LATEST MINIATURE FOR 2021

 

Latest finish is this 15" quilt made with Cherrywood hand dyed fabrics.  I pieced the top a while ago.  After a couple failed attempts to machine quilt, one resulting in removing a whole section and re-doing it.  I finally hand quilted the whole thing.  I used Hobbs silk batting and black YLI hand quilting thread.  I cross hatched throuth the black squares and did an orange peel through the larger black areas.  

I've spent a lot of time making larger quilts.  This is the first true miniature that I made since last Christmas.  I am going to post my other makes on my Teri Quilts blog.  And I still have 2 borders to do to finish my Dear Jane.  I doubt anyone even sees my blogs anymore, but I thought I would post anyway!
 

BACK AT IT FOR NOW

 Ive made a list of UFO's to finish this year.  There are several half finished miniature quilts on it.  

I bought this little Christmas case at Homegoods.I thought that it would be a cute decoration next Christmas if I filled it with red and white Miniature quilts.  The only thing is, even though I love red and white quilts, I have actually only made this quilt. 

So I went through my partially made quilts and found this World Without End quilt.  

I have finished all of the red on white blocks and I have moved onto the white on red blocks.  I am piecing them on a leave in foundation which works great if the whole block is pieced as one.. such as with a log cabin, but when piecing 4 units together like this, it adds too much bulk.  it doesn't help that the blocks finish at 1.5".  

I had a whole other idea for layout, but I used a variation of my friend Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache Layout for mine.

Her layout does not include a border, so I may leave mine off too.  Anyway, this is my start.  I have absolutely no plans for the remaining quilts.  But I will keep you posted.  If there is actually anyone left out there reading my blog.  

Happy Stitching, 

T

LONG TIME NO MINI

I haven't posted in so long.  I'm hoping to get started again.  I started a blog to follow my progress on making a Dear Jane quilt.  I haven't gotten a lot of miniatures done lately.  I am working on a miniature quilt round robin with my friends, so I am adding to theirs every month, and I made a miniature version of a full size quilt that I made this summer

The panel to make the Santa came with several sizes so, of course, the small one begged for a miniature quilt.  I had to draft the blocks first on graph paper and then I made the patterns in Electric quilt and printed them out on foundation that didn't need to be removed.   My full size quilt looks just like the mini version.  It was fun! 

I hope to be posting regularly. If not on this blog then on one of my other two.

MY MAIN BLOG WITH GENERAL PROJECTS

MY DEAR JANE QUILT BLOG

LITTLE BIRDS 13 x 13

It has been forever since I blogged anything.  Actually, it's been forever since I even made a quilt of any kind.  Life just sometimes gets in the way.  I finished this little top so that i could put it in a guild quilt show.  It was a practice piece for another top that I made.  I drafted the small pattern from an illustration in the Karen Stone Book.  The pattern was called Yardbirds Circling the Cat.  I called this one Little Birds.  It was in a drawer for years because I didn't really care for it.  But it was the only thing that I had close to being finished.  So now it hangs in my office so I can look at it and think about when I had time to play...

WORKING ON A CHALLENGE QUILT

My friends and I decided to do a challenge using Cherrywood Fabrics.  This is mine.  Still needs to be quilted.  it is so big.. 20" square.  Big in my opinion for a simple design.  Plus using dark purple fabric pieces means  that where they are used, they kind of fade into the background. Oh well, I have another idea in mind.  If I hadn't waited until the last minute to make it, I maybe could have tried something more exciting.  I just have lost my mojo.  I have  been staring at an art quilt on my design wall for a year.  I designed it after I came up with the border idea first. The border is the only thing done.. I know.. it's a backwards idea.  I can't help it. I think that way.. I added a link to instagram on my side column.  It is generally no more exciting than my blog is, but there you have it.  Happy first day of Spring!!!

