BOOKS IN MY MINIATURE QUILT LIBRARY

Hello, I'm Back! Cold Weather is coming, and I am in the mood to finish up some projects and start some new ones. I decided to look through the small and miniature quilting books in my library. Some of them are out of print, and some of them are brand new. I picked up a few through Amazon's used books for a good price, so there is always hope of finding one if you want it.

Favorite Foundation - Pieced Minis - from the editors of Miniature Quilt Magazine
This book has patterns for 30 miniatures. It is a nice book, but if you have EQ6, you could print out the foundations more easily. Nearly all of the patterns in this book are a traditional pattern or a variation
The BEST of Miniature Quilts - Volume 3
I like this book. It is a mixture of miniature applique and pieced. Some of the patterns are like Oak leaves and Acorns, log cabins, baskets. Again though, these are mostly traditional patterns.
It's a Small World by Els Feteris-Stam
This book has some interesting patterns. I like one that is spools with selvage strip columns, there are also more traditional style quilts. The hitch with these patterns are.. they aren't paper pieced.
Blue Ribbon Miniature Quilts - Miniature Quilts Magazine Miniatures from the Heart Contest.
This book is one of my favorites just for great quilt designs. They are patterns for miniature quilts that won in a contest put on by the now defunct Miniature Quilt Magazine. There are patterns for 8 uniquely designed quilts. Not for beginners.
Prairie Children and Their Quilts - Kathleen Tracy
This is a book that has simple patterns for 14 small quilts, doll quilts. The finished quilts are small; many under 20 inches. But the blocks are for the most part 4 or so inches which doesn't really put them in the miniature realm. But they are easy traditional patterns.
Foundation Piecing with a New Attitude - Ellen Rosintoski
This is also a book with small blocks, around 4-6" some of the quilts are 40". But the blocks are intricate foundation blocks, Mariner's compasses, pickle dish, kaleidoscopes. Interesting book.
Twenty Little Patchwork Quilts - Gwen Marston & Joe Cunningham
This book has 20 quilts that are good for experimenting with color and design . They are less intimidating than tiny miniatures, or their full size counterparts. The quilts rang in size from 13-22 inches. They are non- foundation pieced traditional patterns like houses, nine patches, and bow ties.
Baltimore Bride's Quilt Designs - Doreen Lynn Saunders
I guess this isn't necessarily a miniature quilt book. I picked up this 'Dover Publication" book, while waiting in line at an Amish Restaurant. It is full of Applique designs, set in 3or 4 inch squares. There are even some border applique designs. I'm sure they are meant to enlarge, but why would you want to?
Twenty Little Log Cabin Quilts - Gwen Marston
20 small log cabin quilt designs for quilts ranging in size from 14-20 inch log cabin quilts. Different lay outs, NOT foundation pieced
Miniature to Masterpiece - Nancy Johnson-Srebro
Another favorite. I got it for $7.00 as a used book from an Amazon dealer. I was so happy to find it. I had taken it out of the Library several times already. The cover features an awesome broken star quilt. It was published almost 20 years ago, so I guess there are updated ways to do things, but, it gets you back to piecing basics. Non foundation, but good advice on piecing a miniature lone star, which is why I bought it.
Celebrate with Little Quilts - Alice Berg, Mary Ellen Von Holt, Sylvia Johnson
I picked up this book in a used book store for 5.oo. It features small quilts for decorations. Theme quilts for autumn, patriotic, birthdays, friendship quilts. Non foundation pieced. But a nice book with some good ideas
Scaling Down - Trudie Hughes
I picked this up for free at on a giveaway table at guild. It features some interesting ideas on pieced borders, and several feathered stars ideas. Small scale, not paper pieced.
Small Scale Quiltmaking - Sally Collins
This lady knows how to piece miniatures. She prides herself on NOT ever using foundations. I think that is just crazy talk since her quilts are perfect and tiny. But she can do it.
If you can get books by Sally Collins, you will have great miniature quilting references. There are nine projects in this book
The Art of Machine Piecing - Sally Collins
This books gives you advice on precision piecing and methods that will help you attain quality workmanship. Sally makes wall to full size quilts using 4" intricately pieced blocks. A must have for your library
Borders Bindings & Edges - The Art of Finishing your Quilt - Sally Collins
this is the ultimate reference guide for borders and edges. This book gives advice on planning, cutting, stitching, and attaching pieced, appliqued or whole cloth borders. There are instructions for piped bindings, scalloped edges and lots of other finishes. She works in small to miniature scale, but the knowledge you get from this book can be used with any size quilt.
Marvelous Miniatures - Rodale's Quilting Library
This is a great little reference book. With lots of ideas from many different miniature quilt makers. If you can find this book, it is worth having
Fat Quarter Small Quilts - Darlene Zimmerman
It says on the book.. 25 projects you can make in a day. It's a nice little book if you can pick it up cheap. Mostly traditional small scale patterns, baskets, stars, album blocks. quilts with scalloped borders.
Easy Paper-pieced Miniatures - Carol Doak
This book has a lot of instruction on Paper piecing from the go to person on Paper piecing. This book has patterns for Mariner's compasses, Stars, Flying Geese, little houses. A lot of ideas. It's hard to explain though, when you see these quilts, you know they are Carol's designs. They have that look

The next two are new releases, so they should be easy to find.

