper.

Quilting should be done from the center out, but I don't baste from the center out. Using serger thread scraps, I hand basted my first quilt (king size) and I don't recommend it. I now use quilters' safety pins. It is vital that your three layers are smooth and fairly taut. I have a 4' x 8' plywood "table" upon which I lay out the backing, the batting, and the top, smoothing each as I go and clipping the 3 layers to the 1/2"-thick plywood with 2" spring loaded paper clips. I clip one side or end of the 3 layers and then smooth and gently pull the layers tight before I clip another side or end. When I get a section all smoothed and clipped, then I insert the safety pins just a few inches apart. When I get that section "basted", I remove the paper clips and repeat the process with the rest of the quilt. This way, I don't get any puckers or unpleasant lumpy surprises when I quilt, whether it be by hand or machine. Good luck and enjoy!

It is a great quilt top...you really should quilt it 1/4" inside each hexagon. You'd be surprised how great it looks :) And actually if you start on one row of hexagons, go around 4 sides, go between layers to the next hexagon, do the same thing and continue across the row or as far as you want, then turn and work your way back across the two sides that are left, you'd be surprised at how fast it will go :!:

I think it would look really nice if you used the above sugestion for the center of each "flower" portions created by the hexagon pattern.

In doing so, you would have the whole thing done in a lot less time and still end up with a very interesting look on both sides.

You will get used to the rocking motion of the needle and your stitches will get smaller with more practice. I hand quilt all my quilts and I use a PVC frame, it's easier to change positions I find. Another tool I use are the small rubber circles that are needle pullers. Sometimes when you get several stitches on your needle it's hard to pull them through and the rubber circle grasps the needle and you're through.
I sandwich my quilts and use pins rather than basting. I use lots of pins and the ones that have the best side to them. I start in the middle and work our pinning in each direction, turning occasionally to make sure the back hasn't shifted.
Your fingers can get really sore cause you use the tips to feel as you are stitching and may need to take a day off here and there to let them rest.
Your top looks great, I'm doing a grandma's flower garden now and it's basically the same thing, lots of hexagons. You started quilting with a pattern that needs lots of stitches. It'll take you a while but you'll really be happy with the 1/4 inch quilting inside each circle. Have fun and show us when you're done.Most hand quilters like the backs of their quilts as much as the front.

I learn so much stuff on here I am tempted to start all my replies with wow! LOL!
that really is an awesome quilt Kat! I have "inherited" a big garbage bag full of double knit hexagons bc my mom was doing it the way you did yours and somebody told her that it was not correct. I wasn't into quilting then and didn't even know she had all those cut out.
I am afraid that they are going to stretch on me, so i may sew them to muslin, but then get a heavy quilt.
I'll figure out something, cause I won't throw them away.
thanks for all the asking, it helps the rest of us, lol! C

What's next? I'd need either therapy or a stiff drink. This is beautiful!