Has anyone done counted cross stitch squares and incorporated them into a quilt? How do you quilt them? How do they hold up during washing? I have some ideas but don't want to spend all the time cross stitching and quilting only to have the quilt fall apart during washing.

Some batting can be quilted up to 10" apart, so if you keep your blocks within that limit you should be okay.
Or maybe design your cross stitch so that there is an area in/around them that can be quilted? :D:D:D

We have quilted many needlework quilts both emroidery and cross stitch...and have quilted around them and thru them without any problems. They quilt well and wear well according to our customers.

I have. I have stitched small pictures on counted thread fabric. To stop the fabric fraying, I used a small zig zag stitch around each block before stitching the blocks together.

When I quilted, I chose a pattern that I could interrupt. I stitched to the outside of the cross stitch with about a 1/8" margin and carried on quilting on the other side. The only way I can describe is that the cross stitch looked like an island in the middle of a lake. It really made the cross stitch stand out.

It has survived a lot of tear and wear and is washed in the washing machine on a delicate wash. All the fabrics were washed first, including the cross stitched ones, to ensure there was no colour bleed.

I have mae three quilts for friends from my XS boards. Basically, they stitch the centers and I design the block around their piece. The first was a friend who stitched 25 pieces by Elizabeth's Designs for her daughter Elizabeth. Most were less than 8" square/hexagon. I designed a quilt block around the hexagon with tulips pieced in the corners. I picked a nice floral for the background and the tulips were in pink, lavender and yellow. I quilted the pieced part inthe ditch by hand and quilted around the hexagon about 1/4" in. That was four years ago and it is still in great shape. Of course they have no real wear on it (no dogs just one cat) and the one daughter who is now 10. She uses it on her bed and it is washed regularly. But of course, since her mom is a stitcher she knows how to wash it, etc.

It can be done. I am working on a Christmas quilt with the embroidered squares with patchwork in between. Try it on a small piece first and go for it.

I have seen many quilts with cross stitch incorporated into them. I think they are beautiful. I plan to do one with carousel horses. I found the best book at the thrift store for 2.00 with a horse for every holiday.

Thanks for all the repsonses and encouragement. I feel better about going ahead and trying.

I did a small one for my mom.