Kara

Has anyone ventured to do any??

I am working on my first one and am cutting and sewing without a foundation. The idea of picking out all that paper is more than irritating to me.

What are your favorite methods for miniatures?

Maride

I use foundation, but the one that Ricky Tims sells. It is called Steady Stuff and it doesn't need to be peeled off. You can spray it with water after is finished and it has the feel of thick flannel. It makes the quilt feel very nice and look better too. It also offers great support for quilting. For these little ones, if you use Steady Stuff, you can do without batting.

Maria

Alaskan lady

Depends on the pattern and how accurate all the pieces need to be. Paper piecing can also be left in the quilt depending on what you so with it afterwards.
Post a picture when your done. We all enjoy seeing the outcome.

zyxquilts

I've done a couple minis - both with paper piecing. One has tiny birdhouses & the other is pineapple blocks. I like that I actually have them done & hanging up! LOL

Lucky Patsy's

I made a mini cathedral window that was unintentional! I started with the wrong size squares, but had already cut up all the fabric so I just went with it. Was intended to be pillow! Don't know if it would actually be considered a true mini, but it is Barbie doll sized.

blu

i have made quit a few minis i always use a thin piece of muslin as the foundation works great and you dont take it out

minstrel

I made one that's a 10" square quilt made up of nine 2.5" blocks - 5 pinwheel blocks and 4 square in square blocks. I just pieced it normally from cut off corners left over from a big quilt I was doing where I had to piece a square on a rectangle and cut off the corners. Then I put a 1" border on it and then my binding. I didn't plan it, just kinda was messing around with those half-square triangles and threw it together and it came out pretty well. I've never tried paper piecing.

vjquilter

When I began quilting about 13 years ago, I made primarily miniatures simply because they were quick and I could either hand quilt them or machine quilt them on my DSM. I used to get Miniature Quilt magazine as a subscription until they went out of business about 3-4 years ago. You can still find some copies of it on ebay or in used book stores.
Yes, it is a pain to pick all that paper out when you are done, but it does help sharpen your accuracy quite a bit when you can stitch on a line.
When I make a miniature, I remind myself to SLOW DOWN. Speeding only makes your accuracy suffer and picking out stitches is no fun, especially with a foundation.
I use a foundation paper made by That Patchwork Place. I know Carol Doak, an expert on using foundation piecing has some on the market also.
She also has a great DVD out that would be helpful, as well as books on Miniature Quilts.
Another author is Sally Collins who has a DVD out on accuracy and is an expert on making miniatures.
Both of these ladies have websites with much useful info.
Here are some other things I do when making miniatures:
Shorten your stitch length-really short! It will make tearing that paper out lots easier.
Use a thread that is a 50 wt. or 60 wt. like Mettler. When you use a thin thread, it takes up less room in the seam allowance and increasing your accuracy.
When you press, set the seam first by pressing it as it was sown. Then with the seam allowance nearest you, flip back the top piece and finger press with the pad of your finger, not your fingernail. Then press with the iron using an up and down motion.
Hope that helps!

barnbum

Oh! You didn't mean horses!?!?! (as in miniature horses) :lol: :lol: :lol: