Week 20 - Mini Mini Quilt Swap

Last fall I started noticing that some of the folks that I follow on Instagram were moving beyond the giant 1000-person random swaps and setting up their own, between individuals.

Kitty (https://nightquilter.com/) was the first to explain the swap to me and we agreed to swap mini minis with each other. The main restriction was to keep things under 6" (ish) and to do what inspired you. I had met Kitty last year at QuiltCon when I was looking for a few remaining Carolyn Friedlander prints to complete my Aerial Grover (regular-sized). She was nice enough to bring fabric to a perfect stranger, for the price of a knowledge swap (**Remind me to talk about trades later this week!**).

For the mini mini swap, I wanted to make something to recognize our meeting. Also, I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to new things, so why not make a mini mini aerial grove?



I fussy cut some of my favourite fabrics into squares somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2", curved the corners a bit and basted them on.

 

Then I spent all day, with some silk thread, and needle-turn appliqued each one.

You'd think that would be enough to turn me off tiny, but it just started me going. I wanted to make more. So I did. These things are addictive.

I put a call out on Instagram asking if anyone wanted to trade with me, got a handful of responses, and kept making some favourite blocks tiny.

[Patterns used -- 

top left: Spinning Icosahedron Block by Art School Dropout ; 

top right: Forest Floor by Lilly Ella ; 

centre: Mini Mini Starburst by Campbell Soup Diary ; 

bottom left: Teeny Tiny Feather by What the Bobbin ]

They were far from perfect. The stitches showed (though a little less once I started piecing with silk thread), the points didn't all line up. But I didn't care. I was smitten, and so proud of what could be made as small as possible.

[Pattern -- Double Goosed by Jeli Quilts]

It was a great way to test out new patterns that I wasn't sure I needed as a mini or a regular-sized quilt. But it kept me sewing and stretching my skills just a little bit further.

[Pattern -- Apple by Charise Creates]

[Pattern -- Cassette Tape by Lysa Flower]

By the end I was winding down, and ended up repurposing some sample blocks that I had in the back of my closet. I was ready to move onto bigger projects.

[Pattern -- Shirts Quilt by Carolyn Friedlander]

[Pattern -- Meadow Quilt by Lizzy House]

I'd recommend trying to make a tiny quilt. It takes an evening, and perhaps some giggling (yes my husband thought I was crazy giggling to myself in my sewing room -- but, sooo cuuuuute and teeny), but it's quite a bit of fun. And I now have a little mosaic of quilts from artists I admire from around the world. 

Have a look at the #miniminiquiltswap and #miniminiquilt hashtags on Instagram and tell me you're not tempted.

Post by Becca, Week #20:

Librarian, quilter, and transportation cyclist in Alberta, Canada. You can find Becca on instagram or on twitter.