MAKING MINIATURE QUILTS

EXPERIMENTING

2011-08-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, my friend pieced a quilt from Karen Stone's "Yardbirds Circling the Cat" pattern. I quilted it, and then she put it in the guild auction. She hoped to purchased it back, but the price got too high. I thought I would make one for her in miniature. It only took two or three years for me to actually do that. It turned out to be an experiment in trying different ways to do it.
I needed to draft the block, and although I had Karen Stone's EQ program, it only prints out the full size pattern. So what I did was print out an 8 pointed star block from EQ and then I had to draw the pattern in by hand.

It worked out okay, except that in my diligence in getting the paper piecing pattern correct, I forgot to flip the design so that when I was finished, it would go in the correct direction.

I have never tried this paper before, it really does dissolve when it is wet. It just was not good for this project. I makes a difference when it comes down to actually piecing the star. I would have had to immerse the diamond in water to get the paper off. Spraying worked somewhat, but left a kind of a mess.
Anyway, to make the checked border, I resorted to using graph paper, which was perfect. The center square was 8.5 inches unfinished.

I pieced it to the center block

And I just free pieced the outer border. The original pattern had a plan, but I didn't want to make one, so I just pieced it.

You know how you can look at things and like them, but then you notice all of the things about it that aren't good? The thing about miniature quilts is that if there is something not right, it is right in your face. One of the things I would change, is the pieces in the very center. They should have been closer to the background of each diamond. Because of the water soluble paper that I couldn't remove, it was difficult to cleanly piece the center, and the setting squares/triangles.

The thing that always escapes me when I decide to piece a miniature with lot's of tiny spires, is when they all come together in that one spot, it is going to be in a 1/4" area, and leave a big lump. And if you have the added thickness of a foundation that is still there, it complicates everything even more. You would think I would learn.

It all kind of nagged at me, so I re-drafted the pattern with the spires going in the correct direction.

This time, I used Vellum for the foundation. I used Cherrywoods hand dyes, adjusted the background so that the spires would show up. I decided to use my "add and eighth" ruler this time and trim every seam to 1/8" as I pieced on the foundation.

And the best tool of all;

This DVD.

I took a class with Jan Krentz so I could learn how to piece a lone star, but this DVD is invaluable for your library. I have her book, but it is great to be able to actually SEE how she pieces the whole thing together. She has a trick for piecing the star and setting blocks.

This one came together much easier, and closer to perfect. I'm not sure if I will even finish this up. I just needed to know if there would be a better way to do it. I have it up on my design wall, and I will think about it for a while.

Oh, and another thing that I love for making scrappy miniature quilts;

Those 5" charm packs. They are a great way to make a miniature quilt out of one line of fabric. It would have been a real pain to drag down all of my fabric and cut out little pieces. Okay, I almost did.. then I remembered my box of 5" squares. Whenever I go to the quilt shop I purchase a couple more.

I do have some plans for this fall and winter. I am going to slowly work my way through my miniature quilt books and try to learn from the masters. I still have a lot to learn.
Have a good weekend!!

HEADLINER FOAM

2011-07-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

I had a comment about foam being used in the nook cover, so I would like to explain. Yes, I know the first thought is "eww.. I wouldn't use foam". I said the same thing until I tried it. It isn't ordinary foam. And the idea didn't generate with me. I had an older bag pattern and the designer said that she uses 'headliner foam' in her bags because it adds nicer body to the finished bag. It is a foam that is about 1/4" or less thick, and one side has a covering of a some sort of poly knit fabric. It is similar to the covering you would find inside your car on the part over your head. I buy mine in the Home Dec department at JoAnn's when I have a coupon. It is around 60" wide and full price about $15.00 a yard. I got some on clearance recently so I bought the rest of it. I have washed and dried it, and it doesn't shrink like batting would. That's what makes it nice for bags. They look very nice with the foam instead of batting the sides of the bag don't 'flop'.
The foam I got on clearance had maroon fabric covering.. I bought a little bit and quilted it inside white fabric, put it in hot water and it didn't bleed. Straight line quilting works great, but free motion just didn't work well for me. Maybe if there was cotton on the back it would, but it is more dense than batting, and the stitches just didn't look right.
The designer that first gave me the idea has developed a new product that has the fabric covering both sides she calls it SOFT AND STABLE. She says it works better, although I have never tried it. I think that if it is quilted between two pieces of fabric, it shouldn't make a difference.

You should get a little of it and give it a try, you might like it.

FINISHED

2011-07-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

I timed it. To make a tumbler quilt from start to finsh took one hour and 20 minutes. And that is with occasional breaks and mess ups like when patches would flip over themselves and have to be ripped and re-sewn.
After that, I quilted the pieces. I use headliner foam in stuff like this instead of batting.