GETTING A START ON THE NEW YEAR

I'm making progress on the quilt. I actually measured the blocks.  The pinwheels end up at 1.5" or 3/4 " each.  I'm not the mastermind of this madness, that would be Primitive Gatherings Pinwheel Garden.  the quilt finishes out at 22x28"  I only have about 1/4 done.  The piecing is the hardest part.  I have blocked off sections of the layout with post it notes just to keep track of where I am.I have also colored them in, but it was still hard to keep track.  Post-it's make it easier.   Primitive Gatherings has loads of awesome patterns for small scale quilts.  You should take a look PRIMITIVE GATHERINGS

FINALLY GETTING TO UFO'S

I've finished all of my Christmas projects.  I got an early start for once.  Usually, it would be unbelievable that I would be working on anything but last minute projects. This project is anything but last minute. This is a 22x28" quilt that is made from a Primitive Gatherings pattern.  I made hundreds of 1" and 2" half square triangles. I mostly worked on these when sewing with friends because they mostly took time and not much thought.  THIS part takes a lot of thought.  I am sure that there are easier ways to do this, but I decided to just grid off the layout sheet and mark as I go.  I should have made a copy, but I didn't think of it.  I don't think that I will consider making this again so it's not a big deal.  Unfortunately, I already put what I thought was a block together, so I am already working out of my grid.  Oh well.  no biggie. I decided to just color areas in red as I pieced them.  There is a LOT to be said for paper piecing.  It is so tedious to piece otherwise.  But like I always say, " making miniature quilts has greatly improved my piecing skills on normal sized quilts".  You should give it a try.

FINISHED!!

 Many of you might you Roxanne's Glue Baste it.  I took a class with Sharon Schramber who uses Elmer's School glue.  She sells these little nibs that fit on the bottle.  I have found a much easier way to accomplish this without trouble of cleaning out another nib.  Just open the top a tiny bit.  practice to find the perfect amount.  It isn't much.  then use a Sharpie to mark the lid down to the cap to make sure you can easily find the place every time.  it worked great for me.

Using the pattern gave me little room vertically to  make it a different way.  I may try it differently next time.  I'll add a couple more rows, and make it so I don't need to sew it together this way and put the binding on the outside. 

For the most part I like this one better than my other one, and it will keep my device cozy and protected. 

SEWING AGAIN

I hope that no one dies of shock because I have actually posted something.  I have not sat down and turned on my sewing machine since before Easter.  My husband tripped going down the stairs and fractured his leg in three places and was laid up with some sort of cast until after July 4th.  I had spent a lot of my time doing things for him, and just lost the will to do any sewing. 

Anyway, I was pleasantly forced to make a new sleeve for my Kindle because I am displaying my current tumbler block version in a Miniature quilt display that my friends and I are taking part in.

It's nothing special, I just like some added protection for my favorite reading device.

This time, I decided to do a "Miniatures in a Minute" (yeah right) triangle pieced version. 
Although I know that there are easier ways to do this, I cut each piece from some sets of charm squares and sorted them into a box

at first I just put the different colors into a ziplock bag and thought I would randomly choose them.  When I kept pulling out matching pieces, I decided that doing it this way would make it easier to make them 'random'.

It took me most of the day to prepare the foundation and cut the pieces.. okay, I was working on knitting some socks in between. Winter is coming...

 I managed to get a few rows pieced before I needed to get to bed. I will show you my progress.  I probably won't get to work on it again until Wednesday.

Until then, happy sewing!!

GREAT IDEAS

First of all, Thank You! For all of the nice comments.  It is good to know that someone out there is still reading my blog. I also have been looking at blogs and other people gave me the idea for these two tools that I am going to show you
If you like to make little hexagons but you don't want to go really small, here is a tool that will punch 1" hexagon templates out of card stock

This is the medium.  There is also a large that makes 1 1/2 " hexagons.  I haven't found a small one.  I got mine from AMAZON if you have "Prime" this is the best way... no shipping.  I looked when I was in a local craft store and couldn't find it. At least doing it this way saved steps, and gas.

