Originally Posted by GGJudy

What a great quilt! Because your quilting will not show up that well on the skull fabric I think I would do a meandering stitch around the blocks and then stitch in the ditch around your squares. You have a white border around the quilt and I would get a little fancier there. It will show up nicely on the white and being on the edge of the quilt it will be easier to accomplish.

Originally Posted by DanaNVa

If you have a picture or pattern that you like, you could trace it onto tracing paper, machine stitch the tracing paper without thread, and then use a pouncer wiped across the tracing paper (over a quilt block) to evenly transfer the pattern onto the quilt blocks.

Originally Posted by margecam52

You know, you could just do the zigzag down the center of each sashing, instead of the seams of each block. that would give you a larger design motif area....just ignore the blocks and put the motif in the area each zigzag square creates.

You asked what problems you might encounter when doing this. Without stabilizing first, there will be sections of unquilted area on the backing...may cause the backing to shift and depending on if it's a solid or print...may be really visible. You may get pleats in some of the motifs, etc. Stabilizing will help prevent all these.

You could just pin with safety pins, every corner of each block, and in the sashing every 6 inches or so....and remove as you go...that may work...especially if you don't want to segregate each motif.

Originally Posted by margecam52

Ahh, First...that is NOT a pool table, ok? It's a quilting table....sometimes we let the others in the house use it to knock balls into the thread catcher pockets...sometimes!

That said (LOL)...I would rethink the stitching around each block. I know you are thinking to save time/headaches...but cutting out the stabilizing of the quilt will most likely end up giving you more headaches than not stabilizing.
Does not need to be Stitch in the Ditch...use a zigzag (or, if you have it on your machine, a stitch that resembles an "
S" curve...just go over the outter block seam...across the row in one direction, and back across the next row in the oposite direction. Repeat down the quilt...then do the long seams. This will not only stabilize the quilt, it will give a "home" for each design motif...giving a nicer finish to the back, just my opinion...from having done many a quilt on my home machine...learning that shortcuts aren't really shortcuts.
the quilt is beautiful...your son will love it.

Oh, for design motifs...look at coloring book pages online..find some you like, that will be easy to do...print them, trace onto freezer paper, or Parchment paper (I like parchment, as it tears away nicely.

I lay the printed design on top of as many layers of the parchment paper (or use Golden threads if I have it), run through my sewing machine without thread...and pin those to my quilt and stitch over the punched designs. Tears off really easy (because of the holes to start & your stitiching holes..you find it starts ripping itself off as you stitch).

I use the above motif method even now on my longarm machine at times...when I need a special motif that I don't have in my files.

Originally Posted by vickig626

no ideas here but wanted to say "LOVE THE QUILT". It's beautiful. But I'm curious why male teenagers always want black, red, white quilts?

My son wanted a quilt (my avatar) and it had to be these colors. I know of others who've made quilts for their teen sons - same colors.

I know he'll love it as much as my son loves his -- Great Job !!

Originally Posted by janedb

hi i need help in knowing what problems i may come across when i quilt, my 87" square. i wont to quilt around each 6" square.
any help would be great. do i make up my own stencils or buy pre-made.

thx jane

Originally Posted by janedb

well my son and dh go for a football team called St. Kilda, red,black,white and i found the fabric on quilt-in-a-day,then needed more and found it on lickety stitch ebay.

Originally Posted by janedb

hi i need help in knowing what problems i may come across when i quilt, my 87" square. i wont to quilt around each 6" square.
any help would be great. do i make up my own stencils or buy pre-made.

thx jane

Originally Posted by margecam52

LOL..I was joshing, but it's true...our pool table makes a perfect quilting table. Nothing can roll off onto the floor...those pockets hold little bits of scraps & stuff..I even put bobbins, scissors, etc. in them.

I lay a sheet then a heavy piece of vinyl over that. I have a cutting matt on one end...and a shelf from the tv unit (it's not wide enough for the size tv hubby bought) wrapped in cotton batting and muslin..that's for ironing. When I need to pin down binding or trim a quilt...I lay it out like you have yours...perfect! Quilt table manufacturer's need to make something similar...lol