ideas on how to quilt this
 

It's been ready to be quilted for a while, but I am at a loss how to do it.

I'm not good at free motion, and am just wondering if I should do SITD ... I'd like to focus more on all my hard work, than a pattern!

I have added a 6" border in the dark blue all the way around, I am not adding another border, I want it to look like the blocks are floating

(No, it doesn't like this right now! My phone is way upstairs, and I'm too lazy to go get it and take another picture LOL)

Any ideas?

Thanks all ...

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I'm just wondering what color of thread are you planning to use? Are you wanting it to stand out or blend with the pattern?

Blend! thanks

Very often when the pattern is straight lines, I like an all over curvy thing. I myself am not a stippling person, but it might fit here. There is also a pattern called waves or flames. I wonder if you could draw out on a bit of parchment paper the idea you are thinking of and place it over the top and see how you feel about it.

Thanks, I'll look around and see what's out there! I've been stuck on this one for a while now!!

I think SITD around the boxes emphasizing them would look fantastic. Focusing on "inside planes of the boxes"

Toverly has a good idea as well.

I would quilt in the ditch on this quilt so that the blocks stand out and not the quilting pattern. The block pattern is stunning and that is what I would emphasize. I am so impressed with your piecing. Keep it simple.

Great quilt top, by the way! I think I'd quilt straight lines around and inside each square with something circular and flowy in the dark blue fabric.

MarionsQuilts ... What a great quilt!
I agree ... you have done such a great job in getting those lines/boxes so straight, you don't want to risk losing your perfection! It's a lot of work, and will seem somewhat endless, but I think you may be quite proud of the results if you SITD.

IMHO, keep the curvy stuff for the outside solid area, if you do want curves. It could be a good break from the centre straightness and help set it up to show the design even more-so.

Boston1954 has a good idea, however, IMHO curved quilting over straight lines can create an optical illusion that the straight lines are far from that. In this case, you certainly don't want to risk losing any of your straightness, even optically.

An example is this one of my own ... a wave quilt design over log cabin blocks in a flag.
I'm not sure if you can see it in the photo, but IRL, there are spots that look like the logs are not straight.
Oh well, I guess our ancestors didn't always have perfectly straight and even trees for their log cabins either! :)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/873175...posted-public/

Have a look around ... there are two other shots of the flag, along with other quilty things I have done.