Almost made it.
I thought entry for the National Juried Show closed at midnight on the 31st, but in fact it closed mid-afternoon.
Here's how close I was when I thought to double check the rules - only to discover that time was UP.
Well, drat. Missed it by the skin of my teeth.
Oh well.
I knew it would be nip and tuck when I impulsively decided to try for the deadline at the last minute, but hey, no regrets!
I'm signed up for an International Mini Exchange, and making this quilt helped me figure out a few things I can apply to the next one.
But in the meantime, I'm going to bask in a happy finish!
Here it is, BEFORE quilting:
And here it is AFTER quilting:
I ditched absolutely everything using invisible thread before quilting each area with matching thread.
You can see the density of the quilting on the back:
And best of all, it looks like THIS from the back when it's held up to the light!
Yep. I'm a nerd. These things make me happy. :-)
Mostly, I used the piecing to guide my needle, but a bit of chalk helped in the borders. As well as marking the spine, I marked the first three feathers in each section to keep me pointed in the right direction. I did NOT want to get turned around and have to rip stitches!
Did I mention that the corner stars finished at two inches? Some of the pieces are about the size of my fingernail!
The larger blocks finished at a whopping four inches - which actually DOES feel large in comparison!
One of the things I figured out = how to apply a skinny double-fold binding for a finish that's in proportion with the quilt.
>>>Trim the quilt to leave an eighth-of-an-inch seam allowance.
>>>Cut binding at 1.5 inches (fold and press as usual).
>>>Set up the sewing machine to stitch close to the edge without "falling off" the quilt!
The International Mini Exchange has a more stringent block size guideline than the NJS. A three-inch finish is the largest allowable for traditional quilts.
The whole concept behind a miniature quilt is to scale down what could be a full-sized design.
My mini finished at 18 inches.
I could successfully scale it up and make a king-sized quilt using this design. Each of the center stars would be made of six inch squares (instead of one inch), and the whole quilt would finish at 108 inches square. Perfect for a king bed!
So. This little quilt will hang in my studio instead of in the NJS, and that's okay.
My good friend Marsha pointed out that I'm well ahead of the game for next year. (Right??? Gotta love that positive spin!!)
Linking Up With:
TGIFF (Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday) @ Devoted Quilter
(because, TGIF, for reals!!)
Whoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
(again, Whoop Whoop for reals, people! So happy it's finished, after such an intense quilting marathon!)
Show off Saturday @ Sew Can She
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
I thought entry for the National Juried Show closed at midnight on the 31st, but in fact it closed mid-afternoon.
Here's how close I was when I thought to double check the rules - only to discover that time was UP.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Well, drat. Missed it by the skin of my teeth.
Oh well.
I knew it would be nip and tuck when I impulsively decided to try for the deadline at the last minute, but hey, no regrets!
I'm signed up for an International Mini Exchange, and making this quilt helped me figure out a few things I can apply to the next one.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
But in the meantime, I'm going to bask in a happy finish!
Here it is, BEFORE quilting:
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
And here it is AFTER quilting:
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
I ditched absolutely everything using invisible thread before quilting each area with matching thread.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
You can see the density of the quilting on the back:
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
And best of all, it looks like THIS from the back when it's held up to the light!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Yep. I'm a nerd. These things make me happy. :-)
Mostly, I used the piecing to guide my needle, but a bit of chalk helped in the borders. As well as marking the spine, I marked the first three feathers in each section to keep me pointed in the right direction. I did NOT want to get turned around and have to rip stitches!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Did I mention that the corner stars finished at two inches? Some of the pieces are about the size of my fingernail!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
The larger blocks finished at a whopping four inches - which actually DOES feel large in comparison!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
One of the things I figured out = how to apply a skinny double-fold binding for a finish that's in proportion with the quilt.
>>>Trim the quilt to leave an eighth-of-an-inch seam allowance.
