How would you quilt this?

[Twiggy]

I'm working on a simple lap quilt for my husband and I'm now at the stage where I am ready to quilt it. I'm not going to heavily quilt it (I'd have to send it out to get a finish I'd be happy with) but I'm not sure if I should simply ditch quilt it or outline quilt it. 

Any thoughts?

It's the Cobblestone quilt from the fat quarter shop.

[BrendaP]

My go-to quilting when I'm not sure what to do is all over FMQ squiggles.

I think that you could quilt straight lines across the large rectangles so that they look like a central square with two smaller rectangles (to match the rectangles on the other two sides of that square.  Also stitch in the ditch around all the seams and then do something in just the squares - FMQ or just a diagonal cross. 

If you do just a cross in the squares it migh need outline quilting around all the rectangles.

[Lowena]

Stitch in the ditch is not easy and rarely looks effective imo.
Gentle curves, or criss cross in the large squares is probably what I would do.

[Ploshkin]

My go to for a geometric quilt is diagonals or chevrons.  It's usually possible to eyeballl the straight lines between corners of pattern pieces.  Sometimes I might make just a small mark if it's too far to travel.

[Iminei]

Nice fabrics ...

 Hi there Twiggy and welcome to TSP ..

Do you want it to be a 'manly' quilt ??? or not too bothered ?

You could do something like this (found in the Tutorial section of The Darkside) from the centre point of each 'cobblestone' or even from the intersection of four seams.

This would of course break up the pattern, which is something you may not want to do having taken so much effort to make it ...

Another idea would be a diagonal line from each of the eight outer corners of the cobblestone ... which would make a nice 'star' effect ??!! Mark the middle point with a ruler and aim for that point with each line, continuing through to the opposite corner ... I quite like that idea but then straight line quilting is very much my thing.

Failing that diagonal crosses are very effective, but I dont know how big the cobblestones are ... if they really big you will need more than that ... an outstretched hand placed on the quilt should touch lines of quilting ... thats the general rule.

Im another one who steers clear of SID; its a bugger to get right, takes time and you cant see the stitches in the end if you do get it right ... so a lot of effort for not much reward other than a held together quilt.

[Iminei]

Ive drawn this out and it looks a bit like a Maltese cross within the block, but will be star like on the back ... I think this could be a good option ... not difficult.

Excuse the fumbley red lines ... its not as exact as it could be but you get the jist.

[Deafoldbat]

The only drawback with lines that cross each other is that you have to get them spot on or it will annoy you (no one else will really notice, but you'll know  )

You could mark diagonal lines in one direction across the whole thing, about 2 inches apart - not sure how big it is, you might get away with 3 inches. Start in one corner and mark a 45deg line and draw parallel lines. Use a neutral thread. The advantage of only going in one direction is you won't have to cross any of the quilting lines so you won't end up with those annoying little puckers when the  layers have shifted. Maybe add a few more pins first before you commit to anything.

[Twiggy]

Thanks for the quilting advice everyone and also for the link to the tutorials (will be spending some time looking at those!).

I discussed the suggestions with my husband and he wondered why I hadn't thought of using some decorative stitches from my machine. I never even thought of using one of those and if I am honest I often forget they are there  .  He's decided to go with a combination of (not so close) outline stitching for the larger pieces and a brick decorative pattern down the middle of the smaller ones. Picture attached.

I think he's chosen well and it was a quick sew. Just a very fine striped fabric for the binding to be added. I'll try to remember to post a finished pic.

[Twiggy]

Tada!

Finished and given to the hubby. Not easy to see but there is a line of quilting to break up the big blocks. The stripy binding is quite effective and  masculine I think. He's now wishing the weather was a bit cooler lol.  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

[Lowena]

Very nice, I'm sure he'll treasure it

[rubywishes]

Lovely choice of colors and a very "blokey" quilt 


@Twiggy I agree with deafoldbat.....more pins next time? (For example, I use about 150 pins for a 45" x 50" project.) It will give you a more secure surface for quilting and ensure no slip or bagging.

[Lowena]

Gosh @rubywishes I only ever use 4 safety pins. One at each corner

[Celia]

@Lowena do you hand quilt if so that might be why you manage without pins. I used to hand quilt things a long time ago,but they were not pieced so maybe a bit different

[Lowena]

Yes @Celia I do. I use lots of 505 spray and then pin the corners.

[fajita]

I don’t use spray. I use pins, appropriately every 3-4 inches.