My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Friday, June 7, 2013

A small finish :-)

When I posted this picture a few weeks ago, I was accused of all sorts of madness - I was even asked if I had lost my mind!
Block finishes at 1  1/2"
Always keen to push a few boundaries and verging on Obsessive Compulsive behaviour, I continued sewing......
Woohoo my latest finish.
'Quilt' finishes at 6 3/4" square.

Yes, there are a few 'humble' moments but I'm OK to leave them as is.

As well as the questions regarding my sanity, I was also asked how on earth one goes about sewing such tiny blocks. The pattern I used came from Best of  Fons and Porter Star Quilts. 
For those of you unable to access this book and wanting to have a bit of a play, here are a few details :-)
The centre square and the corner squares were all cut at 1"
All the other pieces were cut slightly larger, sewn and then cut down.......
Cut 2" squares and cut on both diagonals to yield quarter-square triangles.
Once these are sewn together, cut them down to 1".
Trim seams to a generous 1/8th inch. Press seams open to reduce bulk.
The sashing strips were cut at 3/4" wide
and 2" long (the size of the unfinished block).
The 4-patch sashing strips were cut at 1".
Join and cross-cut into 1" segments. Trim seam to a generous 1/8".
Once the 4-patches are sewn together trim down to 3/4" square.
Hehe the trimmimgs are nearly as big as the squares - I didn't throw anything
out till I made sure I had the right pieces!
I cut the outer border at 1 1/4" wide but once it was sewn on, I decided it was
too wide. Remembering the sew then cut down lessons, I marked the
cutting line, sewed on my binding, then trimmed. Too fiddly otherwise.
(The white marker didn't show up so well so I tacked a running stitch.)
Just in case you didn't see it properly first time round...!!
The gorgeous and extremely lovely frame is one I bought at a stall at Paducah. The stall holder (sorry, I cant remember who it was) had these made exclusively for her by Amish craftsmen. There were a few other choices available but I was starting to worry about luggage/airplane weight, so opted for the smallest size!

And of course made from scraps - no yardage needed buying!!!! (Although, my scrap pile hasn't diminshed much, for some strange reason!)
Ok, now that I have got this out of my system, maybe I can go back to the projects I should be working on!
Have a lovely weekend everyone, and thanks for visiting,
PS If anyone wants to try this block and needs more details, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

36 comments:

  1. That's what I'm talkin' about! Wonderful, Raewyn!!
    I don't know if you have realized it yet, but you don't get tiny things out of your system--they just keep haunting you! Ask me how I know!! : )

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  2. That is so awesome! I love your adorable creation.

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  3. I do love your awesome little quilt.
    You are amazing!
    Cheers,

    Jeanneke.

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  4. Oh my goodness...and I thought Dear Jane blocks were tiny. Nice piecing and a cute quilt, but I think I will just admire yours and not go there!

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  5. That's so amazing. No need to worry about the humble moments! :-)

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  6. I too shall just admire it from afar. What a fabulous job you have done. What are you going to tackle next?

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  7. Well, I love that you are OCD....your behaviour always provides such a treasure trove for our eyes! Repeat after me - "I, Raewyn, am an absolute legend"

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  8. That is so gorgeous... I have managed a 3" block... but those are just delightful...
    Hugz

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  9. That is so impressive....it's magnificent. How will you be able to go back to normal size projects now?

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  10. absolutely fantastic Raewyn.
    It looks really lovely, thankyou for the step by step it doesn't seem as ocd when you break down the steps lol.

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  11. That is just gorgeous Raewyn - and I adore your little mini quilt stand. The little mini quilts are great for using up the stash's & also really easy to just dot around the house here & there :-) No rearranging of furniture required!!

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  12. Wow! You are taking OCD to a whole new level and I love it! Please... please don't tell me any more. I have an addictive personality and may never recover. Awesome little quilt!

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  13. OMG that is so tiny.....congrats it loos great......

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  14. Oh no you might have me on this one! So very cute! Hand quilted too, it is lovely. Maybe Barbie & Ken could use this? Or Polly Pocket dolls?
    Yup you have OCD for sure!

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  15. Awesome! And if it wasn't me who asked earlier, I'll ask now - Have you lost your mind?!?!?!?!?!

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  16. What a cutie!!! And am loving the wee quilt stand....you should have got more and worried about luggage later.....xxxxx

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  17. Goodness Raewyn those blocks are tiny. The quilt looks lovely and your new frame just makes it.

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  18. oh me oh my such teeny tiny goodness

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  19. Now you just need some teeny tiny people, with a teeny tiny house and a teeny tiny bed...

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  20. absolutely stunning, Raewyn !

    happy quilting

    Angelika

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  21. what tn amazing miniture quilt, I cannot get my head around the size of those tiny pieces of fabric, it really is wonderful

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  22. I've not made a miniature for a long time. Yours is really inspiring me! What beautiful work you did from start to finish on this quilt. Yes, I'd love to make one like this. I need to save your directions on this post - I think it tells me all I need to know. Thanks Raewyn! And no, I don't think you are crazy at all. I'ven made several quilts with blocks this small, and they aren't paper pieced. (It's been my experience that people who don't know quilting assume all tiny blocks are paper pieced.) You can see them on the "Finished Quilts" page in my blog.

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  23. Wauw so little...
    Groetjes Marguerite

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  24. Steady hands and patience - you must have them both in spades!

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  25. You are a genious and a maniac in one person :) Adorable mini-quilt!

    Hugs,
    Tatyana

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  26. I don't think you're mad at all!!! I had to try one and loved the process! I've also tried tiny cross stitch too which is equally amazing. Well done you, I think your mini quilt is sweet!

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  27. What a great project! Love it. Isn't it weird how the scrap piles seem to breed when you aren't looking?

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  28. Totally cute, and just perfect on frame.
    Love Leanne

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  29. Oh Raewyn, you ARE crazy and apparently it is contagious. Cover me because I'm going in! I've got a friend who is going to love getting this lovely little quilt. Thanks.

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  30. Good grief Raewyn, if you weren't crazy before you started you probably felt like you were doing all that tiny trimming!! It is amazing, and now I see that you trim the pieces after joining them it doesn't seem as scary. What a little beauty!

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  31. Your mini quilt is awesome! Bravo for tackling this little gem.

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  32. A small quilt for a small nanimal?

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  33. Your little quilt is wonderful Raewyn, looks perfect in your stand. Looks like tricky sewing though!!

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  34. simply amazing!
    thanks for sharing how you made some of those tiny blocks.

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  35. Love it, love it, this one is awesome.
    Maybe I take my change one day.......

    Warm regards,
    Marga♥

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  36. Wow! That is amazing, I love it! Go you!

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