Quilt panel with unsquared blocks within, help!

[Ljuhles]

I bought this beautiful panel with 5 different chickens/roosters pictured in blocks, separated by black & white polk-a-dot. I wanted to cut them all apart, and put them together with a lattice & corner squares, then add 2 more borders of different sizes, to of course expand the finished quilt. The area between each "block" had an average of 2" of this polk-a-dot. (Because pre-exising blocks were not squared exactly.) So I carefully cut each one, leaving 1" of this polk-a-dot. I had planned, to then, square them up, leaving equal amounts around each block, since I'd cut them larger than necessary. Dummie me! Now I realize that the pre-existing blocks are not pictured squarely on the fabric. I have 3 extra 'blocks' to experiment with. So on 1, I cut 1 side at a time, 3/4" on each side of the 'block'. It won't line up to use a square-up ruler. On block#2, I tried to tweek it so-so with a square-up ruler, & after cutting the rt. side & top side, & looking at it,...I quit. I never dreamed that the manufacturer of the fabric, would allow the "block picture" to be tweeked. Help! What can I do? The fabric is so pretty and I looked for 5 hours on line, to finally find all of the fabrics that go with this panel. I got it at a quilt show, & it was cut, where you have to take it a part because it had 5 'blocks' across, & 3 rows down, all with the black & white polk-a-dot in between. (Sorry to be so wordy) Any magic solution? Yes, I'm a beginner who wants to surprise her sister-in-law, who loves chickens/roosters.

[SharonG/FL]

Can you make them topsy turvy? Then it wouldn't matter what size the original block was as you'd square them up all the same. They sound really cute with the black and white polka-dot.

http://quiltingpassion.com/blocks/topsy ... topsy.html

[khowardquilts]

Sharon's idea sounds good. You could even leave the poke-a-dots on the panels.

Kathy

[CaroleJ]

I vote for the topsy turvy blocks...hide those crooked chickens! LOL

[GrandmaTaz]

Oh Sharon I love that. Chrissy, that's the trouble with panels, they are so cute but they are never printed straight on the fabric. Please post a picture when you are done, I bet it will be darling.

Jeanne

[purrfect-lady]

Topsy Turvy is a great idea! I use that all the time in scrapbooking so I don't have to keep my letter stickers straight on. Adds a "kicky" new dimension.

[Ljuhles]

Thank you Sharon, as a beginner, I hope I can figure it out. I went to the web and printed everything out. I see the 2 shaded blue quilt picture. Makes me see, that I would no longer have a sashing with corner squares, but my sashing material (brown feathers) would become the skewed outside edges of the printed blocks that I already cut, with these chickens,roosters and 1" on all 4 sides of the black & white polka-dot. I'd lay these cut blocks on the brown (I mean, the brown would be the 4" X ___ and 4" X ___ strips. Sounds right to me. Correct me if I'm wrong. I pray that I have enough, because I bo't it for sashing. There's 2 1/2 yds. of brown feather print.

[Ljuhles]

Sharon really has been a tremendous help. This is going to work. I now have another example to look at with topsy-turvy houses, and they have a sashing & corner squares between them. She is fantastic. What a "God-send"! Thank you.

[SharonG/FL]

You're very welcome.....that's what we quilters do...give and share what we know and have learned. I was happy to be able to help.

[CoyoteQuilts]

I'm glad you have seen another 'topsy turvy' quilt with sashing. I make a quilt from my fall block swap blocks that we did here in 2007 this way. All the blocks were squared nicely, but each of us have a different square up ruler which are just a little different in size.

http://www.quiltinaday.com/community/to ... 4174#14174

I only did one round with the topsy turvy, but you can do 2 or three if you want.

Post a pic when you get it done. I'd love to see it....

Sharon V.