OOOOOHHHH Cindy!
you've asked me that very most dreaded question..... I really really believe that Janey deserves hand quilting. Having said that, some of the most striking quilting I've ever seen on her was done by machine. Taking a handquilting class [3hrs only] on the evening of March 13 from Andi Perejda who is supposed to be real good [perhaps I should pass Janey on to her?] I dont pretend to ever be a master at either quilting process but want this quilt to be made totally by me. so the decision continues! I have toyed with the idea of simply quilting in the ditch [by hand] and adding more intricate quilting after the show. Maybe even that amount of quilting by hand will take too long. So I've put off the decision until I find out how much I have done close to showtime.... maybe I will simply hang the top?
Your other reverse vs regular applique... dont have an official answer [except to have those people put their noses elsewhere ...] Sometimes you adjust the way you do it to add dimension/depth. If you needleturn without the use of spray starching your applique piece on the background you get a rounder edge so a diamond puffs on the background. Starch use will give it a stiffer look on top, then reverse over a diamond background will not have as puffy an appearance.
I took a course from David Taylor once - if you ever have the chance it is a must! He first teaches appliqueing the "yin and yang" he despises inner curve and points. So he teaches that for every 'outer/convex curve' there is a matching 'inner/concave curve' When you mark where the curves change and clip carefully there, you can avoid the inner curves which are much more likely to fray. He made us look carefully at the yin and yang symbol - for every outer curve there is a matching opposing inner curve. So we started our class with two pieces of fabric - red and black. He had us trace the yin and yang - mark the intersection at the middle and then turn under just the convex outer curves, appliqueing them 'on top' of the other part. When you reached the middle, the bottom fabric became the top and you continued your applique - once more from the top, not reverse, so you were handling an outer curve. This method allows you to get the most pointy narrow points at the end because you only have to turn under one side of each color to the middle of the entire unit. With outer points, getting that tip is tricky.
I dont know if this helps??? I decide when I look at the block Jane made and try to duplicate her method - I'm positive I'm not always right!
Gus