Oh, do I need help!
 

I thought this fabric would make a darling whole-cloth crib blanket for my neighbors' new baby, but when I went to quilt it I found myself in a predicament: I used low-loft polyester, which says quilt no more than 4" apart. I had thought I would quilt stylized boots, hat, lariat, etc., or even outline individual faces, but this will take longer than this child will be a child..! Each figure is only about 3-4" large. Should I just do a random wandering thing (which will still be hard to get 4" apart)?

A picture would have been helpful, but what about a diamond pattern? Can you do something simple that will look like frames around the pictures? No more than 4" apart means anything closer together than that is OK.

By the time I got my photo re-sizer to work the site would not let me edit my posting! Maybe I can do it here.

Think I'd just stitch diagonally across the quilt and call it good.
I agree, trying to go around the various cowboys, etc. would take forever.

Love your fabric!

What if you do a 4-inch grid in a neutral thread to cover the batting's requirements, then you can pick out a few details here and there with brighter/thicker thread for the whimsey factor?

The fabric is really cute, but you won't be able to see many details of your quilting because it is so colourful, so a grid on the diagonal sounds like a perfect way to go.

I would just do a large stippple or meandering all over it. I do that on all my quilts and I would never quilt less than 3-4 inches apart. Less unquilted spaces are my preference.

Large stippling would really work well on this quilt. Boy it sure is cute!!!!!!

I agree with Jingle, any detailed quilting will be lost.