I would definitely do the background quilting first and then "appliquilt" the appliqué pieces down. I don't have a sample here right now to show you, but it works so much better than having to start & stop at every leaf. Maybe try googling to see if a youtube comes up? I'll have a look as well.
I did find one youtube called Quilt Before you Applique by Chatterbox quilts, not a huge lot of info, but interesting to watch....it seems I always learn something.
Last edited by thimblebug6000; 12-23-2020 at 05:28 PM.