What would you do?

Help!! I just don't know where to go from here!! This is my first project I designed in EQ. I bought a panel that I liked and it has caused me numerous problems first being they were not truly square and all had to be reblocked.
This is the design in EQ:


So I decided the trees were just far too large so I changed the corner blocks, I like them. Then I made other changes as I went along...this quilt kind of told me what to do...so the original eq deisgn is barely recognizable but thats ok.
however....I'm just stuck on these center logcabins and how do I sash them? do I sash them? I've never made a quilt I did not sash. I think if I sash I will lose something in those center blocks..but it all looked good on paper. I like the light centers don't have enough of the overall beige and have scoured the internet and bought up what was left. At this point I just want it done.
I look at it and sometimes think I should scrap those center blocks and make a throw.

Please give me your honest opinions...what would you do?

This is the layout:

I love the colors you are using Chris. It will be a gorgeous quilt when you are finished.
In your original drawing you do have sashing. The sashing breaks up the large block of the turquoise in the center which is where my eye went when I first looked at your quilt. It is a very strong color and to me it is dominating the quilt. You have so much work in the pieced blocks that the focus should go from the center to the outside quickly. So I think I would try the sashing.

Chris - I like it so well - I don't think you should do too much to change it. Might you be able to rearrange the greens a little? Maybe use the lighter green in the long cabin blocks? (like the green that's in the corner trees)

OK, CC, here's what I would try - See about putting a border around the center blocks in a dark tan or gold. That would give your eyes a place to rest between the center and outer blocks. You could try to put the xsme border around the outside. It could work! :-)

Oh, Chris, it's wonderful!

I do like your original design with the sashing - it gives the blocks a little bit more importance, rather than them running into one another. Why don't you want to sash it as you originally planned? If you didn't want to use the cornerstones in the log cabin sashing (so the sashing was actually just another log) that would be okay - maybe even preferable. That way the outer blocks get even more love.

Adding red sashing to the log cabins will also make the greenish log cabin "crosses" float, because they'd be surrounded.

I never thought of framing the logs! good idea.
Would I be sashing in matching colors..red to red..green to green with the sash color(tan/gold) as the cornerstones in the centers of the logs, then switch to the tan for the sashing of the rest of the blocks? (so the sasshing would be just another log.
I'm starting to visualize this now....I'm going to leave it out on my floor and get my head around it.
I moved things around just for fun....kitty seems to like it!

CC, I like your first layout the best and I think it is looking good... I think you need to bring your red out to the border, and definetely do a sashing..... I think its looking really good...

I like this layout too. I think the color balances a little better. The only thing I would change on this layout is to move one of the star blocks down on each side and put the house block in the middle of the sides.
I personally would have the red on the outside corners instead of the turquoise, but this would also depend on what I was going to use for borders. In this layout, I wouldn't use the sashing.

OK, what I was talking about doing was putting a border around the center 9 blocks then echo again around the whole thing. Wish I could play in person cause I could play with this a while.

Ok twice now I've typed long statements and looked back at the pic for clarification and lost my post <sigh>
in a nut shell....I'm going to leave the quilt on my library floor and walk around it for a day or two.
I've taken stock in my fabrics...will have to buy new red, have some tan and a ton of green (figures) Ive got a good amount of the brown that i used in the bears paws.

Well - I get the "DUH" award today! I was looking at the EQ design instead of your quilt, Chris!! Then I couldn't figure out why people were talking about the turquoise. So, I'm sure you ignored my silly comments - and since then you've gotten good ideas from much better than the likes of me, so I'm staying out of it!! I'll just wait to see your lovely final product!!

Qbee, don't feel like that, your input is very important and may just be the one to trigger the right thought for CC.... Its fun to hear how people see things differently ... Gimpy asked for an opinion on her new project too and its fun to see how everyone sees it a little differently....

I'm sorry MaryAnn I don't think your comment was silly. I didn't quite understand what you were saying I guess...I apologize...so now that you see my real quilt what would you do?
I'm not letting you off the hook that easy LOL! The color of the "turquoise: is a true hunter green, I don't know why i can't get this camera to take decent pics!

Yes golo...I count on everyones thoughts. Funny thing happened....after dinner tonight DH got up and asked if he could play with the blocks that still lay on the floor.....he had fun moving them around, it pleased me greatly to see some interest on his part. so the cat laid down on the quilt as he is moving blocks around...I came into the room and as I tiptoe across the quilt to get to my chair the cat sticks out his paw as if to trip me I swear! The little snot!! I can't even tell you how many cat beds I have purchased and thrown out cause he won't use them...nope not him...he needs a full size quilt!!

