Construction crossroads

/ Sunday 18 March 2012 /
The benefit of these massive hexagons is that you can put a quilt top together in a snap!  There are 64 hexagons here.  As you can see, I still have to trim off the sides so that the edges are even, but we're more of less done.  My husband looks a bit askance at it - the riot of colour and pattern is a bit much for him, but I love it.
Velveteen hexagons
But now I am at a crossroads; I have to make a decision about the next step, and I am having the devil of a time making up my mind.  Here are some choices:
(1)  Wool batting and voile back.  Pros: lovely, puffy quilt, super warm, quilting shows great definition. Cons: can't put wool batting in the dryer, so will the velveteen keep its cozy softness if it is air-dired (think towels dried on the line)?
(2)  Flannel batting and voile/regular cotton back.  Pros: a light, coverlet kind of quilt/blanket, which is something that I've been wanting to make (but is this the right project for it?).
(3)  Velveteen back, flannel or no batting.  Pros: Velveteen on both sides = super luxe!  This is also a con - I'm not sure I could handle so much velveteen.
(4)  Regular bamboo batting, voile or flannel back. Pros: Great drape. Cons: Would be reneging on my desire to do something different with this project.
I am bouncing around among each of these four options - I just can't make up my mind, because each one sounds completely awesome to me.  What would you do?
ETA: Linking to Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Friday and Amy's Sew and Tell.

13 comments:

{ Jennifer } on: 18 March 2012 at 16:09 said...

bamboo batting, voile back. i'm not sure velveteen on the back would look good quilted.

stitch in the ditch to quilt it-- around every single hexagon.

{ Prof. S (the enchanted bobbin) } on: 18 March 2012 at 17:09 said...

Wow, that was fast! I have been working on my Loulouthi hexie quilt for 9 months (granted, I put aside for about 6 months...but still!).

I'm with my fellow Jennifer: voile backing and either bamboo or cotton batting. You would want to put this one in the dryer, and velveteen on both sides might be a bit much. No matter you do with the backing and batting, you have still done something new here, piecing velveteen!

I look forward to seeing this quilted.

{ lindaroo } on: 18 March 2012 at 17:15 said...

Another chiming in to agree that making velveteen hexies is unique enough! A voile back will match the silkiness of the front without being the same. A light cotton or bamboo batting will pad the seam allowances so they don't make ridges on the back; I'm not sure flannel would be enough. The drape and the velveteen will make this the coziest, ever!

{ Fran } on: 18 March 2012 at 18:27 said...

I vote for option #3, I love the idea of velveteen on the back, probably with a flannel 'batting'. The fabrics are so busy that in my opinion that quilting wouldn't show up enough to matter.

{ Annabella } on: 18 March 2012 at 19:03 said...

This riot of colour is just my kind of thing - LOVE.IT!!

{ Cheryl Arkison } on: 18 March 2012 at 19:35 said...

I would go with a batting you are comfortable using (regular bamboo) so you can compare how the velveteen quilts and washes compared to your regular cotton. And for backing go with what is comfortable. You know, change only one thing at a time.

{ Glenda } on: 19 March 2012 at 02:12 said...

How fun to be asked, thank you.
I would quilt around the giant grandmother's flowers that have been created. It will make you feel like an ant at a picnic.
I would go for the light coverlet. Of course this is the right project! Velveteen has a body or weight if you will, that will carry this off better than any other fabric you might have used. I love those colors too. Sensory overload is kind of addictive.

{ Rene' } on: 20 March 2012 at 09:38 said...

Lesly, this is such a fabulous quilt top!!! Love the large hexagons and the colorful fabrics. Have fun weighing your options...

{ Quiltjane } on: 20 March 2012 at 22:39 said...

That is so exquisite.

{ Claudia } on: 22 March 2012 at 21:20 said...

First of all, it's beautiful. Love the riot of colors and prints. I would leave the hexes untrimmed, just bind "as is", bamboo or cotton batting, and something like a shot cotton on the back (so nice on the tuchus!). :)

Anonymous on: 25 March 2012 at 10:59 said...

You could make a "pillow cover" sized piece and see how it feels, how it washes with the batting you chose. Looks wonderful and I think I hope you do another post when you are finished. Linda

{ Heather } on: 25 March 2012 at 17:06 said...

Wow, that is fantastic! Whatever you decide, it's going to be one scrumptious quilt! :o)

{ Krista Schneider } on: 30 March 2012 at 14:19 said...

I have no idea which option you should go with, but I wanted to let you know that I was just going to start a big giant hexie patchwork curtain project, then I saw this! It's so crazy how that happens, isn't it?! Did you machine stick these or hand stitch them? I see why your husband is overwhelmed by the patterns, but I loooooves it. I think it looks fantastic!

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