I have the same problem, but I never thought of altering the quilt. first, I bought a beautiful dust ruffle, they took matching fabric from the quilt and added another layer to it - looks beautiful, then I bought a really nice blanket that would match, I put that on the bed first so it covers to the top of the dust ruffle, then my quilt on top, this comes to the bottom of my mattress. It looks very dressed up. I use this room for guests. Makes a nice impression.