Hidden Threads

Thinking smaller when quilting doesn’t mean the project will be easier. Some of the hardest quilts to make are miniatures. If you think you can reduce a quilt in size to finish it faster, think again. Small quilts need some forethought and special treatment. Here are a few tips that will help you make your miniature a success:

Use Quality Fabric
If you’ve been fudging by using okay fabric on some of your quilts, miniatures aren’t the place to cut corners. Good quality fabric with a nice hand (feel) is easier to use, looks better, and lasts longer.

Pay Attention to Detail
Inaccurate cutting, imprecise seams, and sloppy ironing will make a miniature a disaster to assemble. Get into the habit of measuring your work along the way. Keep a small ruler by your sewing machine, and use a gridded ironing board mat. It sounds like a pain, but measuring each piece as you cut, sew, and iron it will make it easier to put your miniature quilt together – and have it turn out well.

Use Foundation Piecing
Using foundation piecing increases your accuracy and gives you a stable platform on which to work.  If you are using fabric scraps, it also helps stabilize biases.

Plan Your Colors
If you have a color scheme, try looking at a mock-up from a distance. Miniatures look different from full size quilts. A bright, demanding fabric in the wrong spot will spoil the effect you are trying to create. Miniatures don’t have to be plain, but some pre-planning will help you to avoid being disappointed with the results. After the time and precision work involved, you don’t want to be bushwhacked by a bad color or value choice.

Take Your Time
The easiest way to thwart your best efforts at a miniature is to get sloppy because you’re tired. If your back starts to bother you or your eyes start to get tired, take a break. Heaven knows the quilt will be waiting for you when you feel fresher.

Resize Your Fabric Patterns
Using a large patterned fabric in a miniature quilt might have a different result from what you intended. The fabric detail that stands out in a six-inch quilt block will be lost when you downsize that block to three inches. Avoid large prints in favor of medium and small sized alternatives. The medium sized print will look large; trust me.

Use the Right Tools
When you work on a miniature, using a magnifying glass and having the proper lighting is doubly important. A hands free magnifier is a real asset.

Don’t Cut Corners
Things you may have fudged on in the past will be a definite gotcha here. Wash your fabric and batting before you begin. Use a low loft batting that won’t obscure your precise seaming. Iron all of your pieces as you sew them, and be careful to use good ironing practices in order to avoid distortion.  In a small quilt, any distortion is magnified, and it becomes much harder to conceal mistakes.

Creating a miniature can be one of the most satisfying of quilting experiences.  A good miniature looks like a jewel and really is a work of art.  Following the guidelines above will help you avoid some common pitfalls and create a great looking miniature the first time you try.

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