I made a prototype the day I got my nook. I still had to cut pieces for this one, but I needed something to protect my nook. HERE ON MY OTHER BLOG are more details on how to make the cover. I think this technique would work for any reader if you follow the rules about adding enough around the edges.
Anyway, I like it. It turned out just the way that I would have hoped.

back

It was fun to make and didn't take as long to do as it looks like it did. A great way to amaze friends! And a great way to use miniature quilt blocks.

Have a happy weekend!!

ON TEACHING AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS

2011-06-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Set in my ways I guess. I looked at MINIATURES IN MINUTES ..well I looked at the photos thinking that I understood how Terrie did it. I showed you the few rows that I pieced last night. It would have worked the way I did it, the old normal paper piecing way. And I kind of always end up doing everything the hard way.. I never would have thought of this technique in a million years.

Luckily, Terrie commented and asked why I was doing it that way. So I took the book with me when I went to dinner and actually read the directions that accompanied the photos. It took a couple of read throughs to actually understand the process. and I have to say that it is brilliant. Pretty dumb on my part to try a new technique and be so arrogant to think that I wouldn't have to read the directions. I learned a lesson with this one.

If I would have followed the instructions it would have only taken an hour or so to piece this top. which is astounding. I have sewed all of the rows together, but by then I turned my iron off. I will press it tomorrow.

I should be done with this tomorrow if I don't have anything to distract me.

Thanks for the heads up Terrie!!

I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO IT

2011-06-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

I've been working extra so I haven't had the time or energy to get started on my pieced Nook cover, until today.

First, I made copies of the pattern. I ignored the advice to copy on vellum.

But, I realized that I was wrong, and I broke open the package of vellum that I had

I had several packages of this Vellum that I purchased at Michael's craft store. I like it because it is a standard paper size so that I can feed it through my printer, and I am lucky enough to have a copy machine at home, and it worked in that.

Another thing that I learned is to take the time to read the directions and don't just look at the photos. I marked 1/4" away from the lines like in the book, but if I had read the directions, I would have seen that the lines should have been drawn onto the side that the fabric would be placed. So I have red lines and green lines, and I have to remember to not use the red.

It was a little tricky start, but once I got the hang of what I was supposed to do, it is working great.

Terrie, uses Roxanne's glue baste. I have an older bottle that I bought a while ago, and I got these stiletto things to clear out the applicator. It is such a pain to keep the applicator clear, these help some.

I took a class with SHARON SCHAMBER who uses Elmer's school glue and these little stainless tips

You replace the tip on the bottle with one of the caps provided, and you screw the stainless tip on the end of the applicator. They are easier to clean and not so awful about clogging because they are shorter than the Roxanne's glue. Plus the fact that the glue is less than a dollar this time of year (back to school) and there is 2-3 times as much glue in the bottle as compared to the 7+ dollar Roxanne's.

This is the point I am at. Not a lot of contrast. Normally, this isn't something I would go for, but, it isn't a quilt, and this actually is the look I am going for in this project. I suppose if I read the directions completely, it probably says to sew the rows together after all of the piecing is finished.. I couldn't wait to see what it would look like.

Pretty cool technique.

Hopefully, I will be back this weekend to update my progress.

NEW PROJECT

2011-06-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Although this is technically not going to be a quilt, it could be. I bought a new NOOK and I want to make a slip in sleeve to keep it in.

I found this bundle of scraps, from a line of Moda fabrics, on the discard table at a guild meeting. The best thing about making miniatures, is that someones scraps can be your future quilt project. Tumbler pattern. There is a correction on her website for the template if you decide to piece this. This is my first project from Terrie's book.

I am going to make two of the foundations that make around a 7X7 little quilt.

I was going to wait and post photos of my progress to the final product, but it has been so long since I have posted anything, I wanted to show you my plans and I will be back to show you the steps at later dates. It shouldn't be too long, because I need this for my nook.

See ya!

Teri

BOOKS WITH SMALL SCALE BLOCKS

2011-04-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Many of us who enjoy making miniature quilts, translate our love to using small scale blocks in our normal sized quilts. I rarely make a normal size quilt with blocks larger than 6".
So, as you can imagine, I have accumulated my share of books featuring small scale blocks. I am pretty sure that some of these are probably out of print. Perhaps you can look for them in the normal places that make old quilt books available. Guild Sales, Amazon used books, ebay, Library sales..

This book is one that I purchased today at Borders. I had a coupon, and that is the reason that I decided to buy it. None of the blocks are paper pieced, and most of them are traditional blocks, but it is a nice little book with blocks ranging in size from 3" to 5" and is meant to be used with pre-cut fabric bundles.

This book was published this year 130 MINI QUILT BLOCKS

SMALL BLOCKS STUNNING QUILTS

This book is really nice. Great photos, traditional patterns with reproduction fabrics.