>>>Cut binding at 1.5 inches (fold and press as usual).
>>>Set up the sewing machine to stitch close to the edge without "falling off" the quilt!
- I used my zigzag foot, and moved the needle all the way to the right.
The foot gripped the quilt and helped feed it through evenly, and the needle position accomplished the eighth-inch seam allowance. (In case you were wondering!)
>>>Apply the binding, as usual.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
The International Mini Exchange has a more stringent block size guideline than the NJS. A three-inch finish is the largest allowable for traditional quilts.
The whole concept behind a miniature quilt is to scale down what could be a full-sized design.
My mini finished at 18 inches.
I could successfully scale it up and make a king-sized quilt using this design. Each of the center stars would be made of six inch squares (instead of one inch), and the whole quilt would finish at 108 inches square. Perfect for a king bed!
So. This little quilt will hang in my studio instead of in the NJS, and that's okay.
My good friend Marsha pointed out that I'm well ahead of the game for next year. (Right??? Gotta love that positive spin!!)
Linking Up With:
TGIFF (Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday) @ Devoted Quilter
(because, TGIF, for reals!!)
Whoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
(again, Whoop Whoop for reals, people! So happy it's finished, after such an intense quilting marathon!)
Show off Saturday @ Sew Can She
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
This is so pretty and only 18", WOW! Quite an accomplishment, the quilting is lovely. Enjoy your quilt this year and yes, you are ready for next year. Happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed! Your quilt is beautiful. I love how a photo gives no indication of size until something else is place in the photo by which to measure. Seeing how tiny the pieces are in the corner blocks makes this even more beautiful. Great finish!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the information on making tiny binding!
I'm so glad you put your hand in the photos for scale reference! Saying that it's 18" square is one thing, but seeing those tiny stars next to a human hand really drives it home! I'm sorry you missed your deadline. You must have been so disappointed. This is definitely a show-worthy finish. Your workmanship is immaculate!
ReplyDeleteOh, so close! It's beautiful! Such tiny pieces. I love how it turned out.
ReplyDeleteDarn those deadlines! You did end up with a beautiful quilt though! I love the little tiny pieces and your quilting is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSimply stunning!! Great job all around/
ReplyDeleteSo close! Your quilting really brought the quilt top to life and those pieces are soooo tiny! I love those pictures with your hand to show the scale. Thanks for linking to TGIFF this week :)
ReplyDeleteOh, what a let down! And you were so close. Those are tiny pieces, whew! Good news? Now you can go on to something else. P.S. I like those nerdy things, too, lol!
ReplyDeleteThis could be a very high end king size quilt...for Barbie! If so, she has excellent taste :) Gorgeous finish, Carole. I'm sorry you missed your deadline, though.
ReplyDeleteOh, Carole, I absolutely love it! I give it a 10!
ReplyDeleteWhat?!?! Two inch blocks with 24 pieces? Oh, my! It's a shame you missed the deadline (I forget to re-read things, too!) It sure is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI liked it before you talked size; then I was profoundly impressed. :-) You could also try for another show for it. Claire aka knitnkwilt.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteAwesome, it is fabulous, love the quilting!! You know, you can enter it next year since it finished after the deadline for this year.
ReplyDeleteWhoa - Those teeny tiny corner stars look fantastic :) I'm so sorry about the deadline - that had to be disappointing. Thank you for sharing the details of getting that super thin binding put on.
ReplyDeleteBeing ahead of the game for next year is a fabulous way to look at it. And I love the way the quilt glows when held to the light.
ReplyDeleteNo regrets! That's the spirit! Your quilt and quilting is lovely.
ReplyDeleteYou are so on top of things, being all ready for next year already :-) It turned out super cute, and I'm sorry you mis-remembered the blasted deadline. When you ditch - do you do it all at once, or in conjunction with the other quilting??
ReplyDeleteI love it in the window!! (or whatever light you used...) And - your hands are so pretty :-)