leeannamm

I'm doing my first quilt w/applique and don't know whether I should do the applique before or after I quilt. Most quilts I see online don't have any quilting running through the applique itself. Suggestions for this somewhat "rookie" are appreciated!!

quiltingcandy

You want to appliqué before you sandwich the quilt and so before you quilt it. Your quilt looks adorable! Can hardly wait for you to finish it.

leeannamm

Thank you!

lynnie

love your quilt! I applique b4. love app. on a pieced quilt. adds so much to it.
please show us the finished quilt.

joe'smom

That is absolutely darling! You'll want to quilt around the applique so it doesn't flatten out. That owl is just so cute!

susie-susie-susie

You should appliqué before sandwich and quilting unless you want the appliqué stitches to show on the back. You are correct, there usually isn't any quilting over the appliqué. Your quilt is so cute--I love owls.
Sue

QuiltnNan

i agree with everyone else. can't tell the size of the owl... if quilting around it doesn't meet your batting requirements, you might sew around the eyes or quilt some v's for feathers on his chest. really cute quilt

Bree123

I would applique before putting the back on. Trying to get a good result through all those layers with hand stitching is nearly impossible & the stitches would really show through on the back a lot unless you use a thread that matches the back for machine applique. If you do that, check both sides frequently to ensure you are getting uniform stitches & also that it is not pulling/distorting your applique work as you stitch through so many layers.

One other option you might consider is trapunto. The owl would look super cute with that. I like it because you can still do really beautiful FMQ to make the applique stand out without having it show through all the layers.

Nammie to 7

I agree with the rest, applique, then quilt. Some do quilt in the applique, like around the eyes, wings, make feathers on the owl, veins on the leaves, etc. Nice quilt. Please show us when you are done. Thanks for sharing.

Wow I Like That

If it was quilt and I was going to do an all over design like stipple or swirls or even straight line quilting, I would quilt it first and then applique on the owl. Personally I think it is ok to see the design in the back. I even like that. To each their own though. What did you want to do?