Flip Flop Paper Piecing - Mary Kay Mouton
I have seen the quilt by the same name in shows recently. It is a sort of mariner's compass surrounded with tiny flying geese with tiny tiny pieced blocks in the borders. I don't think that they are even an inch big. The premise of her book is her unique way of foundation piecing. For instance, if you were going to make an Ohio Star block on a foundation, you would probably make it in 3 foundation strips and sew the strips together to make one block. Mary Kay would take the one foundation of an Ohio Star, and piece the whole block on one foundation. That is how she manages to make 1/2" churn dash blocks. It's pretty amazing.
Little Lone Star Quilts - Lorraine Olsen
I just got this from Amazon yesterday. Lorraine's way of piecing miniature lone stars is unique. It reminds me of a tiny version of a "Quiltsmart" foundation. I have made a miniature lone star the old fashioned way, and it nearly drove me over the edge. I'm hoping that this way turns out to be easier and more precise.

I'm hoping to give the ideas in these last two books a whirl this weekend. I'll let you know how things turn out.

There are many ways to make a miniature quilts. Absorb as much information as you can, and then practice and find the way that is best for you. It's challenging, but it is worth it because it will be so much easier when you want to make a larger quilt. Good luck!

I HAVEN'T LEFT FOR GOOD

Now that I see that I have picked up another follower, I want you both to know that I haven't dropped off the earth. I've had weddings and visitors this summer, and I am almost finished cleaning my sewing room. Just in time to start something new! Don't give up on me!

TRYING WEBSHOTS SLIDESHOW FEATURE

My Miniature Quilts

PATTERNS

I've looked everywhere for an old show book or something so that I can tell you exactly what is required for a competition show quilt. But I can't find one, so I am going to give you the basics by memory.

The size of a competition quilt can be up to but not more than 24" per side. Everything should be in scale. For instance, a 24 inch quilt would be fine if made from 1-2" blocks, but you could not do four 12 " blocks. Generally, even a 4" block is considered too big. You should be able to take a photo, and not be able to tell the difference between a full size quilt, and a miniature quilt by looking at the photo.

For instance, look at this wholecloth quilt;
ENIGMA 3
( I borrowed this image from Mariya's site when I found that the link didn't take me directly to this photo. The link DOES take you to photos of many of her wonderful quilts)

It is very small, I think around 9" square, maybe less.
Mariya is a very talented miniature quilt maker, and she makes awesome full size quilts to!

I found a few links that have free patterns for miniature quilts. This writer did all of the work to find the links, so I want to make sure you see her blog! HEART AND HANDS

Carol's miniature paper piecing book is out of print, but maybe you can try the library, or the used books on Amazon. CAROL DOAK MINIATURES

This is a nice company with small quilt patterns. It would be a good place to start if you wanted to try making a miniature quilt. These are tissue paper foundations.
A VERY SPECIAL COLLECTION - LITTLE BITS
I found them at Paducah. They have a nice Carolina Lily quilt, and a diamond shape log cabin star quilt.

For the more adventurous of you, try books by SALLY COLLINS This talented quilter makes miniatures without using foundations. If you want to learn how to do precise piecing without doing paper pieceing, this is your teacher. She makes intricate miniatures, but she also make larger quilts with miniature blocks.

STITCHED RAW EDGE APPLIQUE was what Pat Holly used to make her award winning miniature HIMALAYAN GARDEN

There are many ways to come at miniature quiltmaking. I'm not an expert by any means, but maybe while I am sharing with you, I will learn something myself.

SOME OF THE QUILTS THAT I HAVE MADE OR HELPED MAKE

Here are some of the quilts I have made. Some of them are quilts that were a group effort. I belong to a group of 8 women who originally got together to sew when one of us decided we would like to try making miniature quilts. If it hadn't been for this group called "Twisted Stitchers", I never would have tried to make a miniature.

This is GRACE. It is 12" square. It is made up of hand dyed fabrics and batiks with hand sewn Austrian Crystals. The block is called "Endless Chain" and it is 1/2 inch finished. It won first place in miniature quilts at 2006 Road to California and was juried into the 2007 American Quilter's Society show in Paducah, KY. It won a first place in my guilds show this year. I only entered it in these shows. Houston turned me down, and I decided to save my money the next year. Maybe someday.

This is a quilt that I made for my friend for her birthday. It is 12" square.

This is my most recent quilt. It was a classroom project with Jan Krentz. I was the only one making a miniature version. It is 14" square

This is my second miniature. It is called "There and Back Again. I was inspired by the pineapple quilts made by Jane Hall. It was juried into the AQS show in Paducah in 2006. It got an honorable mention in the NQA show a couple of months later. After that, I had the honor of seeing it hang as part of the permanent "OH WOW" Miniature Quilt Collection at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. Considering the outstanding quilts in that collection, I am humbled to have a quilt that I made be a part of it. I think it is 13" square

This is a log cabin applique quilt that I designed, and my friends and I made for another friend in our Twisted Stitcher, miniature quilting group. This one is about 16" square

This is a string pieced 'Crossed Canoes" quilt that we made for a birthday

This is a Storm at Sea made for our friend's birthday

Another friend got this Log Cabin

This quilt above is my first attempt at a miniature quilt. It is called "A Busy Day at JFK". Everything was going well until I sprayed the blue quilt marking pen, and a bunch of the hand dyed fabrics ran. What a heart breaker. I ended up soaking it in oxyclean, and it looks presentable enough to hang in my studio. I may try it again someday. It is about 20" square

This is an applique pinwheel quilt that my group made for another member's birthday. it is all hand dyes, and I did the applique. Each entire pinwheel is 2", so each hst is 1"

This quilt is one that my group made for our guild's quilt auction. Each autograph block is 2"we put a little pocket on the back to hold a pigma pen so that it is always ready for someone to sign.

NEW BLOG

I have decided to start a blog that concentrates on making miniature quilts. I'm not sure how I am going to go about this, but I want it to be an instructional and possibly a do a project together blog. let me think about it and check back sometime.