APPLIQUE DESIGNS

These designs are on 6" blocks, all different.

Reverse applique 4" blocks DUTCH TREAT

THIS DOVER BOOK has fairly traditional blocks intended to be enlarged to a normal size, but the images inside are perfect small scale quilt size as they are printed in the book.

I bought these two books many years ago from a woman that came to our guild to speak. Her name was Jill Kemp. These blocks are just what the covers say 4" blocks, some applique, some pieced. I happen to love sampler quilts and these are perfect.

501 QUILT BLOCKS

This is an old book that might be available as a paperback. These are also printed in 4" sizes and are probably meant to be enlarged. The book doesn't really give you piecing instructions, but as with many of these books, I think that if you feel comfortable enough to work with small scale blocks, you can figure out have to piece these with out step-by step instructions.
There seam to be more and more books being published with small scale blocks. With fabric prices rising, ( last rumor I heard was $15. a yard) Small scale is the way to go.. use up all of those scraps.
THE FARMER'S WIFE SAMPLER
CIVIL WAR SEWING CIRCLE
SYLVIAS BRIDAL SAMPLER 6" BLOCKS
COUNTRY THREADS GO TO CHARM SCHOOL

SALLY COLLINS
Primarily works with small scale blocks for her wall size "normal" quilts. She is awesome, and you could learn a lot from her books.

Hope that you picked up some useful knowledge! Have fun!

Teri

THE FARMERS WIFE SAMPLER

INFO ON PENS

2011-03-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is a post from Charlotte Warr Anderson this morning and I am sharing her post with you.

I thought I'd give you all a heads up about Frixion Erasable pens.
A student showed me hers at Road to California in January.
She drew a line, thin but quite black, and then ironed it and the line totally disappeared. It looked like the coolest thing ever!
So I went in search of these pens, which you can get a Staples.
I bought the pack that has three colors in it - black, red and blue.
Being quite the skeptic about things that are too good to be true, I read the back of the package. In small print it says:
"Do not expose to extreme temperatures (14degrees F;> 140 degrees F). If pen is exposed to temperature that reaches 140 degrees F the ink will be colorless when writing. To restore color, cool to at least 14 degrees F and the ink will again write in color."

Aha! I said to myself. If you iron the ink it's going to be way over 140 degrees so it's going to disappear. So I took some fabric and scribbled on it with all three colors. Then I ironed it and, sure enough, all the scribbles disappeared.
But then I put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and all the lines reappeared. I left it for about a week and a half while I went travelling and today I tried to wash the ink out. It didn't come out with soap and hard scrubbing and not even after I put rubbing alchohol on it. So then I ironed the piece dry and all the lines disappeared and then it went back to the freezer and all the lines reappeared (perhaps just a bit fainter).

This experiment was enough to persuade me that these pens are too good to be true and even sort of creepy - the ink is always there even if you can't see it. I wouldn't use them on any fabric or quilt you really cared about.

If I had a blog I would have put this on there but since I don't any of you who want to pass on what I've written can feel free to copy and paste this post

Charlotte

Charlotte Warr Andersen

ENTERING QUILT SHOWS

2011-03-12T09:27:00.001-08:00

I didn't want to re-write the post here, but on my daily quilting blog, I wrote about entering shows, and included a link to another blog that addressed this issue. Interesting reading, I think. ENTERING QUILT SHOWS

NEXT PROJECT

2011-02-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

I have decided to do this project next. I planned it in my head a while ago, but I'm going to get started on it soon. My friend Beverly made this quilt (normal size) a few years ago and I quilted it. She donated it for the guild auction. Ever since then I have thought about making a miniature size of it. I had the Karen Stone EQ disc, bu there is no way that I can find to reduce the size of the blocks. So I printed out the foundations for an eight pointed star and drew the pattern lines into the diamond shapes. This shouldn't be a difficult project. BUT I am clearing the clutter that has accumulated in my sewing room, so I won't be starting it for a few days. Check back!

FINISHING UP

2011-02-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

I finished this quilt up last weekend. Well, I still need to put on the binding, but I am not sure where I put the fabric.

Soaking in cool water without soap. Getting all of the blue water soluble marker out and making it ready for blocking.

Rolled up in a towel to absorb much of the water. Don't wring or twist the wet quilt.

Block to the correct size. I pinned in the 1/4" that will be under the binding. Pin close together to prevent uneven pulling.

On a warm summer day, I would drag out the fan and direct it onto the quilt to dry it faster. Since it was 4 degrees outside, I let it air dry. It took a day.

I called the quilt I GET BY (with a little help from my friends)

It is 17x17"

Everything is deliberately skewed and uneven. It starts with the compass being off center with all of the borders being 'off' in some way.

