Originally Posted by
Manalto
This is incredibly helpful! Just by asking, I've managed to evolve beyond the obvious (to me) solution of using a geometric pattern on a geometric quilt. I see now how fluid lines soften and give it dimension. Thanks for the mini-lesson!
PS - A Young Lady of my recent acquaintance wants to know how to sew a quilt so the stitches don't pop. (And so do I.)
I've found that new cotton thread with cotton fabrics helps (instead of mix & match). I also now label my spools with the month & year purchased and figure 3-4 years tops is probably a good life for my thread. Setting proper stitch length for walking foot & even stitches for FMQ help. Also, if you make your stitch lines closer together (no more than 2") it will reduce the strain on any one area of the quilt. In my own experience & what I have read from many quilting instructors, too much space between quilt lines is the biggest culprit for broken threads over time. Old thread or low-quality thread is the biggest culprit for broken threads while stitching.
Finally, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention laundering. Quilts are really not made to withstand hot water & high heat, or Clorox 2/bleach. We know that as quilters, but too often our recipients do not. They wash quilts like they wash towels & sheets. I put washing instructions on all my quilt labels & let recipients know they're there. So far so good. Of course, I learned these lessons the hard way, researching the solutions after I was dealing with falling apart quilts.