Tonga Batik quilt - Some Assembly Required!

I finally feel like I've been making some progress on this complicated Tonga Batik pattern. Since I finished the monthly blocks and the setting zig-zag strips, I've spent my time making odd, useless looking combinations of fabric. Here are two shots of some of these odd and useless combos.

I managed to get 48 of these units sewn last night, despite the fact that Sinnie kept trying to tell me it was bed time. There is nothing as penetrating as the stare of a supposedly sleepy kitty. It didn't help that once I figured out how these units are going to be used, I had to go back and re-iron the seams in the opposite direction before sewing the units together.

 This is the layout for some of the assorted odd units. Okay, now it's making more sense.

Same units, pushed together (same unit style, different pieces from the first photo, as you can see from the changing look of the variegated batik). 

Same units again, this time sewn together. Once the top points are trimmed down, this unit will become the set-in triangle between blocks. I had intended to show one of these cut down, but Callie was asleep on my cutting table, and no, I don't make my kitties move just because they have all of my sewing surfaces, not even when Tessie or Sinbad curl up and go to sleep in my sewing chair - one of their favorite places to sleep when I'm trying to work. When my working annoys them, Tessie curls up in my sewing chair, Sinbad stretches out on my ironing board, and Callie sleeps on my cutting table. I watch TV.

I had to see what this is going to look like, so I spread out two blocks and two untrimmed set-in triangles on my ironing board. I think I'm going to like it. The final product may have been worth all the trouble after all!

A side view of the same arrangement. Now I can't wait to get my pieces trimmed and sewn together. I still have some fiddly things that I have to make for the ends of the rows, but at least I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Once the rows are sewn together, I can add the zig-zag strips to join them and really see what it's going to look like.

I hope to have some more photos this weekend, so check back and see if I'm making progress! Wish me luck!

Deb