Polly's Quilts
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs)
Polly receives hundreds of e-mails
regarding questions about her quilts. Below are frequently asked questions
(and answers) from those e-mails. If you can't find the answer to your
question here, feel free to e-mail Polly and she'll try to answer it.
Thank you!
Q: Can you
share any patterns for star quilts?
A: I do not use a pattern for any of my
quilts. I just use a ruled cutting board, sharp scissors, and some rulers. Of
course I do a LOT of colored line drawings to see what different color schemes
will look like. The only time I use any kind of pattern is when someone asks for
a silhouette or likeness that they would like as a centerpiece on a quilt. I
recently did a bare-back bronco placed at the center of a star quilt. Visit www.starquilts.com/starborn.htm
and see how I make a Star Quilt.
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Q: Bunching, pouching,
belling, in the star: How to help prevent it.
A:
- When you sew 2
diamond strips together (the second step) you need to cut the excess fabric
off (sliver off) on all of the 2 diamond strips sewn together.
- Place a yard ruler on
a straight line, butt the sewn edge of the strips against the ruler.
- Take another yard
ruler and line it up with the strip size you are using, on top of the sewn
strips and cut off the slivers with a rotary cutter.
- Always use the same
seam allowance on the whole star top.
- When the star is
filled in and you've ironed it, you also need to sliver off the triangles
first and the squares (squared up).
- Don't stretch any
bias edges when sewing any of the star top.
- Remember to leave a seam
allowance all around, usually 1/4".
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Q. What kind of fabric
do you normally use?
A. I use cotton percale or satin.
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page)
Q. When cutting
the strips, do you cut with the grain of the material or against it to keep the
material from bunching when sewing?
A. I've cut strips both ways. You could too, just try both
ways and decide the way you like best.
Q. How do you measure the right size for the triangles and squares (the
fillins) on the quilts?
A. Measure one edge of the diamond panels when
the star is complete. Use the one with the straight edge, not the bias edge. For
the triangles, I add 1/4 inch to the measurement, but not for the squares. Do
not stretch the bias edges of the star or the triangles.
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Q. How wide do you cut the
strips of fabric?
A. For Full, Queen, and King each
strip should be about 2 3/4 inches wide. For twin size each strip should
be about 2 1/2 inches wide. For baby quilts or coverlets, each
strip should be about 2 inches wide.
Queen Size Example: You could cut 2 3/4 inch strips lengthwise. I find
that one yard lengths yields 8 diamonds in each strip period. If you cut
widthwise on 44 inch wide fabrics, it also yields 8 to 9 diamond strips. For row
one beginning at the middle, you would need one strip. Row 2 needs two strips,
etc. You would need to go up to 6 strips to the center of the panel. Then you
need to go back down to the outer tip. Example: one strips, two strips, three
strips, four strips, five strips, six strips. Then back on down to five strips,
four strips, three strips, two strips, one strip. Just sew them together using a
smaller stitch length, so the stitches won't come undone when you cut them.
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Q. After the
strips have been sewn together, How wide do you cut the strips to form the
diamonds?
A. You always cut the sewn strips the same width that you
cut the single strips. It looks like not going to work, but thats the seam
allowances showing on the edges.
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Q.
Eight or six point stars; how do you cut the strips (diamonds)? I was
working on a my firs star quilt, and for some reason it came out to be a 6 point
star and I am trying to make a full size quilt. How come I can't get 8 points in
there? What should the diamond measurements be? Can you please help me
out?
A. For 8 point stars,
you will need to cut the diamonds at an angle of 45 degrees; cutting the stars
at an angle of 60 degrees will create 6 point stars.
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Q. When
staggering the strips, how far apart are the ends set?
A. It depends on the width of the strips you use. I
stagger the strips from 1 7/8" to 3 1/4"
as follows:
- 3 1/4 " strips yield a 65" lone star when filled
in. The staggers should be 2 5/8 "
- 3 1/8" strips yield 62" filled square at 2 5/8"
staggers.
- 3 " strips yield 59" filled square at 2 1/2"
staggers.
- 2 7/8" strips yield 56" filled squares at 2 3/8"
staggers.
- 2" strips yield 35-36" filled square at 1 1/2"
staggers.
- 1 7/8" strips yield 32" filled square at 1 3/8"
staggers.
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Q. Do you cut out all the colors together or only each star diamond?
A. Choose color placement first. Then you can cut
strips widthwise to the inches wanted (3" or whatever). There are approximately
8-9 diamonds per strip. Five strips is 40 diamonds, 4 is 32 diamonds, 3 is 24
diamonds, etc.
Then sew the planned out color strips together, staggered for 45 degree cut.
Iron out, and then cut them at 3" or whatever, 45 degree angles to 8 strips
again. You sew these together into 8 panels and they become the star.
To see how this is done, see the pictorial at
www.starquilts.com/starborn.htm
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page)
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