Your mother has a talent! Those are stunning!!

To show off a center I prefer a star-burst design or a cross hatch rather than echo quilting. To me, echoing detracts from the design if more than a single or double echo.

Perhaps "frame" each one in a heart or diamond shape with star burst straight lines, then between each shape either cross-hatch, stiple, or some other simple filler that is more dense to make the shape with the embroidery pop out.

This is my first instinct too, thanks!

Good point about the low-quilting batt - I hadn't thought of that, and it will certainly simplify things. I really don't want to take the focus off Mum's work!

Thank you on behalf of my Mum! She has claimed for years to be the unartistic and uncreative member of the family - NOT! I will definitely post a pic when it is all done.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think (knowing my Mum's tastes) that I will probably stay away from straight lines as much as possible - I've already got way more than I wanted with the sashing and borders, and if the individual embroidery pieces had been uniform in size originally I would have appliqued them on in oval or freeform shapes to avoid the rigidity of the sashing. I love the idea of a starburst pattern, though, and I will definitely use that in a future project.

I appreciate your thoughts, y'all!

Alison

She does beautiful work! Others have the same suggestions for quilting that I do. Your quilt will certainly be a work of art..

I would do echo quilting all the way to the sashing on these...no stippling mixed with echo. If you do 1/4" echos all the way out to the sashing, it will look like ripples on a pond. She does gorgeous work!