I am always stuck on the question of how to do the overall quilting on applique quilts. For example: I've attached my applique pieces to the main body of the quilt, by machine with satin or blanket stitch. How do I decide how to do the overall quilting of the quilt? Do I just quilt over the applique pieces? Do I outline them and use straight line or free motion quilting around them? How do I stop and start around the applique pieces? If you have suggestions, ideas or references I would appeciate them.

I've seen it done different ways. I think you need to decide how important the applique is to the quilt then quilt it in such a way as to support that decision. To do overall quilting on top of an applique makes that applique blend more into the background. To leave the applique unquilted while everything around it is quilted brings attention and importance to the applique. If you want quilting on top of the applique but still want it to stand out, you can try doing the overall pattern around it then quilting the applique separately and in a pattern that makes it more prominent. AGain - how important do you want the applique to be on the finished quilt?

My quilts usually "talks" to me and tells me how it wants or needs to be quilted. Not by any general rule, but what I have done in the past is that if the applique is big and made with a printed design, I quilt over it, but never with the same quilting design as the rest of the quilt, but with a very different design that makes it jump apart from the rest of the quilt. If the applique is small or with a more plain fabric, I usually quilt around it. In general, listen to the quilt. No rule of thumb.

I am looking at the quilt in your avatar, the animal shapes may look great with inner stitching that mimics their fur, or in the stars, little stars in the center of the big stars. It is really up to you, if you just want to outline them or accentuate them in some way :D:D:D

Is the quilt in your avatar the one you're referencing? If not, then can you show us your quilt top so we have a better idea of what you're trying to do. :D

On my avatar quilt, based on advice from this board - thank you everyone! - I did echo quilting around the applique pieces. The quilt I'm working on now is this "eat play sleep" quilt. It will have a scrappy print border (I have one side on as you can see) and then a 2" grey border with print binding. I had planned to do straight line vertical quilting with the lines really close together. I want a really modern look - no stippling, feathers, etc. Should I just quilt right over the words?

Maride, I had to chuckle at your reply because when my quilts talk to me they say, "Ask for help on the quilting board!" LOL

I'm great at piecing quilt tops, but quilting them - not so much.

Here's a site that can give you lots of ideas on quilting.

http://quiltingstencils.com/

Good Luck!! Really cute quilt!!

Sorry, I guess I didn't finish reading everything, just looking at the cute quilt in your avatar. :oops:

I like your idea of close vertical lines, maybe 3 that are ¼" away from each other & then leave an inch & then 3 in a group all the way across. Depending on how large your quilt is going to be, you might want to make them ½" apart & then 2" between the groupings. However...I would quilt up to the letters but not through them....

In this case I would just quilt right over the words, just do an overall design.

Nice quilt!
I agree in this case I would quilt over the words doing the straight lines close together that you wrote about.

Good luck