Thank you all. It is actually a wall hanging that he picked out but the squares are 1" finished to 1/2". Sounds like some great advise to keep in mind while tackling this monster.

AWESOME!!


I love the mini's.... I collect anything mini, .... but I don't MAKE them... I have to too little sanity left as it is!

Watch your fingers! :)

That is a HUGE matchstick. Where did you find such a large matchstick? I would love to get one for my DH. :wink:

Patience, attention to detail and endurance .... and you'll be so proud at the end! :)

See if he'd like it a little larger maybe to use on his nightstand or somewhere like that.

I'm making a MAXI quilt out of MINI pieces. 200 blocks, over 2000 pieces ... a good deal of them are 1" cuts. And one of my bucket list projects (high on my list) is a mini pineapple - I was so inspiried by the Mini's I saw at the AQS museum. Got to try those!!

Some tips ...

Highly suggest pre-washing/drying especially if your working with fabrics from different manufacturers. With pieces that small the difference between 1% shrinkage and 1.5% shrinkage is going to greatly affect the finished block, and if you didn't pre-wash - you may not like the uneven shrinkage through the whole quilt.

STARCH! LOT'S AND LOTS OF STARCH!! I starch my fabric prior to cutting, and I starch each seam. Each of my blocks had been starched several times. The starch will help you keep your cuts straight and your seams even. When I started the project I didn't starch, then I "discovered" the benefits from the great people on this board and the ease of work and improvement of uniformity was dramatic.

Don't settle for "close enough" with your seam allowances. Every little bit will translate through the quilt.

Don't settle for "close enough" when matching seams either. See above.

Along the same line as above ... try not to have too much variation in the fabric that you choose. For example, Batiks are much lighter in weight and thickness than an Asian print for example. The problem with this is that your accurate 1/4" seam allowance is going to be different for every combination of different weights that you are using. Asian seamed to batik will require a different "scant 1/4" than a Batik to Batik.

Check the size and square with every seam. Honest.

Yes, it's a lot of work but I personally find it very rewarding to work with.

Have fun!!

Okay! made a few vey small quilts and it can be done. First use a fine thread. Silk is great for mini quilts. second, a short stitch length. Third, trim the seam allowance down to 1/8" after it is sewn. A challange, but worth it! There is a lot to learn from making mini's. Don't be discourgaged, just try it! Lots of good info from Doghousemom!

ROFL - You are so funny. I kept looking at how small those hexagons were and trying to figure out how in the world she made such a cute, small quilt for a doll house. Now, the "giant" matchsitck...explains it. ROTFL :lol: :lol:

Kind of like graduating from a 30 pc. puzzle to a 1500 pc. So challenging. Now I want to try one too. Thanks so much for this post Bmanmommy. Would love to see what you finsih for him. HUGS♥♥

I made a small wall hanging with very tiny squares and half square triangles some years ago. It was paper-pieced and though I found it figity, it was doable! I wasn't very experienced then. I'll bet you could do it....Do a block or two to test on (coasters maybe?).