Bitty Pieces

My current leftovers project made with one and 3/4 inch half square triangles (HSTs) has convinced me miniature quilts and I are not simpatico. Here’s a link to miniature quilts made by Kate Adams, an expert in miniatures.  Her larger quilts can measure 9 by 9 inches!

Obviously, my project isn’t really a miniature, since the body will finish at 18 inches square, but I shrank the pattern block, Kate Spain’s Joy, from an 8 and a half inch to a 3 inch one.

I found this pattern on Quilt Inspiration’s free holiday pattern blog post, where the HSTs caught my eye.  I had over 100 one and 3/4 inch HSTs left over from the bead corners of my Beaded Curtain quilt, and I wanted to use them up.

I also had leftover fabric for all four ombre colors and an almost solid that matched the robin’s egg blue, so I figured I was in good shape.  Then the fun began.

It’s been a while since I’ve followed any pattern that calls for lots of points matching so those skills were a bit rusty.  Then, there was the challenge of making those pinwheel blocks.  I did manage to do the center swirl to reduce bulk.

I threw out the pressing pattern set out in the pattern as I would have been sewing over four fabric layers in too many seams.  For me this meant pressing open seams.

I did try an alternative setting of solid bands between the rows to reduce bulk (and points matching), but I didn’t like it.

So now all the rows are sewn together, I’ve auditioned borders, made my choices, and fused it all to fleece.  I plan to make this into a pillow so I won’t do any quilting.  Some of the seam intersections are so thick it’s like driving on a washboard road.

Lessons learned:

Think through how the pieces will go together for pressing in any pattern you’re using.  This pattern called for pressing all of the row seams towards the pinwheels. Bulky seams alert!  I ignored that and alternated the pressing direction every other row.

Quilters who create miniatures are either brilliant or crazy.

This project has confirmed that I don’t like to do this kind of sewing. I thought I should revisit it to see if my tastes had changed.  They haven’t.