| more miniatures |
Oh, boy do I love these little guys. In addition to letting me play with traditional patterns in an interesting way, they are a handy way to test fabrics and
color combinations. I used minis as a way to get comfortable with scrap piecing, something that has enhanced my use of color enormously. But most of
all, minis are satisfying. I can make one in a weekend easily - sometimes even a day - from start to finish. I'll often pause in the middle of a large or
complex work to knock out a mini, just for the instant gratification of it.
color combinations. I used minis as a way to get comfortable with scrap piecing, something that has enhanced my use of color enormously. But most of
all, minis are satisfying. I can make one in a weekend easily - sometimes even a day - from start to finish. I'll often pause in the middle of a large or
complex work to knock out a mini, just for the instant gratification of it.
Ye olde nine patch, as you can see, is a favorite for minis. This is a "nine and
one" pattern, on point, which is the way to go with nine patch patterns, in my
significantly less than humble opinion. This is 20" square.
one" pattern, on point, which is the way to go with nine patch patterns, in my
significantly less than humble opinion. This is 20" square.
Another old chestnut, the lone star or radiant star, right, is probably my
favorite traditional pattern, and works well as a miniature. This critter is
all of 12" square, made as a block for a group challenge quilt.
favorite traditional pattern, and works well as a miniature. This critter is
all of 12" square, made as a block for a group challenge quilt.
Small and smaller! Here are two of the same design, but different
sizes. The first (left) is one of my "large miniatures" at 36x45, the
second (right) I'd call a "true miniature" in the sense that it's just
barely larger than a sheet of paper. I've come across several names
for the design: broken dishes and crossed canoes are the most
well known. The small is simply called "Broken Dishes" the larger is
"Guiding Stars".
sizes. The first (left) is one of my "large miniatures" at 36x45, the
second (right) I'd call a "true miniature" in the sense that it's just
barely larger than a sheet of paper. I've come across several names
for the design: broken dishes and crossed canoes are the most
well known. The small is simply called "Broken Dishes" the larger is
"Guiding Stars".
The stacked triangle pattern featured to the right, here, is known as "delectable
mountains" and traditionally arranged with the flat sides of the triangles
forming a square. I enjoy the way these little delectables float on the black
background. The quilt, "The Night Faeries" is 9x12 and quilted with tiny faeries
around the borders and flitting into the black areas.
mountains" and traditionally arranged with the flat sides of the triangles
forming a square. I enjoy the way these little delectables float on the black
background. The quilt, "The Night Faeries" is 9x12 and quilted with tiny faeries
around the borders and flitting into the black areas.
| "Amish" Jewel Box 36x36 I'm fond of jokes in my quilts and their names. This one is a bit more convoluted than most. The Amish neither sport jewels nor use printed fabrics - yet I often have people comment on any geometric quilt with a bit of black in it "oh, its so Amish!". So here's a little gem that's not the least bit Amish, although it does make use of the traditional "square in a square" motif, often found in Amish quilts, and its quilted in circles, which is also typical of such quilts. This is another example of a full size quilt made over in miniature. In this case the blocks are all the same size, I just used a whole lot more of them to make my biggest "large mini" yet - ten feet square. The pieces aren't so small - a whole inch! $100 |
Another "large" mini (36x45) this quilt departs from the traditional, but still
uses simple squares and triangles to form the image. The deer fading into
the background isn't entirely due to my less than stellar photography skills,
btw, although he's not quite so invisible in the actual piece.
uses simple squares and triangles to form the image. The deer fading into
the background isn't entirely due to my less than stellar photography skills,
btw, although he's not quite so invisible in the actual piece.
I've always enjoyed the "tumbling blocks" pattern.
Here's a nice variation with an odd 3d effect to it.
Its not so small, by my standards - the pieces are a
whole inch across!
Here's a nice variation with an odd 3d effect to it.
Its not so small, by my standards - the pieces are a
whole inch across!
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