I have just finished my first quilt. This is something I have always wanted to learn how to do. It is a Double Irish Chain with a seminole border. It is a queen, probably should have started with something smaller but I didn't want to make something I wouldnt use or need. Anyway, I think the top came out beautiful! I can hardly believe I did it. Now I am having trouble marking it for quilting. Just not sure what to do. I found a heart stencil pattern that I used for the larger blocks but really don't know what to do for smaller ones and the borders? Am open to suggestions. PLEASE! I know it is a personal preference but I would love input!

Hand or machine quilting? Lovely quilt BTW. You did an exceptionally good job from what I can see. First quilt?? You are a natural and hopefully you continue to quilt. Oh and welcome to the board.

Would love to do by hand but i would like to be able to use it this year so I will be doing this by machine :)

Hello..welcome from Hot..Hot Arizona..I'm a designer and top maker..I get a lot of help from friends on the quilting aspect..but it's a pretty quilt and for a beginner..it's amazing !! I'm into less quilting and letting the fabric or design speak..so I'm not sure I can help you on that part !!

Sorry i can't help with quilting i fairly new too, but just wanted to say great job on your first, looking forward to many more pics

I also am very much a minimalist quilter. Typically I either SID or echo quilt (following the design but at a distance from the seams) or do a diagonal grid.

Your quilt is lovely! Keep up the good work.

I love it so far, I guess it depends how fast you want to be done. I have seen large x ln the chain and hearts. Meaning hugs and kiss. I like to hand quilt more personal for the first. Tie and work as you like. But just enjoy and it goes really fast.

OK, here is what I recommend. I would mix hand and machine quilting on this. I have done it plenty of times and it looks fine.

FMQ on a machine is not easy to master and for this beautiful top I would not attempt to machine quilt your cut heart stencil mark as a total newby, heck I wouldn't do it as an oldy on my domestic machine, on my LA yes, but I never could master FMQ on a domestic machine. But fear not, the TIC design always looks good with straight machine stitching. I would stitch straight lines diagonally through each of your squares forming the chain on the body of the quilt so you would end up with 3 parallell lines of straight stitching going through the 9P blocks that form your chain, on the diagonal. You can do this with a walking foot and it is nice and easy to do so little to no learning curve. SID or just next to the ditch on either side in your lovely seminole piecing to make it pop and SID (or again, just next to the ditch, which is much easier than trying to get in the ditch) on you corner 9P squares. Once that is all done, I would hand quilt your heart stencil in all the white boxes. After that if I thought it still needed more I would do a nice flowing vine and leaf in the dark green inner and outer border that separates the main body of the quilt from the seminole piecing to kind of bring out the floral fabric you used.

Pretty quilt and great work for your fist one. You will have many more beautiful quilts to come. Quilt what feels right for you and the quilt.

You have done a terrific job for your first quilt. I think the simple quilt theme is called for here.