QuiltnNan

Wow, Sian, I had the same dilemma with a quilt that my dear aunt had started very long ago. I had asked for the advice here Advice on finishing tumbling blocks quilt And as I've reviewed my postings, I never posted my finish. Here is the result of mine

[ATTACH=CONFIG]593416[/ATTACH]

and a close up

[ATTACH=CONFIG]593417[/ATTACH]

Sian12

Thank you Dunster! I think your idea for framing a hex-block is great! My son has expressed his desire to have the quilt but would like it to be a queen size instead of the twin my mom planned on but he and our my daughter would both probably like a framed sample with her picture too. I'm going to plan on doing that for sure.

Sian12

Nancy, that's lovely!! It turned out beautifully and looks so soft and inviting :-)

Sian12

Susan, thank you so much! As I read your words I realized you were right, if my mom were still alive and I suggested modifying the design she would probably agree and be all for it. Thank you for the reassurance and the warm welcome :-)

Sian12

Thicker batting..that's a very good idea too! Thank you :-) .

The union jack fabric was purchased when husband and I were on our honeymoon in England. We decided to get fabric as a souvenir and I would make things for us to wear. I made him a shirt out of this and Mom asked for the scraps and got the idea for the quilt for our son. This was 1977, the year of Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee so there were commemorative things all over England; to our complete dismay, the red double-decker buses had been painted silver too.

Prism99

I really like how QuiltnNan solved the problem. All those hand pieced seams get reinforced by the serpentine stitch! If you decide to do this, I would probably choose Hobbs wool batting since it has good loft but is also light in weight and therefore easier to push under the arm of a sewing machine.

If this were my situation, I would finish it up into a quilt since that was your mother's intention, plus it does have your memories of England in it. The end product doesn't have to be a quilt for your son's bed, so size may not be relevant. The quilt could live in the back seat of your son's car (very handy in cold climates), or become a way for the family's children to make forts out of the furniture. It doesn't have to be quilted by you, either. You could look for an experienced frame quilter. A lot of the wonkiness can "quilt out", so the fact that it doesn't lie flat is not necessarily a big deal.

I do think Hobbs or Quilter's Dream wool batting would be the best choice, whether quilting on a domestic machine or having the top frame quilted. My second choice would probably be Hobbs PolyDown, but that is a little "springier" to the touch and therefore a little harder to quilt, especially on a domestic machine.

illinois

I'd use a polyester batt and hand quilt this. Hand quilting can work in some of those "errors" and the polyester puffs those out, too. I love hand quilting someone else's work as I almost feel a connection to that person as though she is watching over me.

Wanabee Quiltin

I have taken many not flat quilt tops to a long arm lady and explained that the top wasn’t in the greatest condition and received back a great quilt. I think this is what your mother wanted so go with it. After it’s washed, no one will be looking for mistakes.

stitch678

My first thoughts were how similar this top is to my first quilts made 35 yr. ago with what was at hand and cardboard templates. Those turned out nicely with soft polyester batting, hand quilted around each shape. But l'm a hand quilter at heart,though l now use a midarm on a frame.
You need to consider the end use of this quilt. I suggest making it into 2 lap quilts, so that both your children can enjoy their grandma's legacy. In her day, likely just the son would go to college, and the daughter would expect to marry after high school. Not today's scenario,lol.

Innov8R

First, I would spray it with a mister and lay it out flat for a while. Some of the creases might disappear from folding and that would help. I agree with using a high loft batting and love the serpentine suggestion.