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Saturday, April 23, 2022

Miniature Quilts Part 2

 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.  


        b. Throat Plate - A single hole throat plate is helpful when sewing Miniatures.  If you adjust your needle to get a perfect 1/4" seam allowance, do not use a single hole throat plate.  The throat plate on the left has a wider area where the needle goes in.  The throat plate on the right has a single hole for the needle to get through.  


        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.  

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Miniature Quilts

 I recently presented a Lecture/Trunk Show on Miniature Quilts at my local quilt guild.  I want to share some of the Lecture here.  

The first thing I wanted to do was to have a definition of what a Miniature Quilt is (I will often refer to them as "Minis").  I did what a lot of people do and I Googled "Definition of Miniature Quilts".  I was surprised with what I found.  Here are some of the results...

"A type of quilt that is a smaller version of a full-sized quilt." -Creativeglossary.com

A quilt that is a smaller version of a full-sized quilt could be a lap quilt.  It is a smaller version, right?  I was not satisfied with that definition.  I do not consider a lap quilt a mini quilt.  Keep looking.

"The true definition of a miniature is an object, which is one-twelfth the size of a standard size item.  In respect to quilting this means that a block, which is normally 12" finished size, will only be 1" in a Miniature Quilt." -Sue Bouchard (Quilt in a Day website)

That is really small!  In most cases, that would be impossible to make.  There are some blocks we could make 12" finished and 1" finished.  A 9 Patch block could be made 12" finished and 1" finished.  But, if you make a block that has a lot of pieces as a 12" finished block, you will not be able to make one that is 1" finished.  Let's go on.

"Mini-Quilts.  Each year our Guild {they did not give the name of the Guild} does a Silent Auction for "small" quilts.  We say small quilts instead of miniature quilts because of the techniques required.  The true definition of a miniature quilt is that it must replicate a full-size quilt pattern, but on a much smaller scale, so we have stopped requiring that the quilts be true miniatures and allow more creative approaches.  We do require that each quilt be less than 24" x 24". -Quilting Contessa*

*Quilting Contessa is a collection of various authors around the world that have submitted articles for the QuiltingHub 'How To' quilt wiki.  These are authors that do not write enough to have their own authorship, yet provide valuable content for the site.  QuiltingHub.com

This definition says is must "replicate a full-size quilt pattern, but on a much smaller scale".  This definition is closer, but I think it still leaves some things out.  Such as, what size is it?  It could still be a lap quilt, if the original quilt is a king size quilt.  The next one...

What are Miniature Quilts?

There are different approaches to making small quilts.  You can use a reduced number of standard sized blocks to make a smaller lap size quilt or even enlarge a block to make a wall-hanging from a single block. 

Other mini quilts are make like traditionally sized quilts but with the block components being substantially smaller in scale.  For example, a standard nine-patch block would be made using three inch squares to make a block that finished up at nine inches square.  A miniature nine-patch might be made using one inch blocks with a finished block being 3 inches square.  In some cases, the blocks are so reduced in size that the entire miniature quilt may end up being smaller than the original block.

What is important is the finished overall size of the quilt - if a quilt is smaller that 24 inches on a side, it is generally classified as a miniature quilt, but quilt show and competitions will have specific rules regarding block size and finished overall size.  If you are planning to enter a quilt competition, be sure to read the rules carefully to make sure you are following the guidelines so that you don't spend a lot of time working on a project only to have it not be eligible for the competition. - Rubyandmahoney - discover.hubpages.com

That one gives some dimensions for the quilt, but not the blocks.  Then I checked American Quilters Society for requirements for their competitions.  Not all of their shows have a category for Miniatures.  The show in Paducah does have one.  

"Miniature:  Width no more than 24"; Length no more than 24".  All aspects of the quilt are reduced in scale.  Quilts may be quilted by hand, machine, or both."  - American Quilters Society Rules specific for Paducah, 2023.

Here is another one...

"While quilters and "experts" argue about what truly qualifies as a miniature quilt, your definition is the only one that really matters...after all, you're the one who will use it!  The only exception is if you decide that you want your miniature quilt entered in a contest or show.  In that event, read the rule and directions very carefully regarding "scale" and finished size.  Many shows classify miniature quilts at a maximum of 24 inches on a side, with the maximum block size at 4 inches square." - apqs.com/miniature-quilts/

After reading all these definitions, I came up with my own definition.  Here it is...

Miniature Quilt - A quilt that is a smaller version of a full size quilt.  All aspects of the quilt are reduced in scale.  The maximum quilt size is 24" square with the maximum block size 4 inches square.

I think this is a pretty good definition of what a Miniature Quilt is.  I think I covered all the bases.  Let me know what you think.  

In my next Blog, I will talk about Supplies needed for making Miniature Quilts.

I will leave you with a photo of one of the Mini Quilts I have made.  This quilt is from the book "Hope's Journey".  The book has 12 chapters.  Each chapter has 2 or 3 blocks to make for the quilt featured in the book.  Each chapter also has a Mini Quilt pattern.  I made 11 of the 12.  I still want to make that last one, just haven't found the right fabrics for it yet.  I am stuck on choosing fabrics.



Happy Quilting!
Terrie