Miniature Quilts Part 2
If you read my previous Blog, you have read my definition of a Miniature Quilt. This week I want to talk about Supplies. Most of these are your regular sewing supplies. Well, probably all of them are your regular sewing supplies. There may be a few things you are not aware of or do not own yet.
1. Sewing Machine {Yes, I sew all my miniatures with a sewing machine}
a. Presser Foot - a 1/4" Presser Foot is important. Most sewing machine manufacturers have them for their brand of machine. If you don't have one, get one. A 1/4" seam is SO important! Both of these are 1/4" Presser Feet for a Bernina. The foot on the left is 1/4" on both sides of the foot. The one of the right is wider on the left side of the foot. The 1/4" is on the right side of the foot.
c. Needles - A smaller needle is helpful. Size 70 is smaller than a size 90. The smaller the number, the smaller the needle. The larger the number, the bigger the needle. This is different from thread.
2. Rotary Cutting Equipment
a. Rotary Cutters - A good, sharp blade. If it is not sharp, you can rip or tear the fabric and it will not cut precise pieces. It will also cause you a lot of frustration. You can use a smaller rotary blade. I use a 45mm Rotary Cutter.
b. Rotary Cutting Mats - A good, clean cutting mat is important. If there are grooves in you mat, it is harder to cut a clean piece of fabric. Small rotating mats are helpful. You can rotate your mat instead of picking up your pieced and turning them, if you need to trim on all four sides.
c. Rulers - There are lots and lots of rulers (or cutting tools) to choose from. With Miniatures, you do not need a large ruler. Use one that is large enough to cut the size strips or pieces you need. Here are two photos of two similar tools, just different sizes. If you are cutting large pieces of fabric, you need a larger tool. If you are cutting smaller pieces of fabric or trimming smaller units, a smaller tool is easier to handle.
d. Specialty Rulers/Tools - There are several specialty rulers on the market today. My favorites are the Studio 180 Design tools. They make tools that will trim units from 1" to 12 1/2" with 1/2" increments. My favorites are: Tucker Trimmer I and II, V Block, Wing Clipper, Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star, Star 60, and Wedge Star. There are several others, but these are the ones I use the most.
3. Threads
Thread weight is important with Miniatures. There are a lot of good threads to use. I like a 50 weight thread, but not all 50 weight threads are the same. I prefer Aurfil threads. They come in hundreds of colors. I prefer to sew with a neutral color, usually white, unless I am piecing dark fabric. The rule of thumb is that the thread should not be lighter than your lightest fabric or darker than your darkest fabric. The color you use is your preference. I have found that if I use a darker thread, there is occasionally "shadowing" in my piecing. The darker thread "shadows" through the lighter fabric and I can see it in the seam, making the seam appear darker or dirty.
The threads shown are Aurfil, Masterpiece, and Microquilter. Aurfil and Masterpiece are 50 wieght and Microquilter is 100 weight. Microquilter 100 weight is a much thinner thread than the other two. The higher the number, the thinner the thread.
4. Pressing Supplies
a. The Iron - Smaller irons are better when working with Miniatures. You don't need a large, heavy iron when working with small pieces. Don't think you need to purchase an expensive small iron. I found mine at Wal-Mart and it works great.
b. Ironing Surface - A good, solid ironing surface works better that a soft ironing surface. I like to use a Wool Pressing Mat (just remember to keep your iron on the "Wool" setting or you will burn your mat). Strip Sticks are helpful for pressing seams open. Strip sticks come in several different sizes, as shown below. I also use the wooden piece in the picture. It is a piece of a wooden hand rail cut to 12". It works great!
c. Sprays - Starching the fabric before cutting helps give the fabrics a little more stiffness to them, making it easier to cut and stitch your pieces.
d. Clapper - Using a Clapper has become popular lately. They have been around for a while. After you press your seams, place a Clapper on the piece while it cools. This helps keep the seams nice a crisp and your piece flat.
5. That Purple Thang, Seam Ripper, Stiletto or Awl, and the Stiletto Sixth Finger - These can help you control your fabric as it goes under the needle as you sew. You can use them to get the seams going the correct way.
6. Fabrics!
a. Fabric Amounts - Miniatures do not use much fabric. You can use Precuts, such as Charm Packs, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, and Honey Buns. Precuts are a great way to get a big variety of fabric and, with Miniatures, they work very well. You can use your scraps for piecing Miniatures. Don't think this will use up all of your scraps! If you take your scraps from a project and make a miniature quilt, you may use up your scraps from that project. If you are like me, you have lots and lots of scraps. This will not use up those tubs full of scraps that you have been saving. If you want to use up your scraps, make a large scrap quilt.
b. Use Your Fabric Stash - You liked that fabric at one time, otherwise you would not have purchased it. It is not getting any newer. So, use it. If you purchased fabric for a project and you have decided you are not going to make that project, use that fabric for a miniature quilt.
c. Purchasing Fabric - If you are on a budget, think about the amount of fabric you purchase. If you purchase 1 yard cuts of fabric and pay $12 per yard, think about purchasing a smaller cut. If your fabric shop will cut 1/4 yard pieces, get four 1/4 yard cuts. It will be the same cost, but you get 4 different fabrics. If you want a little more of each fabric, ask for 1/3 yard cuts of 3 different fabrics. You can also purchase fat quarters. Sometimes they are more expensive than 1/4 yard cuts. Decide if you want 9" x Width of Fabric (WOF) {1/4 yard cut} or 18" x 21" {fat quarter} piece of fabric. The cost is probably not that much more. If you have a friend that would share fabric cuts with you, you can each purchase a half yard cut of two different fabrics, cut them into fat quarters and share.
I think I will stop here. That covers the supplies you will need when making Miniature Quilts. Next time I will talk about Fabric Selection and Fabric Cutting.
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