Episode 438: Bad Sewing Habits All Quilters Should Quit

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Joanna Burgarino, the editor of Quilts & More, shares 8 top bad habits quilters should quit. We asked our Facebook audience what bad sewing habits they have (and trust us -- they're not alone!), and we compiled some of their most relateable answers. From not closing the shield on your rotary cutter to being overly critical of your own projects, Joanna shares the top bad habits and gives solutions to overcome them/

See the complete list of bad habits here.

Joanna shares the trend, pattern, or person she's loving right now. Joanna's noticed a resurgence of string quilts on social media lately and loves it! She loves how "chill" string quilts are. There aren't usually things to line up carefully, you get to use up a lot of fabric, and the blocks have fun scrappy look to them once they're done. Joanna likes to keep hers from looking too busy by repeating prints and keeping a limited color palette.

Joanna shares a few fun behind-the-scenes stories from the Winter issue of Quilts & More, which is on sale November 8. She gives some details about the photography, including some delicious pastries in a photo and very cute models.

Joanna Burgarino, the editor of Quilts & More, tackles this segment where we share tips and tricks about a sewing tool or technique. On this episide, she shares two tips for using fusible interfacing.

1. You don't necessarily need the "perfect" thickness of interfacing for your project if you're comfortable with a bit of improvisation. For example, Joanna once had a dog collar project where the interfacing she found was either too light or way too heavy. Since it needed to wrap around her dog's neck, it needed to still have some give. What she ended up doing was buying lightweight interfacing with fusible on one side. She cut several strips the same size and stacked them, attaching the fusible side of one to the side without fusible of the other. She kept going until the interfacing was the exact thickness she wanted, then fused the whole stack to the project. This works best when you start with a thinner interfacing and build it up. This also can work really well when you have leftover pieces of interfacing that you don't want to waste.

2. Be mindful of any kind of additives on your fabric pieces. If you prewash your fabrics and use fabric softeners, the fusible might not stick as well. Some quilters report using starch can also keep the adhesive from sticking. The additives make the fabric slicker and it's hard for the fusible to attach. Older fusible interfacing also sometimes won't stick well as the glue can break down over time. Buy just enough interfacing for my project so I don't have to worry about how long a fusible product has been in your stash. If you do have older fusible you want to use up, test it on some scraps first-better to test it than to be disappointed with your actual project!

Beth Peterson, sales promotion manager for American Patchwork & Quilting, talks about the One Million Pillowcase Challenge. The Challenge began 9 years ago and we're getting close to reaching one million pillowcase donated to local charities. We encourage sewers and quilters of all ages to sew a pillowcase (see our favorite pillowcase patterns here, including the popular Roll It Up pillowcase), then donate it to a charity in your area. These charities can include hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, and more. You can see ideas for donation places here. Don't know where to donate? If you send your pillowcases to our offices, we'll distribute them to charities around the country and BONUS, you'll be entered to win a great prize!

Alison Gamm, the designer of Quilts & More, shares stories ofmaking a difference in their communities.

For Megan LaVictoire, the memory quilt made from her daughter's clothing serves not only as a memento of her short-lived life, but also serves as a way for her son to get to know his sister. Megan's daughter, Lauren, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at around 6 months old. Megan and her husband, DJ, found out that Lauren was blind and would never be able to speak. Despite those obstacles, Lauren was a happy, easy-going baby who loved to laugh. It took about 2 years of Lauren undergoing testing to determine that she suffered from H-ABC leukodystrophy; there were less than 100 known cases in the world at the time. Many children who suffer from leukodystrophy live to be teenagers and adults, but Lauren was not so fortunate. She passed away shortly before her 4th birthday at the Roger Neilson House in Ottawa. Following her passing, Megan spent several weeks sorting through Lauren's clothing so that it they could be used to make a quilt. Megan gave the carefully-selected clothing items to Anne Donald, a volunteer from the Roger Neilson House, so she could begin making a memory quilt. At the time this article was published, Ann had made 7 memory quilts for patients' families so far.

Read the original article here.