Miniature Quilt Question ?

I would like to make a miniature quilt for a Christmas gift, so I figure I better get started on it now. I am an experienced quilter, needle worker, embroiderer, and sewer, however the miniature world is new to me. I am planning a quilt that is approximately 8 inches by 10 inches. Do you know of a web site or book that will help me learn how to piece the quilt with very small pieces? I'm considering pieces that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch square. w/ 1/4 inch strips as the border. My concern is: Fraying. While this quilt will be framed and not used, I would like my work to stay intact. My other concern is making sure the block corners match exactly. Thanks in advance, Knit Chick

Reply to
Knit Chic
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Sally Collins does beautiful miniatures. She has a couple of books and was on Simply Quilts when it was on HGTV. I'm sure there are others, too, but at the moment, I'm drawing a blank on any other names!

Reply to
Louise in Iowa

Sally Collins has written several books -- probably the most appropriate would be "Mastering Precision Piecing". You can find it on amazon for less than $20.

Generally I think you use more like a heavy 1/8th seam allowance... and you shorten your stitch length considerably.

Have fun! Miniatures are on my "want to do list" -- some day!

Reply to
Kate G.

Sally Collins is my heroine! Her work is exquisite.

A few things to start your accumulation of info.!:

draw your blocks to a definite scale. I find 1:12 very difficult! At

8" x 10" you should be able to manage 1:10 though, and that is a good one to work with I find.

Make your pieces with a standard quarter inch seam, and trim back if necessary. Use smaller piecing stitches and needle. You can trim back each side of the seam a different width, if you want to avoid a definite end to the seam 'lump'. Consider pressing some seams open - it often helps.

Choose fabrics as fine as possible - lawn (Liberty plain if you can get it) and such like. Lines such as Fossil Fern are also fine enough to be good to work with. You may have to 'feel' quite a few and try out some seams before you buy.

If you want to use prints, make sure that they, too, are reduced in scale. I have a little 'rule' - to look at a quarter inch square on any potential fabric. If you can see the colour and the pattern in that little square, it's a find! Many Liberty prints have patterns which are multi-coloured and each colour might occupy a quarter inch square. So, although the fabric is wonderful, your patterns do not show up well (I have a 6" x 8" log cabin which shows this problem perfectly >gI would like to make a miniature quilt for a Christmas gift, so I figure I

Reply to
Patti

Paper piecing is your friend.

I use EQ and shrink the block size.

I only make mini's. That way I have a decent chance to finish something.

Cindy

Reply to
teleflora

Thank you, I just ordered it from the library, if I find that it's a book that I can't live without, I'll be buying it. Thanks again. Knit Chick

Reply to
Knit Chic

I didn't explain well --but we're on the same page. You sew with a regular

1/4 inch seem -- but then trim them back to eliminate a wee bit of the bulk. You definitely want to measure and cut with a standard 1/4 inch seam allowance or you'll go batty!
Reply to
Kate G.

as others have said, Sally Collins! she seems to be a guru of miniature quilts, I also got an issue of an Australian magazine recently that was focusing on miniatures, neither mentions fraying of the seams, though I would be inclined to starch a bit more heavily and spray it on from the rear, as that does seem to minimise it. Trim seams if necessary and grade if the design forces you to press to light rather than dark. The book I read by Sally Collins doesn't use foundation piecing at all, but I would do this for any thing I could - I did a strip of geese, 1 * 1/2 and there's no way I'd have got it as accurate without foundation piecing. She also trims down to size fair bit, particularly when QSTs are involved. One of her books (sorry, can't recall which), gives a technique for adding 1/8 inch borders.

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

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