It was made mostly from one line of Moda and has Hobbs Wool Batting. Quilted with YLI silk on top and matching Bottom Line in the bobbin. The applique was thread drawn with Aurifil threads before the top was quilted.

That's about it. I already have another project waiting in the wings. Something a little different.

Have a good weekend!!

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PICKING OUT QUILTING STITCHES - BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

2011-02-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

Whenever I do a project I learn something. With this one... I need a lot more practice with feathers before I actually commit to putting them on a quilt. I think I am going to start making up a bunch of little simple Amish-type quilts to practice. I'm not much for just doing practice squares.

Maybe something like this:

without the sawtooth sashing. That would make it harder to put together and defeats the purpose.

Okay, the reason for the post. The easy way to remove machine quilting stitches. Okay, first off, there is no easy way. So get a cup of something warm, gather your tools, seam ripper, tweezers, magnifying glasses, and a strip of old batting to place all of the cut thread.
Start clipping the stitches on one side. I did the top. You can clip every other, every third.. depending on how tiny they are. When that is done, just pull the bobbin thread out ( the back). You can spray away the blue marks with water, but never trust that it is gone until you have soaked your entire quilt in cool water (no soap).
I have decided to quilt 1/4" lines around the outside border. I know the chicken's way out. That's why quilting is the hardest part for me. It can make or break the look of your quilt. And when it is on a little quilt, it pretty much has to be perfect. And I'm definitely not perfect.

CHUGGING ALONG

2011-02-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

I am coming along on the quilting. Almost finished. I just wanted to show you a couple of ideas for marking and tools not normally a part of quilting.

This is a circle template that I bought at the art supply section of a local craft store. It has many different uses, but is good for marking circular quilting or making circular applique templates. Using your chalk pencil, mark the circle you are working with, because they all seem to look alike when you move it.

I ended up using two different sizes of circles because of the varying widths of borders.

AUDITIONING QUILT DESIGN

2011-02-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

I would love to say that this is my sole idea, but I picked it up somewhere, I have no idea where I saw it. Anyway, you use upholstery vinyl that I bought in the Home Dec department at JoAnns. And you need a dry erase marker. Try to find one with a thinner tip.

The best part of making a miniature quilt is you only need a small piece to cover the whole quilt top.

Then you can draw on different ideas for quilting. Even sad looking feathers.

And you can wipe away the designs that just don't work.
This is an easy way to figure out what might work, and what won't.

Still figuring it all out.

FREE MOTION QUILTING

2011-01-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

This young woman is Leah Day. Her blog is FREEMOTION QUILTING
I love her blog because she gives wonderful ideas and videos about quilting patterns. Today, she is talking about tools for machine quilting.

I have all of these tools and she is correct about their usefulness. I do not like wearing gloves to quilt though because I prefer to feel my quilt.
I use Sort Kwik, which is a pink fingertip moistener used to sort through paper. I have never had a problem with stains or residue left on my quilt top. I am gathering everything I need together to do my quilting. Hopefully I will be back this weekend with some results.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

2011-01-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

When making a quilt, the hardest thing for me is deciding on the quilting.

This is a medallion quilt that will finish at 17". I have the backing ready, I have to find all of my scraps of wool batting, I have the thread, and the foot on my machine.
So far, all I did was stitch accent the raw edge applique in the corner. The fabric in this quilt is from a recent line of Moda fabrics.. the name escapes me. It started from one of those packages of 5" charms.

Here is some of what the applique looked like before all of it was stitched.

Here is the applique after I finished. When I quilt it, I will just do the main lines.
I'll be back when I finish this with the details.

NEW SMALL SCALE QUILT BOOKS

2011-01-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

I found a couple of new books with patterns for small scale quilts.

THE CIVIL WAR SEWING CIRCLE features miniature scale quilts and small quilts made with small blocks from 2"- 6", and there is at one quilt that is full size with 12" blocks. I didn't study every page, but I believe there is only one full size quilt. It has traditional blocks and interesting photos of families and soldiers and excerpts of their letters to each other.

COUNTRY THREADS GOES TO CHARM SCHOOL

Every miniature quilter probably has a thing for 5" charm squares. You buy them, and then you stack them up and fondle them once in a while. This book gives you ideas on actually using them . I love the clever names of the quilts such as "Only Babies Eat With Their Fingers" or Wipe Your Feet". All of the blocks appear to be around 3-4" and while some of the quilts are not technically miniatures, they are still small scale.

I have some free time today so I am thinking of starting a project for my guild show. I don't have anything new to enter. Check back when you get a chance.

Teri

A QUILTER THAT I WISH ICOULD HAVE MET

2010-11-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

You can not fully appreciate Jessie Harrison's miniature quilt, Blossoms and Berries, unless you have had the privilege of standing in front of it to study it.

