Depending on the design, I have machine stitched all around the edges, and not with FMQ, so this can only be done easily on a small quilt. I would not attempt to do that on a large one because of all the twists and turns required. I have also done stippling on machine embroidered blocks, all around and up close to the design. If designs are really dense, it's not likely that you can do any sort of tacking the 3 layers together in the area of the design.