CC I like both layouts, for the first one I would add a narrow red border then a wider outer border, kinda frame it a little, a narrow one though, something like 1 1/2" or so, like you see when pictures are mounted and you can see the narrow inner mount thats usually a different colour.

The second layout I agree with Barb, Id move the stars on the sides down and put the houses in middle, again add narrow border then outer border. Do you have any of hte green floral left to use as an outer border? That would be pretty.

I had typed a long reply adn my computer froze and ate it all, sigh, grrr.......... so this is the shorter version. I also drew a mud map of another layout idea, its just rough as I dont have any EQ stuff but its just a thought for fun, you could do the first narrow border in the tan you used in the bear paw, then the green on the second border then the green floral as the final border. Just playing aroundwith your blocks LOL

Thanks everyone for the layout ideas, I'll lay this one out tomorrow gimpy and take a pic.
The tree and cabins I would prefer to stay in the corners...if you look you will notice that they are directionally set so that the cabins all fall towards the center of the quilt. I laid out a similar thing earier using the four logs as a center but those other darn two logs i just couldn't seem to get them to fit. This looks doable...I'm a little confused by the (do tan) ( do green) please explain a little more on that point. And...would you not sash then?

Hi Chris, sorry yeah I really did a scribble ( I will fess up, this is how I work and do my designs, scary isnt it :affraid: LOL)

Ok, the 'do tan" at the last minute I got the idea that you could that first narrow inner border in the tan colour you used in the bear paw blocks, then the second border you could do in the green from the quilt and then finish with the floral green wider outer border - do you have any more of that to use? Does that make more sense? Im not clear at times, sorry

I noticed both the cabin and tent blocks are directional, hence me putting them where I did on my mud map, they really suit the corners. I worked out how many of each block you had and then tried to use as many of them as possible, thik this layout left you one block spare (a star I think it was) that you could use for a cushion or pillow case. I was able to get 6 of the 7 log cabin blocks into it. Id like to see a pic too, see what it looks like in real life.

Ok...here's a pic of Gimpys layout, I like it but the more I look at these blocks the more I want to get rid of the dark green completely..its just too dominant like barb suggested...I think I need to do like Qbee suggested and change the color of the logs (a lot more work than I wanted to do but I think necessary) I need to either make it the lighter green or the green floral (pinecone material which I have a fair amount of) or what about if I found a close beige to what i have...I can look again online and see if i can find another source. I appreciate you all letting me work this out here.

I love this forum!!!!! You ladies are great! It always nice to know when one of us have a question someone is always there to help! CC, your quilt will be beautiful!!!!

LOL...i forgot to post the pic!! here it is several hours later!!

Ooooo! I really like that!

How about trying to put a 'focal' block in the center and put the log cabin blocks surrounding it? or maybe make it like a 'row' quilt...one row all stars, one row all log cabin, one row bearpaw and so on??

Okay, here I am again - at least this time I'm looking at your actual quilt!! :) I like your first layout - where the corners of the red log cabins meet and the corners of the green log cabins meet. I like the idea of sashing - think it would give each block it's own identity and importance. Actually, I like the idea of sashing around each block - to my eyes the corners of the log cabins form such heavy "crosses" which seem too dominant.

My comment about changing the log cabin blocks was when I thought it was just a drawing! I wouldn't take those blocks apart! That suggestion, though, was because I thought the sashing shouldn't be the same color as the logs.

So many thoughts - you'll just have to keep looking until you like it! The one thing I'm certain of, though - I like the kitty-cat on the quilt!!

Hmmm maybe if you took out those two log cabins on the sides and replaced them with star blocks, then the centre would jump out and really be a feature, almost medallion-ish looking with all the other blocsk around it, glad you have lots of hte pine cone fabric, I really think that would make a great outer border to finish it

Its so great to have all of you working on this with me. Its funny...the quilt took a while but I had focus.....then when I finished it I just went blah! This is currently one of only two UFO's I have. I want to get this off the docket so I can start on my DD's tee shirt quilt (still waiting for the tee's)

Its fun to help and play with someone elses quilt, not something Id usually get the opportunity to do - thanks for sharing with us!