All Minky....need opinions on the actual quilting.....
 

I got a "little" carried away and decided to make my youngest sons girlfriend a quilt using only Minky front and back, and since it's for her bed I made it 95" x 95", I love how soft and fluffy Minky is and don't want to loose the softness with too much quilting.
Question 1) being such a big heavy quilt won't it need a fair amount of quilting to hold it together?
2) any design recommendations?

I had planned to quilt meandering swirls but now I'm not sure.
I hope I post the pics correctly, if so then the first is the top and gray with hearts is the backing.

Thanks for your suggestions

I would just stitch in the ditch

that's a beautiful quilt. i love all the textures too. that said, i never use the textured minky for backing. it looks & feels wonderful, but the delightfulness of the textured pattern is destroyed w quilting, of any kind. i've made several minky quilts. minky pieced front, minky back. i prefer either the flatter floral printed or the swirly looking minkey for the back because the quilting then blends in like it does on floral cotton print. the swirly type are also so yummy to look at. i took a couple of quilts in to do the binding at sew group one year. other group members were snuggling with them. one member was hugging & nuzzeling one of the quilts ..she said she just wanted to wrap up in it's soft swirlyness. the thickness & the randomness of the texture completely hid the quilting. minky quilts are heavy, but using shorter stitch they hold up eell to laundering w/o excessive quilting. i agree with nabobw, stitch in the ditch should suffice. did you use seam allowances wider than 1/4"? that could be a durability factor also. i use 5/8" on both flannel & minky. wow, your quilt is so beautiful. striking pattern & the textures of the minky ..the girlfriend will treasure this quilt forever!

That is just beautiful! I have never quilted on minky, but I know it is difficult. My sister is just made a baby quilt out of minky and was distressed at how the fabric stretched. I know she changed her original quilting pattern idea for something simple. I wish I could remember what she did.

But there will be others here who will have real suggestions. Is there a way you could sort of practice on scraps? I think my sister said that would have helped her, and she teaches quilt workshops and is very experienced in the art of quilting. Who knows, she may even catch this thread and offer her good advice.

Dina

I've never made one with minky on the front and back, but often use it for backing on chemo quilts. Usually end up doing swirls and a few feathers. Your quilt is just lovely.

I've made many Minky quilts, I have not found it difficult to quilt. Swirls, and meandering will work fine on this. Big, open designs. ( it does depend on batting choice- are you planning to use batting? I always do because it gives the slippery Minky something to hold on to. I use a lightweight batting that allows 6" between quilting lines.
If you use a cotton batting that needs quilted 2"-4" you will of course need more quilting to keep it together. If you are not planning to use batting I would probably try spray basting or a lightweight fusible web to hold the layers together for quilting.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I had thought of stitch in the ditch but then it would take away from the hearts on the back with just a straight line, which is why I'm leaning towards a loose meander, I seriously should have gone auth a fluffier backing with no design then what ever I quilted on the front would disappear on the back, but......I didn't so here I am...
I think I will definitely have to do a practice stitch on some scraps first.
I am planning on using batting, I usually use warm and natural since it's thin, but being that it's already such a "HEAVY" quilt, can anyone suggest a thinner brand or kind of batting that's thinner and lighter???

couldn't you just buy a different backing? sewing with & quilting with minky, is challenging, but i'm a challenge junkey i'm told, so ..there may be more minky fantastics in your future. buy another backing?
..and i agree ..some swirls inside the solid bars, plus stitch in the ditch would work great too. i just love the textures of the minky used in the top ..ergo, my personal preference for stitch in the ditch. this quilt has such incredible graphic appeal with all that texture. i use thin poly blend batting.

Do you know of a brand of batting that's less dense than warm & natural, a lighter batting with this beast is a must! It's already so heavy, it's going to knock over my quilt frame.

I thought of that but really really love the hearts on the back. I will have to work with it to keep the fabric I love