Embroidery suggestions
 

I’m going to make a quilt for my g'granddaughter who is due in March. I would like to have a few blocks with embroidered farm animals. I’ve never used embroidery in a quilt. I’m going to use flannel for the backing. It will be machine quilted. Suggestions of any kind are appreciated.

The question that needs to be answered in order to help you ....
Machine embroidery? or Hand embroidery?

If you are hand embrodering, check out coloring books and children's books. They are quite easy to translate into simple outline stitch embroidery.

For hand embroidery, check out iron-on transfers by Aunt Martha (in book form or package form).
Good luck with your quilt!

Hand embroidery.

One other thing. Should I have some sort of backing with the fabric that I am going to embroider.

A lot of different opinions on that.
I take my cue based on the weight of the fabric I am using.
If it is lighter, and could let darker threads show through, then yes, I use something behind.
If heavier, personally I don't bother, but I know a lot will disagree with what I do!
IOW ... you need to do what works for you!

As for patterns ...
Already mentioned are colouring books.
Let Mr. Google help, as I often find more than I need when I ask him!
Check out template and applique outlines as possibilities.
DMC has a lot of free patterns. https://www.dmc.com/us/

I put Pellon 911FF White Fusible Featherweight on the back of my fabric before embroidering. I usually use Moda snow as the background and wash it first before applying the fusible. It helps to keep traveling threads on the back from showing thru. I would suggest doing a sample first to see if you like it. Sometimes, it can pucker a little.

Thank you so much. I’ll try this.

I've googled stained glass to find patterns that are usually easy to translate to quilts patterns. As others have mentioned, coloring books are great.

I do a lot of hand embroidery and find that SF101 very helpful. It is fusible and hides the threads on the back of your work.

Wow. Another great idea. Thanks to all who responded.

here's what my sister, the "Embroidery Queen" (seriously!) would say: yes, just a cheap muslin behind the blocks for hiding any thread tails under the fabric. Also, be sure to cut your blocks a little bigger so that it accounts for the drawing up of the fabric when you embroider. She also does not use a hoop--says she can get smaller stitches that way and I have found that to be true too. Last thought--I do her quilting (almost all her quilts are embroidered) and I treat the blocks like applique--quilt around the design and a tighter fill in the background to make the embroidery really "pop". I often put extra wool or poly bat behind the embroidery blocks to help with that.

If using flannel, I wonder how well it would embroider if washed and starched first, and don't use tight stitches. Otherwise I too would use a light iron-on interfacing on the back.

I am just finishing a small quilt for a baby girl. I did 5 squares of applique farm animals and the rest was from a charm pack. I used a tearaway stabilizer on the embroidered applique squares and tore away the excess not around the animals. I did not want to fully stabilize those squares because then their weight would not match the other unembroidered charm squares. I am using a flannel backing, and am doing self-binding (the only thing left to finish). No batting, because she lives in Miami area - hot. I am attaching pictures - hope this helps.
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Thank you.

II use a light weight flannel to line the back of my embroidery fabric and zig-zag around the edges. I usually trim off this right before I sew the blocks together. I’ve done many quilt like this and the remain soft. Another place to look for patterns is online. I’ve found superpages.com is a good source. Just google free coloring pages. You may have to wade through some stuff, but there’s a lot on the computer. Good luck!!

Embroidery for quilts
 

I use a light weight flannel to line the back of my embroidery fabric and zig-zag around the edges. I usually trim off this right before I sew the blocks together. I’ve done many quilt like this and the remain soft. Another place to look for patterns is online. I’ve found supercoloring.com is a good source. Just google free coloring pages. You may have to wade through some stuff, but there’s a lot on the computer. Good luck!