BLOSSOMS AND BERRIES

The size is about 11" square. And won awards in Houston, Paducah, and the Road to California Shows in 2001 and 2002.
Jessie passed away in 2002. The quilt is part of the permanent miniature quilt collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.
This quilt is perfect in every way. Those little berries are so small, 3 or 4 of them would fit on a pencil eraser. They were appliqued with silk thread, but you can't see a stitch. I looked. I studied this quilt for a while trying to figure out how she did this so perfectly, and I aspire to be able to applique on a small scale someday.

There are miniature quilts that just take my breath away. Diane Gaudynski's A VISIT TO PROVENCE and it's astounding detailed quilting. I've been fortunate enough to take classes from Diane. It takes A LOT of practice to get this good.

Judy Spiers perfect foundation piecing on PINEAPPLE SURPRISE speaking as a person who has made foundation pieced quilts and tiny blocks. I just don't know how she does it. Tiny blocks with tiny components, and it lays flat and doesn't look like a seamed nightmare from the front.

Jane Holihan combines beautiful applique, with beautiful, intricate hand quilting. PRIMROSE

All of these quilter's have made the most beautiful miniatures. I aspire to someday to make something as beautiful as any of these quilts.

Practice makes perfect. You can only know how to do so much. If you have knowledge and are really good with the basics, all of the rest is practice and trial and error.

WHAT'S NEXT?

2010-09-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since I have updated this blog. I thought I would get something done over the summer, but I worked on a couple of normal sized quilts, and I've knitted, but I have just thought about what I will work on next in miniature. Unfortunately, I am in the mindset that if I am going to do a labor intensive project it would have to be for competition. But, in that respect, I'm not sure that I can be all that competitive anymore. It was a stroke of luck that one of my quilts was chosen to be in the permanent collection at the National Quilt Museum. I was new to competition, and new to making miniature quilts. I worked very hard on that quilt, and I am so honored to have it hanging on the wall with quilts made by quilting legends. But now that they offer a "Best Miniature Quilt category" at the AQS show, more and more "professional" quilters are competing, I am not sure that my work could ever hold a candle to theirs. Couple that insecurity, with the expense of competition, It has kept me away from entering anything the past couple of years.
I just don't seem to be able to put anything simple together just for practice. I don't know why I'm like this, but it prevents me from moving forwards some time.

So, I have been thinking of working along in some books. Doing projects designed by someone else, pick up some new ideas, and techniques. TERRIE SANDELIN has some great ideas for simple block quilts. You can do a lot with color. For instance, my quilt Grace that is in the lower side bar, is just one block. No, it wasn't easy. I had more than one "What was I thinking" moment while making this quilt. Each block was an individual endless chain block.

Each block had 5 pieces and finished at ONE HALF of an inch. Just think. If I knew Terrie's technique, I could have whipped up one of these quilts in an easier block, I wouldn't have had the nightmare of quilting a 12" quilt with so many seams.

SALLY COLLINS is a quilter that I admire so much. I have never had a class with her. But, I did get to attend one of her lectures and see all of her quilts. I was at a show last summer and caught up with her at the end of one of her classes. I wanted to ask her about her new drafting book. She had an advance copy and let me look at it. I bought it when it came out a month later. Of all of the people out there now that make miniature quilts, I love hers the most. Maybe it is because, although she does make miniature quilts, she also makes larger quilts with small scale blocks. And I really like that. She has several books with projects that teach. I may just work my way through one of her books.

MARY KAY MOUTON is I think somewhat new on the quilting scene. I first came to know who she was when I saw her quilt hanging at a show. I believe it is named the same as her book, Flip Flop Paper Piecing.

It is amazing, because it is precisely pieced, on one foundation. She has a way to work a block on one foundation without having to sew foundations together. Those little blocks that border the center compass are only maybe an inch big. It is an absolutely brilliant idea. Her book is another that is written as a learn along. You start at the beginning and build your knowledge and skills by working through the book.

Although my grandmother taught me the basic quilting skills when I was a little girl, it consisted of cardboard templates and hand piecing. Quilting has advanced by leaps and bounds since then. The only way to keep up is to learn from others. I have taught myself just about everything I know from reading books. Occasionally, I will fine tune my skills by taking a class with the author of my favorite books.

I will try not to be gone so long this time. I need to pick a book and get to work. You are welcome to watch.

Happy Quilting!!

Teri

HOW ABOUT A LITTLE HANDPIECING?

2010-04-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Isn't it cute? I have been drawn in by the KLOSJES mini craze that I found blog cruising. The story is on the blog link. Mine looks more like a little bow. I think that I need to get out some graph paper and start over with my design. Mine are 2.5 inches, but I might stick some 1 inch in between. I learned to quilt by hand piecing, but, I love my sewing machine. Sometimes it is fun to get back to the basics.

