I have finished the quilt top for my nephew and is wife, almost.
I am putting hearts in the middle of the lighter blocks. I really do not have enough fabric for hearts in each block. So I decided to just do everyother one. What do you think? I need be I can make enough for all the light blocks. Then just use the backing fabric for my binding. I also thought about starting at the four corners and then work out the every other one. Here are two pics. The first one shows everyother one. The second one starts with the four corners of light blocks and alternate the rows in between.

how 'bout the trying out the 4 center rows, in the lighter squares? see what that looks like..

I like the first picture best

I'm not keen on either layout of hearts, because neither seems consistent. In the top pic, you have 20 hearts. If you start from the top left corner, you can do a whole diagonal row. Then if you alternate diagonal rows, i.e. don't put hearts in the next row of light blocks, but then make another row in the following diagonal row, that will use up exactly 20 hearts!

Beautiful quilt!

How about you find the center of the quilt, then put red hearts in the light blocks and light hearts in the red blocks and make them in a heart shape. In other words, your hearts form a heart. Then it would be balanced.

I like this idea!

Me too!

Very pretty quilt, I'm always inspired by the quilts I see here. What if you just did the outside white blocks and then scattered the remaining 5 hearts throughout the quilt. Or just did the outside.

I like LaceLadys suggestion! Well its voted on I 4th it hehe any way you make it it will be well loved!!!

Ditto! - Or place just in outer squares...will leave a few hearts left over. Applique them on back of quilt along with label.....just another idea.

LaceLady's suggestion shows much more balance.... or as you said, use hearts in each of the light colored blocks. That's a beautiful quilt .... you did great work. Please be sure to show us the finished product.

how about as big of an x(for a kiss) in the middle?

Beautiful quilt!

I go with Lacelady's suggestion. Much more balanced.

Love your quilt! What about this.....pick up all the hearts, close your eyes and sprinkle them over the quilt? Then applique them in place wherever they fall. Just a thought.....

I also like the idea of saving one for your label.

yes,try this, a great idea

I would keep it simple. On the top picture, I would move the bottom two hearts to the next right open white squares. This completes the empty holes in the middle and far right up/down columns. Gives it symmetry. So you have a far left column with hearts, two middle columns of hearts and the far right column with hearts, leaving 4 empty white columns. With, without, without, with, with, without, without, with. Hope that makes sense.

If you have enough of the red to make a heart for each of the light squares, that is what I would prefer.

Your blocks are in an 8 x 10 layout, so the "center" of the quilt is on a seam line/intersection, not in a block.

Lacelady's suggestion is good.

I like diagonal. starting top left;heart,skip two, heart. I think that would work out.LOL

Lacelady has the BEST solution!!

me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Placing the hearts on the light outer squares also "works" to my eyes.

Putting them on "every other row" - second picture - leaves one whole column without any hearts and very unbalanced looking.

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I had to laugh when I read the one about closing my eyes and dropping the hearts. It would be my luck that half of them would fall on the same block. I showed the layout to my DH and ask his opinion. He said the hearts were too large and over powered the quilt. I am like you, I did not like either layout. My DH said to make the hearts smaller and put one in each light block. So I used up some of the left over fabric that I was thinking about using for the binding and made the little hearts. My backing is a different color and print of fabric, so I guess I will use the backing fabric for the binding as well.
Anyway here is the finished quilt top minus the stitching around the hearts. Now it is full and balanced. Oh and yes I will be using one the hearts on the label
It will be awhile but I will post again when it is completed.
Thanks again for your help.

I'd like to see the two hearts on picture 1 on the bottom row shifted into the other blank spot. It would complete each heart row.

OOPS, didn't see the finished piece. How pretty.

Here's my idea. Put a hearts on each side like you have plus 3 on the top whites and 3 on the bottom whites, then put the remaining 4 in the center.

To me....the first picture is very traditional. The second is a more contemporary adaptation. I like the second one.

Oops, just saw the one with smaller hearts. I still like the more contemporary one. I am just a beginner who's a little bit odd herself!

Okay, this is freaky. I did not lay this out like this. Someone has been playing with my pics. I did not know you could do this. :shock:

I prefer the first one.

Diagonal pattern sounds good.

Unless you get each heart exactly centered in the block, it's going to look wonky. One solution would be to deliberately make it wonky by putting some of the hearts leaning one way and some of them leaning the other, some to one side, some to the other, some higher and some lower. Then it looks like you planned it rather than made a mistake.

I like the one with the hearts on the outside blocks best.

I like this idea and it would be more balanced :)

I like the way it looks with a small heart on each of the light squares like you have on page 2 of this thread.

I agree, the diagonal would look best. Do you have enough of the lighter fabric to do some on the darker squares?

Just wanted to say thanks for all of the advice. I decided to go with my DH idea and make hearts smaller and place on each light block. They have been attached with lite heat and bond. So thanks again.

Thanks, I like this myself as well. I am sure that my nephew and his wife will love it as well. They will also be very surprised. They have no idea that I am making them a lap quilt for Christmas.

I think this is gorgeous and by far the best solution!

Yay for your DH, and for you!

Beautiful quilt I am not good at suggestions. I know what ever you decide will be beautiful because it seems to be made with love.

Thanks for your support. I am glad that the top is finally finished.
Now on to quilting.

I´m with Lacelady on this one. Or do the centre blocks and then do them in a diamond shape in the middle.

Elle