After you have pieced your quilt, how do you decide on a pattern to quilt your finished quilt top by machine? I just finished my first top ever and I was stumped on what pattern to use...in-the-ditch, echo, filler patterns, cross-hatch, clamshell, orange peel, free-style, stipple, decorative patterns and stencils, etc. Do you usually use a combination of approaches when quilting your finished top? I used stitch in-the-ditch in the seam lines and a square of 3.25". However, It seemed like I should have done one or the other, probably the square only. Thank you for sharing information from your experience.

look at lots of pictures in magazines and books, practice different styles/designs and try what you like and are getting the hang of. look at stencils in lqs, there are ideas everywhere and we just all look at them and gravitate toward what you personally like

Thank you for your reply.