NEW PROJECT

2010-03-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

In an effort to finish my huge pile of UFO's and use the things that I have purchased, and are just laying around, I am going to make this next:

Considering I don't normally like prints like this, I wouldn't normally use prints this size if I was making a miniature, I don't normally purchase kits; I could only think that the reason that I bought this is the subliminal message of the name.

I'm finishing some other things up and then I will start this.

Have a good weekend!

BLOCKING PROCESS

2010-03-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

A few people asked me what my process is for blocking a quilt. I just want to say that I only do this with quilts that are for competition.

The fabrics for in this quilt were cotton and not pre-washed. The batting is Hobbs wool. The thread for piecing was cotton and quilting thread was silk. I used water soluble threads to do the trapunto, and to baste the quilt. I also used blue water soluble markers.

When I was finished with the quilting, it was important that all of the marker and soluble thread was thoroughly removed. I got a big bowl of cold water (no soap) and put the quilt in it to soak for about 15 minutes. I took it out and lightly squeezed out the excess water. I then laid it on a double layer of towel and rolled it up. Then I lightly squeezed the roll so that the towel would absorb most of the water.

The tools that you need to block a little quilt are;

PINS; This is a metal bowl that has a big strong magnet on the bottom. I might have gotten it at Walmart, maybe an automotive store. It is supposed to be used for keeping screws and nuts and bolts in one place when you are working on a car. As you can see, it is great for a bunch of pins. I keep it far away from my computerized sewing machine. It can be stored on the side of a file cabinet.. the pins won't fall out. The pins are 'T' shaped. I got these at JoAnns. Their notions wall sales are a great opportunity to get a bunch. You usually need a lot to block a quilt.. or a knitted garment.

The next tool needed is something that will hold the pins that are blocking the quilt. If you have a carpet in your house, I know people that pin out onto that. I have hardwood floors and fake knees. So I can't crawl around to pin something out on a floor.

I bought a package of these foam panels at Sams Club. The package comes with I think eight of these interlocking panels. They are used for playroom floors. Kind of an anti fatigue mat. They aren't really expensive. They were around 20-30 dollars for the package. You can lock them together like puzzle pieces to make a big area depending on how many you are working with. Each is around 24" square.

The last tool that you need is a measuring tape.

I didn't think anyone would be interested, so I didn't take photos of the process, but hopefully I can explain it well enough that it will help.

You should have an idea of what the finished size of the quilt should be. You don't want to putt excessive tension on the quilt, you should block it to the size that you intended it to be.

First you start at a corner pinning every 1/4-1/2". Pin in the seam allowance. These pins are kind of big and you don't want to leave holes in your quilt that may be seen . You can always use a smaller diameter pin. It is important to pin close together so that there will be even tension on the edges of the quilt. This also protects the fabric.

Work your way across the edge. Measure when you get to the corner. Pin down the next side. My quilt is square, so I want to be sure that the measurement is the same on both edges.
Tension on the quilt comes into play when you get to the third side. As you work down each of the remaining sides, it is important that you measure and pin, so that the quilt remains the correct width.

I directed a small fan on the quilt, and it was completely dry 12 hours later.

After it was dry, I place a big square ruler over it and I trimmed away what I needed to square up the corners to prepare the binding.

The binding was single fold, and was 1 1/8 " wide, which made a 1/4" binding.

I hope that this helps, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

FINISHED

2010-03-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

You would think that making a miniature quilt would be a snap. It can be. But you would be surprised how many hours can go into a miniature that is meant to go to shows. I've spent months piecing quilts that are no larger than 16" square. This is the largest "miniature" I have ever made. It is 21 1/2" square. And the blocks are 3".
One of the best things about making a mini is the blocking process

I doubt that I would have the patience to block a huge quilt. It is very nice to be able to square my quilt up on a table top.

Here it is... all finished. Quite different than I had in my head. I decided to go the safer route. I didn't have enough of any fabric to take a risk on messing it up experimenting.

It was hard to get a good photo.. don't worry, the border is cropped. Looks uneven but it isn't and the photo brought out the subtle blue in the solid blocks enough that it is hard to see the quilting.

I've had this quilt in my mind for a long time. It is for someone else, and I don't think I will make another for myself. I will have to think of another use for the fabrics.

Have a good weekend!

ALMOST FINISHED

2010-03-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the center blocks. After all the planning, I decided that a simple straight line quilting in the border would be best. I have left each corner unquilted so that I can add a quilted Ohio Star to each corner of the border. I'm hoping to finish quilting tonight, rinse out the water soluble thread and blue marks, and block it. Tomorrow it will be ready to be bound. I will post a photo of the finished quilt over the weekend.

QUILTING

2010-03-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today is quilting day. I am using 100% silk thread made by YLI

I have an extra bobbin that is set for silk thread. I don't want to adjust my every-day bobbin, so I marked this extra one with nail polish , and I take it out when I am using silk and other thin threads like nylon.

