How to Stitch in the Ditch for Appliqué Quilts
How to Stitch in the Ditch Around Appliqué
One of the best ways to show off beautiful appliqué—whether it’s machine- or hand-appliquéd—is to stitch in the ditch around each piece. Stitch in the ditch quilting secures the appliqué while keeping the quilting subtle, allowing the shapes to stand out without adding extra lines on top of the design.
Check out my Rose Sampler blog post here—>A Finished Appliqué Quilt Top: What Worked, What I’d Change, and What I Learned
Also check out my quilting work here—> Gallery
Choosing Thread for Stitch in the Ditch Appliqué
When working with multi-color appliqué, thread choice matters. For this quilt, I used polyester invisible thread from Sulky (I just had this one in handy 🙂). Invisible thread saves you from constantly changing thread colors and blends right in across different fabrics, which makes it a great choice for stitching in the ditch around appliqué.
Stitch in the Ditch Technique for Longarm Quilting
Stitching in the ditch around appliqué is simpler than it looks. The goal is to stitch right next to the appliqué edge—without stitching over the fabric itself—by riding the natural seam line created between the appliqué and the background.
For added stability and control on the longarm machine, I like to use a ruler. The ruler I’m using has a small half-circle cutout that fits around the ruler foot, which helps maintain smooth, controlled movement close to the appliqué edge. That said, a specialty ruler is not required to achieve clean stitch in the ditch results.
The main purpose of using a ruler is stability and control, not perfection. You don’t need a different ruler for every curve or shape, and realistically, that’s not possible. The ruler is there to steady you, not to force a perfect shape. Consistent motion and control will give you better results than trying to match every curve.
Watch the video below to see a real-time demonstration of how I stitch in the ditch around appliqué using a longarm machine. In the video, you can watch how I move the ruler as needed and switch to stitching without it when that feels more natural.
I hope this was helpful, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Happy Quilting!
