Is it better to stitch in the ditch all my blocks first and then free hand quilt my designs in each block? I am really new at quilting.

you do not have to stitch in the ditch at all unless that is the quilting design you want to do....some people do stitch in the ditch-some do not-
it is best to baste your quilt well either by needle & thread, pins, or spray basting.

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!!

I don't think so.

Thank you guys!

As a new quilter I found it easier to echo stitch design elements in the quilt. SID is not as easy as it looks, it is much easier to stitch 1/4 inch inside or outside the seam.

Exactly what I was going to say. SITD is so hard for me, since I'll be on one side of the seam, then the other, then back, and it looks icky. Whereas slightly in, following the shape of the block, much better results.

I also like the look of this better. Many of the vintage quilts were quilted with the echo. It was much easier at a quilting bee for everyone doing the same thing. There were probably some ladies that had a hard time following a design. I had never heard of SID until I had one quilted several years ago and this was how it was done.

I have been quuilting for several years and last week I SITD for the first time.. and now I know.. I will NOT be doing THAT again anytime soon... it is HARD~~~~!!

Stitch what u want..... prehaps baste it in place if ur worried it might move... personally I use safety pins

Hi and welcome to the board. Both Harriett Hargrave and Diane Gaudinski recommend that when machine quilting to SID at least some to stabalize the quilt. It also allows you to remove some of the weight of all the safety pins before trying to FMQ. You don't need to SID around each piecing element. They recommend at least around the peremeter of each block. I know it made it a lot easier for me to do that prior to FMQ other elements and really did reduce shifting and puckers. But I also heartily agree with the previous posters that it is much easier to stitch right next to the ditch, like 1/8" away. Either way, you should at least do some kind of stabalizing stitching before FMQ elements and background work, unless you are just going to an all over meander, then it probably isn't necessary.