You asked, we answered. Here are responses to three reader questions,
including how to choose a quilting design and how to prevent rulers
from slipping.Dear Quilter...Quilts&More™(ISSN1939-^23
62),^ Summer^2020.^Quilts&Moreis^publishedfourtimesa^year^in^January,^ April,^July,^and^ October^ by^ Meredith^ Corp.,^1716 Locust^ St.,^Des^ Moines,^ IA50309 -^3023.^Better^ Homes&Gardens^ isa^registered^ trademarkinthe^ UnitedStates,^Canada,^ andAustralia.^ B
etter^Homes^ &Gardens^ marca^ registrada^ en^ México.^ ©
Meredith^ Corp.^2
020.^All^ rights^reserved.^ P
rinted^ in^ theU.S.A.104 Quilts & More | SUMMER 2020Whenever I see the phrase
“quilt as desired,” I get a little
panicked. There are so many
options. How do you pick the
right design for your quilt?
— Deborah Hansen
Consider the “feel” of your
quilt when choosing a quilt
design. A whimsical quilt might
benefit from a quilt design that
has a lot of motion, like swirls.
Many modern quilters like to
use geometric and straight-
line quilting designs that are
simple but effective. For a bit
of contrast, choose a design
that’s slightly different than the
piecework, such as using a ribbon
candy motif.
Finally, think about where your
quilt is going to go and how stiff
you want the finished project to
be; that should help narrow down
your options. If it is going to be
draped over a sofa, choose a less
dense pattern. If you are having
a long-arm machine quilter stitch
your project, don‘t be afraid to
ask for her advice, too. Make use
of her design expertise!When I am rotary-cutting,
my ruler keeps slipping and I
end up wasting fabric due to
miscuts. Any tips on how
to keep the ruler steady?
— Laura Rocha
When using a rotary cutter and
an acrylic ruler, one hand is
cutting and the other is holding
the ruler steady. Pay attention to
your steadying hand. You want
to hold the ruler with what many
quilters call a “spider hand,”
which means pushing down with
the pads of your fingers and
lifting up your palm. You can buy
products to help with ruler slip,
including handles that can be
attached to the ruler to give you
more even pressure. It also helps
to change out your rotary-cutter
blade. A fresh blade requires less
pressure to cut the fabric; toomuch pressure can push your
ruler out of alignment.I‘ve noticed the ends of my
seams are popping open as
I join blocks. On some of my
quilt tops, I even have to sew
up holes between blocks. What
am I doing wrong?
— Abigail Crane
Have you been backstitching at
the beginning and end of your
seams as you construct blocks? It
seems like a small thing, and it is
easy to forget, but it strengthens
your seams and keeps them from
splitting. When you think about
it, your fabric gets tugged on
quite a bit as you sew together
units, and it puts pressure on the
seams. The backstitches keep
the seams together until all your
pieces are sewn together into a
quilt top.We’d love to answer your
questions! Email them to
[email protected] with
“Dear Quilter” in the subject line.Don’t miss the
Fall 2020 issue of
Quilts & More™
magazine—on
newsstands
July 24, 2020.Dear Quilter.indd 104 FINAL 3/11/20 12:03 PM