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

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!

--
Louise in Iowa
nielandl@ msn dot com
http://community.webshots.com/user/louiseiniowa

"Knit Chic" wrote in message
et...
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




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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!

--
Kate in MI
http://community.webshots.com/user/K_Groves


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Knit Chic" wrote in message
et...
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

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 g).

Quilting: the stitches should be reduced in scale - there is obviously
a limit, but choose a very fine needle (eg 10 or 8), very fine thread -
100wt, possibly silk. Also choose a very fine batting - Hobbs Thermore
is great, or just a piece of flannel (though if you want to highlight
your quilting, the Thermore might be better).

Finally, if you could practise making an eighth inch binding, that
always looks nice - or do without a binding at all and just turn in the
edges, with a row of top-stitching maybe a sixteenth in from the edge to
give the impression of a tiny binding.

No 'rules' for you or anyone else here - just things I have found make
miniatures look good.

In message , Knit Chic
writes
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



--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

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


"Knit Chic" wrote in message
et...
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

"Kate G." wrote in message
...
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.

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

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!


--
Kate in MI
http://community.webshots.com/user/K_Groves


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Patti" wrote in message
...
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 g).

Quilting: the stitches should be reduced in scale - there is obviously a
limit, but choose a very fine needle (eg 10 or 8), very fine thread -
100wt, possibly silk. Also choose a very fine batting - Hobbs Thermore is
great, or just a piece of flannel (though if you want to highlight your
quilting, the Thermore might be better).

Finally, if you could practise making an eighth inch binding, that always
looks nice - or do without a binding at all and just turn in the edges,
with a row of top-stitching maybe a sixteenth in from the edge to give the
impression of a tiny binding.

No 'rules' for you or anyone else here - just things I have found make
miniatures look good.

In message , Knit Chic
writes
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



--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

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