Fine filigree

This quilt has ended up with a variety of quilting. First there was all the ditching around the appliques, then the background swirls (which, in hindsight, probably should have been a small feather filler instead, but never mind), then the feathers, and finally the filigree in the heart.

This space was far too large to leave unquilted; it was terribly puffy. But I really didn't want to detract from the lovely symmetrical print, so I ended up following the pattern of the fabric. My little tip for spaces like this is to pin well, hold it as evenly as you can, and start by quilting through the centre. This, if you've done it properly, instantly divides the puffiness evenly into the two halves, and reduces the risk of pushing all the puff to one edge, causing distortion and puckers.

The white lines are little more than 1/16 of an inch wide, so it does end up making the quilting relatively dense just here, but that took care of the puffiness very effectively, and provides lovely texture. Being so fine a print, my quilting is not perfectly on the lines all the time, but the effect is still there, and sometimes completion trumps perfection.