Hi- I am fairly new on this forum and I absolutely love it, I have learned so much, gotten some great ideas, and marvel at so many talented quilters that post pictures of their projects! I see some posts about mini quilts-they look adorable! Do you just take a pattern to a copier and size it down? How mini is mini? Is it the same as doll quilts I see some quilters talk about here?? Are they hand sewn if they are so mini? Lots of questions about minis! Thanks- Montana Quilter

Hi there! Don't be afraid to jump right in there and experiment. =) I do it all the time. I learn alot about my sewing "style". Seems to be the only style I have these days. LoL!! :-D

Do I need to work on seam allowance or cutting methods? Or maybe my pressing techniques? Cutting strips and triangles different widths and sewing them together will help teach you perspective. I have more fun that way. =)

I have never shrunk a patttern before. I usually use one from a book or the internet. If you do resize, you will have to adjust the seam allowances. No matter what size block you make, you always use a 1/4" or scant 1/4' seam allowance. Let us know how it goes for you.

There are lots of free patterns online, and many, many books with patterns for you. Little quilts are so rewarding cause you can finish them faster and start enjoying them...

Have fun...

I've seen some pretty small ones, I've mad the like 5" by 7".

Some folks think that mini's must be mini-ized full size patterns, but my definition is broader. A mini is whatever I say it is!

I do sometimes take full size blocks and shrink them down, but mostly I just start with some fabrics I love and start cutting them up and putting them back together.

A book that I started with was a paperback by Gwen Marston. I found it at the library. She has some good, simple ideas.

I've made a few minis. I like to paper piece them for accuracy. I draw them up in EQ7, then print them out in whatever block size I want. I did a log cabin once where the strips were 1/4 inch, and the blocks finished at 2 inches. I did sew the seams at 1/4 inch, but trimmed them to 1/8 when they were done.

The only time you need to consider if your mini is "officially" a mini is if you're going to enter it into a show. Each show will have requirements for each category. Otherwise there are no rules!

I wanted to use up a bunch of half square triangles leftover from a bunch of flying geese and put them all together into squares and made a 12 inch mini quilt , then made another it wes so much fun, and quicker then I thought. By the second one my lines were straight, and colors better aligned. They are fun to do.