Originally Posted by Bree123

One more thing...
Part of me is reluctant to suggest this, but as a beginning quilter, I think this might be a good time to break my general rule of quilting every 2". This isn't a quilt that is going to be washed every week, neither is it likely to become a family heirloom. It is a wonderful, loving gift to your nephew from you. So here's what I'd suggest for the quilting (make sure you either have a Dual Feed machine or else you'll need to install a Walking Foot to do the quilting). I'm not sure what kind of batting you used. Some battings need to be quilted every 2" or else they bunch up inside the quilt when washed. Other ones, like Warm & Natural can be quilted 10" apart or more without issue. Assuming you have a batting that can be quilted farther apart, here's what I'd recommend:

Note: The orange lines are so they show up in my illustration. I would quilt in that medium grey of your background fabric.
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Trying to quilt inside the TWD fabric gets a lot trickier unless you just quilt right over the print & don't worry about it (which isn't as horrible as it sounds). Over time, with many more hours of practice, you may decide to try your hand at Free Motion Quilting which would allow you to easily change direction within the rectangle to outline all the little shapes & even do decorative designs around them. You need to Stitch in the Ditch first for those designs anyways, so this will be a great practice piece for you to learn more about quilting. Just go slow (set your machine on the slowest setting if you have a speed dial). Stitch length should be 3mm or 9 stitches per inch is a good length for SID. Or you could make it a bit shorter (as short as 2.5mm or 10 stitches per inch). The walking foot, if you need one, is pretty clunky & it can be hard to tell if it is up or down. If you don't see your fabric moving when you press the speed pedal, odds are the walking foot (presser foot) is up. Same thing with nests of thread.

That said, it really isn't terribly difficult to learn to quilt with a walking foot (or dual feed machine) if you already know how to use your sewing machine for basic sewing. Making a practice piece (at least 12x12, preferably Fat Quarter size which is 18x22" or even a 1/2 yard) does help, though. It will allow you to get your machine settings just right for your quilting project. You usually need to lower the top tension to somewhere between 1-3, depending on your machine. You want the same thread in the top & bobbin. And make sure you use a fresh needle. Universal needles do not work great for quilting. I love Microtex needles. For a 50wt, 2 ply thread, a 70/10 Microtex (aka, Sharp) needle works well. For a 50wt, 3 ply thread, a 80/12 Microtex needle works nicely. You can also use a Top Stitch needle in size 80 or 90. Or a Quilting needle. Needles should last 8 hours of quilting time if undamaged.

BTW -- love your design!!! Your nephew is one lucky guy!

Originally Posted by imagirlgeek

I read a lot about batting, and put my hands on different kinds at 2 different local stores before I actually bought. Hobbs had the best consistent reviews. Nice to have my choice validated by someone with experience with it.

I've never used monofilament thread. I just did a quick search and looks like either Sulky or Superior Threads are my choices for polyester. Do you know which would be the better choice? It looks like they are similar in price...a dollar difference for the same amount.

Originally Posted by JENNR8R

I use YLI monofilament thread on most of my quilts. I'd rather have the fabric be the star of the quilt than a contrasting thread color. It also hides imperfect quilting stitches. I always use it for stitch in the ditch. Using a walking foot for straight lines is a lot easier than free motion quilting which takes many hours of practice to master.

Originally Posted by illinois

Bree has given you some great advice. If you are a beginning quilter, keep your quilting simple so you don't become frustrated with the process. You mentioned having had to rip out and this is one place you don't really want to do that, especially with machine stitches! I like the suggestion of gray thread as it should work in well. I, too, have used monofilament on the top and have had good luck with that, even with wear and laundry. If you decide you need more stability inside the big squares, you might consider just a simple X or could maybe put a few ties there. Stitching around the designs will be tedious and might become more than you really want to try on a domestic machine. If you decide to outline though, consider some hand quilting to see if you like doing that. Yes, you can utilize several methods on the same quilt.

Originally Posted by klswift

When I made a shadow quilt for my daughter, I did a SITD on both rectangles. They were close enough together that I wasn't worried about it and it gave a nice look to the back. Hers had an off white background with dark grey shadows and a variety of grey/mauve/burgundy prints for the boxes. I used a dark grey thread and it all blended nicely. Using that idea, I would do that with this one using a black thread. If you start at a junction of the print and black, you can do one continous line around both rectangles. No matter what you decide, I'm sure any walking dead fan would absolutely love this quilt!

Originally Posted by Bree123

Honestly, I haven't worked with monofilament for quilting since my first quilted project (a tablerunner). I bought a cheapy nylon mono from JAF that I definitely wouldn't recommend because after 7 years or so, the stitches were brittle & snapped so I have to re-quilt much of the runner & it's sat in my "to do" pile for the last 2 years. There are a lot of quality nylon monos out there (including YLI & Aurifil) and they are great for many things -- I use the YLI for couching and hope to maybe give the Aurifil a try when I run out -- but poly is a bit less fussy to work with and it also holds up much better in the dryer (not sure how old he is, but teen/college-aged boys are rarely known for their laundering prowess -- they tend to put everything in the dyer on High so it's done quicker). The one downside of poly is that it is slightly shinier and therefore just slightly more visible, though that's not quite as noticeable with the smoke than with the clear mono. It's a trade-off either way. Sulky & Superior are both reputable brands.

I know many more people who use Superior mono both in my guild and on this Board. Note that Superior recommends a Size 60/8 needle with a top tension setting of no more than 2.