When I use silk, I use this type of needle. It is thin and sharp. Perfect for micro stippling.

I have taken several classes with DIANE GAUDYNSKI

She recommended these little scissors for cutting the thread close to the surface when free motion quilting. Luckily, I was at a quilt show at the time and I was able to purchase a pair. They have blunted and curved tips. I can't really tell you the brand, but I can tell you what the markings on the scissors say. Rostfrei, DOVO 44, and a tiny circle with a figure holding something in each hand. On the back it says Soligen Germany.

I started by "warming up". I quilted a couple of the designs on scrap fabric.

I always do this because sometimes the things that look good in my head, just don't translate to the fabric or the quilting design. For instance, the ironwork looked good drawn on the border, but I'm not too crazy about it quilted out. Luckily, I have enough stars to quilt that I can decide what to do by the time I get to the border

READY FOR QUILTING

2010-03-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

I marked the blank squares for trapunto. I used this little chalk marker. It has a thin wheel and lays down a thin line that is easily removed. Perfect for temporary marking that will be removed quickly. This is also a chalk called Miracle chalk that can be removed with a steam iron.

I used wool batting, and sewed down the lines with Superior Thread Vanish -Extra water soluble thread in the top and in the bobbin. I trimmed away all of the areas that I plan to quilt. I have decided not to do trapunto in the pieced blocks.

I have also marked all of the border with the scallops. I haven't decided what to do in the corners. I will mark them after everything else is quilted.

check back later!

2010-03-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

I have decided to do scalloped quilting in the border and leave the edges straight. I collect many different things to help me with quilting ideas. This is a Dover book with ironwork designs. I found the perfect design. I made an enlargement of a design that I found in the book.

Perfect half circle.

Three scallops fit on each side. I will put something in each corner as I am not going to try to fudge a scallop and I can't fit a half circle in the corner anyway.

Back later!

ONWARD TO THE END

2010-03-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I am going to try hard to finish. I realize that I do not have enough fabric to make bias binding for the whole thing. BUT.. I am going to try to make do with what I have if I can do two edges scalloped, and two straight.

First I tried making a mock up of the border out of freezer paper. This wasn't a great idea. I talked to a guild friend that designed a quilt pattern with scalloped edges. She told me a simple formula and some tips so that I could try it.

Luckily, today I found these at Walmart. They are made by June Taylor. Called "Simple Circles" they are 4 1/2 to 91/2 " acrylic templates.
I measured from the top of one side of the border to the corner, then I cut freezer paper that size. I used the 4.5" circle and overlapped the 1/4" seam allowance. This gave me 4 scallops

After looking at this photo, I decided to move the scallops within 1/4-1/2" of the edge.

I will then get out another piece of freezer paper and use this template to make the corner scallop pattern. I need to mark this before I quilt it.

Funny thing, doing this blog. I post photos of ideas, and then when I look at the photos, I think that maybe the idea is not a good one. I don't know if I will like this at all. Maybe I can have it both ways by quilting scallops.. and leaving the edges straight. Then I could just do a straight binding.

Any thoughts?

BORDERS

2010-03-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Today I worked on borders. I want to scallop the border, but I have the problem of not having large cuts of fabric to get enough for a bias binding. I have a lot to do before I have to worry about that right now.

I sewed this border on. It was my first choice of fabric. It turned out to be too dark and overwhelming.

So I auditioned another border fabric using the darker fabric as a narrow inner border

Instead of taking it all off and starting fresh, I cut it down while it was still attached to the center section. Don't do this. It's lazy, and may not turn out well. I sewed a couple of outer borders on, and it just wasn't looking good. So, although it pained me, and it took an additional hour, I took everything off and re-cut. I cut the inner borders 1" unfinished. And I actually found another print in my stash that is the same as what I intended to use, but it is a little darker and more brown.

I think this is better. And, I got the print to run in the same direction. I think that it will look best running vertically.

Next up, quilting

2010-03-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Needed: piping and a border.

First, coffee and a cinnamon roll. Off to someplace that has them..

NEXT STEP

2010-03-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have pieced all of the blocks, and now I am auditioning background and border fabrics.

I have some taupe cotton sateen that my friend Gail sent to me. Actually, I have it for another purpose, but I thought of using it for the setting blocks. I don't really feel that it is dark enough for what I plan to do with this piece.

I do love the fabric. It is some sort of hand dye I believe. The color is hard to find.

Instead, I found something in my collection that I think goes a little better with these blocks

The fabric is just a few shades darker. I also am using a different border fabric that picks up the colors of the blocks.

I have a feeling that I am going to hate to part with this. I could probably just go buy it, but I have a feeling that the price would be more than I could afford.

Once the fabric is gone, that's it. I only could find fat quarters as it was, and the fabric is an odd enough color, I don't come across it often.