The next thing I came across were these:

I don't use a whole lot of starch, but when I do, these will come in handy and make it easier.
I got mine on Amazon, but you can find them in the paint section of Lowes or Home depot. They are actually supposed to be used for cans of paint.. which is also a great idea. 

That's it for today, I hope that you all have a great weekend!!

THE RECOGNITION THAT MEANS THE MOST

There are so many beautiful miniature quilts being made.  Some are entered into quilt shows, some that are just as beautiful never are.  After a long break,  my quilt CHASING LIBERTY was accepted into 3 major shows. I didn't get any ribbons there, which is okay.  What is important is that I love it.  This quilt is probably my most favorite of all of the quilts that I have made.  Recently, I put it into my guild's show. I always wrestle with doing this, because I don't want any resentment real or imagined that I would put a quilt that has been in juried shows into my guild's show.  Even writing this makes me feel like I think entirely too much of myself.  That definitely isn't the case.  I just want to share my quilts with local quilters that aren't fortunate enough to get to go to the big shows.  That, and I am NOT a prolific quilter.  I'm more of a thinker and designer, but when it comes down to it, I end up knitting.  You wouldn't believe how many shawls I have.  I like to knit, and shawls are the most fun.. especially the intricate lacy designs with lots of beads.  I recently finished one that has 5,000 tiny beads!  Totally useless for anything other than stunning non-knitters.  LOL
Anyway, I put two of my most recent finished quilts into my guilds show, and was honored to get this

Not only did I get the cute little ribbons for miniature quilts, they gave me a "Peer Choice" which means other quilters chose Liberty as their favorite quilt.  This means more to me than any other recognition I have ever received (okay second to having my other quilt chosen for the National Quilt Museum) .  My guild has many, many talented quilters. 

I'm going to get back to work.  I have an art quilt that I wanted done by June.. that isn't going to happen.  But I am going to work on a miniature that I've been thinking about.  Just for fun.  I don't have another competition quilt in me right now.  They are so much work!!

Today, I got a nice email from a lady named Terri who told me that I still have an audience.  So since I know that one person is still looking at my blog, it is time that I get moving on something that might be helpful to someone that is interested in making miniatures.

Spring is here!! time to wipe away the cobwebs and get to work!!

Teri

QUILTING INERTIA

If anyone is still out there, after many starts on another competition quilt I am stumped.  The one idea that I have played in my mind for years, just didn't pan out once I started making blocks.  I tried a couple more things going a completely different route.  These are 1.5" blocks.

Neither one do it for me much.  Truth be told, I like the one on the left, but a general consensus of friends think it is boring. "You need to add some color".. in my opinion, that would defeat the entire idea of a gradated gray quilt.  I look at it as a two color quilt.. grey and black.  Of course, many think I should add other colors to the quilt on the right.  I must have doubted myself because I asked opinions, wasn't sure about the advice I was getting.  So, I am in a kind of malaise about the whole thing.  I have/will miss the deadline to enter Paducah, but I still have time to get something together to enter Houston.

Right now I am gathering the materials for a small art quilt.  The idea for it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but, it will prove to be different. Making an art quilt is in many ways much easier than making a miniature quilt, with the exception of the handwork that will be involved, once I get started, I expect that it will not take as much time.

My Chasing Liberty quilt was juried into AQS Paducah, and into IQA Houston.

It has been accepted into Road to California for it's last outing.  It didn't win anything, but it wins in my heart.  Even though it has been 7 years since I had a quilt in a show.  I have only shown 3 quilts, 2 miniatures, and one art quilt.  I have five blue ribbons,  two best of's, and a miniature quilt that is part of the permanent collection at the National Quilt Museum.  That's not too bad, so I can't complain.  Also, out of all of those quilts, I like this one the best, even if the Judges didn't. 

I will make it back soon, and try to be better about posting,even if there is no one out there to read.  Have a good holiday season!!

Teri