I don't think I would quilt in the ditch for this particular pattern. Your quilt sounds lovely, by the way! I would consider quilting in a design that accentuates the heart design.
Tamie

Of course you realize that we're all dying to see a photo of your quilt. I hope you can get a digital camera someday. They are so nice. I love mine.

As for mistakes, I think they are simply charming, even when I make them. (I'm not a quilt judge.) Mistakes and minor imperfections indicate that the article was handmade with love, not stamped out by a machine. We also can learn from our mistakes, so don't worry. You'll improve with each project.

When machine quilting, I still find it hard to keep the needle in the ditch, so I often make sine waves over the seams I want to follow.

As for whether to change thread colors, either way should look fine. It is way easier to use one thread for the whole quilt. Would you consider a variegated thread?

If you want to less-than-perfect quilting to be less noticeable, use a multicolored or busy fabric for the backing.

Check the batting label to see how far apart you can make your quilting lines. 100% cotton only allows only 2" between quilting lines. Warm & Natural, and others that have SCRIM will allow up to 10" between quilting lines. Then stay just inside that number. You don't have to quilt densely. That's after you get experience.

Oh, and you do plan to attach a label, don't you?

I like the heart layout you chose. Appropriate for a wedding quilt. They're gonna love it. Great job.

Great idea for a wedding gift. If the fabrics are mainly solids, then it might be nice to do more than just stitching 1/4" from the sewing lines or stitching across diagonally. For example, I could "see" a flower with leaves in each of the corner triangles and more of the same inside the heart.

Well congrats on your first real quilt! I hope we get to see pics of the real thing. You picked a great pattern for a wedding quilt and I'm sure it will be loved and cherished.

Kay

What a beautiful pattern, and great idea for a wedding quilt! I can't wait to see pictures. I agree that you should do something that accentuates the heart pattern, perhaps following the diagonals?

I love the different ways that block can be used - and your heart quilt will be treasured, I'm sure. Assuming you're hand-quilting, if it were mine, I would probably use a grey thread or as someone suggested, a varigated one, and definitely use some templates that had hearts, feathers, curvy designs, etc. in some of those more open spaces - definitely in the corners. Do you have a friend who has a camera you can borrow? It should be beautiful no matter how you do it - love the pattern!

Great pattern for a wedding quilt. I love the versatility of the block too. I love scraphappy's suggestions for quilting. Are you handquilting or machine quilting? If I were machine quilting, I'd probably go with a simple diagonal though the squares.

Good for you !! You keep it up !!
We ALL have made mistakes with our sewing(I still make them !!)
Small project are good to get your feet wet .

Congrats on your first quilt!! It's a beautifull pattern, and the colors sound great!

Keep up the good work!!

Thank you for all the comments! I am hand quilting :) I don't mind some mistakes, they just always seem to look bigger when you've made it yourself, you know? You already know where they all are, so it is the first thing that your eye is drawn to.

I was trying to figure out what quilting pattern would highlight the heart. I like the idea of sine waves. I also like the idea of some template hearts, they would go with the theme. I do want to put something in the corners. I was thinking of putting their initials on it somewhere, maybe inside the middle heart ... a flower with leaves sounds nice as well. I guess curvy shapes would look better than straight lines :)

I thought of variegated thread as well, but some of the quilt is dark blue, and some is purple so I didn't know which colour to choose. I wasn't sure if I should keep the same colour throughout or change for different fabrics. As I am doing it by hand, its not too difficult to switch over.

I didn't think of checking the batting to see how far apart to quilt . . . that's a great tip, thanks!

I will try to borrow a camera to post a picture when it is finished. I'd like a copy of the photo for myself as well, as I won't be keeping the quilt. I "birthed" the quilt instead of binding it -- and I turned it right-side out and stitched the opening shut -- took a look and saw the whole thing . . . oooh, goosebumps :)

What a lovely setting that is! I don't mind mistakes in any hand made item I receive so don't worry about them. You will notice them much more than anyone else. I think I would try to emphasize the heart shapes, perhaps feathers of vines that follow the shape of the heart. I think gray would be my choice for thread, except for perhaps to highlight some areas.

beverly

That's so pretty for a wedding. No more suggetions for the quilting - well done!