I may be back later today, I didn't go in to work extra. I chose to stay home today and work on this instead.

2010-03-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

To everyone that has left comments for me. I had no idea anyone did because I neglected to set up the email feature. Thank all of you for your compliments, and Terrie, it wasn't tacky to mention your book a while back. I don't think I own your book, I think when I did that post I grabbed what I had off of my bookshelf.

I'm really trying to break my hold on the knitting needles for a while. I would like to make another competition miniature, and thinking about it doesn't get it done. Thanks for stopping in, and I am going to try to find the email feature so I can answer when you comment.

PIECING DAY

2010-02-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

I finally got to sit down and piece all of my quarter square triangle blocks and some complete blocks. My favorite pins for piecing are Clover Patchwork pins (fine) they are 0.4mm long and 36mm long. I like them because they are so thin, they don't displace the seam in miniatures. It is important to have seams match as perfectly as possible. With such a small area to look at, seams that don't match, are glaring.

Pinning all of these quarter square blocks took longer than the chain piecing did. I use a stitch length of 2.0. I used Precencia thread. It is 3 ply, but it is very thin and strong. I have also used Aurifil thread because it is also very thin.

It is important that the blocks lay as flat as I can get them.

All finished.

Now comes the trimming. If you remember from the previous post, I made the blocks bigger than I needed them. This is because tiny blocks just look better if you can trim them down to the size you need. With these blocks, I needed 1-1/2" blocks. I marked the center 3/4" in from each side. Then trimmed the block to the size I need.

All done

I couldn't piece a miniature block with out my trusty stiletto.

It is useful to guide the block under the needle. It is especially useful to guide the very end of the block as it goes under. It always seems to veer to the left and make the seam too small if it isn't controlled.

I grade the seams of my small blocks so that they lay flat. Bulk in seams is really noticeable when blocks are small. Sometimes you see that you should trim seams to 1/8". But if you trim both sides narrow, it makes it almost impossible for the seam to lay flat. they kind of stand on edge. Grading is better. And since a miniature quilt doesn't get use like a normal size quilt does, there won't be enough stress on the seams to pull them apart.

These are wonderful scissors to use for precise cutting. I use them for grading seams and for cutting applique. They are made by Clover and have serrated blades. The serrated blades grip the fabric while you are cutting, and they don't let the fabric shift at all.

I finished 6 and 7 more to do.

Back soon with the finished top.

MAKING AN OHIO STAR part 1

2010-02-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

I got a letter from the National Quilt Museum asking that I donate a small wallhanging for a sale they will have at the museum during the week of the show. I have a miniature quilt in the permanent collection, so that is why I was asked. Making a quilt is easier than writing a check these days. I thought that I would show you what I am working on, and let you follow along.

These 2" blocks were in my UFO pile. I don't even know what I planned to do with them. I was hoping that they may be Ohio Stars, then I would be 4 blocks ahead. Unfortunately they weren't. I don't even remember why I made them with the contrasting triangles in the corner. So I sewed them into one 4" block. Probably to add to my orphan block pile. ;)

I want to make an Ohio star quilt.

I would like to make the quilt with 2 " blocks, but an Ohio Star can't be paper pieced. I haven't had the time to sit down with the book Flip Flop Paperpiecing which I hope can shed some light on how to do this.

So, I had to piece it the normal way. I want to do decent quilting on this one. And the smaller a block is, the more seams and the less quilting can be done easily.

I started out using 2" Thangles. These come in a strip with 4 of the units that are shown. These didn't really have to be cut apart, but that is how I did it. All of my stars are going to be made out of a different taupe print. I have been collecting these colors for several years to make a miniature. I hope that I don't end up wanting to keep this one!

For one Ohio Star block, I will need 4 half square triangles. Each of these units make 2. All you have to be careful of with thangles is placing the fabrics right sides together on the non printed side of the paper. They do not have to be the exact size of the paper, they can be bigger and trimmed. Although I need a 1 -1/2 " quarter square triangle, I am starting at 2- 1/2 " and trimming down.

This is what I got from these two thangle units.

Cut each HST in half as shown.

This is what you end up with.. four opposite triangles.

To make a quarter square triangle block, you take two triangles that are the SAME. Meaning the same colors on the same side. Turn as seen and sew a quarter inch seam.

For this block, you need four 1 -1/2" QST, four 1-1/2" background blocks, and one 1-1/2" contrast block for the center.
I didn't take step by step photos while making this block, but it is pieced like any other Ohio Star would be, it is only smaller. I will update my progress on this quilt and take photos of my process to share. Check back. I will try not to be so long until next post.

BOOKS IN MY MINIATURE QUILT LIBRARY

2009-10-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

My Miniature Quilts

PATTERNS

2009-07-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

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.