Saturday, April 5, 2014

The Case of the Shrinking Quilt

No, I didn't have an incident with a quilt in the washing machine.
Do you recall this little quilt that I designed and made almost two years ago for my family reunion auction? I called this "Stars and Stripes Forever".
 It is 14 1/2" square. My daughter won the bid, but it was popular enough that I made another one, very similar, for the auction last year.
My brother won this one. It is the same size as the previous one, but the centers of the stars are different.
Shortly after making this second one I began making AAQI quilts. I wanted to make a patriotic one and  still had little parts and pieces left from these two quilts. Size restrictions on AAQI quilts required that I make it smaller somehow. I chose to use only 4 of the blocks, put pinwheels in the centers of both stars,  and orient the stripes all in the same direction. This ended up being 8 1/2" square.
I called this one "Liberty and Justice For All." It was sold at the AAQI booth at the Houston Quilt Festival, so I have no idea where it ended up. If you've seen it, let me know. : )

This is my latest mini creation.
Not very good lighting on this. I made it half the size of the quilt above, so I have named it "Stars and Stripes Forever .5". It is 4 1/2" square.

I don't believe I will go any smaller on this. : )
If you are tired of minis you may want to skip my next few posts. I'm sure there will be more to come.
Until next time,
Janet O.



39 comments:

  1. I think you have a patriotic, pineapple Christmas ornament in you, Janet. ;-)

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  2. I never tire of seeing the minis or anything that you have quilted. You have gotten so much good practice at FMQ. Can you make one mini star as an ornament. that star would be TINY!!!! Funny I'm up an hour after you posted this. Good night!

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  3. I love patriotic things, so these would be high on my list. No wonder your family liked it! No, not tired of minis. Bring them on!

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  4. Love the story on this and how it shrunk to its current size! So cute.

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  5. I love these and other minis! Bring it on!

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  6. I love your minis! Such a fun post! I can't imagine making that last teeny tiny one!

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  7. I love the minis. I have personally decided that 1/2 inch is the smallest HST or block for me.i love the way they look,everything looks better mini!

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  8. I love each one of your quilts!!! Darling! Such a cool design that looks wonderful in every size!!

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  9. I love your minis and look forward to all your posts! Not sure I could do something that small ... at least not without paper piecing it. ;-)

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  10. Bring on the minis - love them! Especially love those pinwheel minis.

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  11. Do you think you will ever make a king size one?

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  12. I absolutely love this design! I can't imagine it getting any smaller, tho? ;-)

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  13. What a great post! Loved seeing the quilt change into smaller sizes. They are all so sweet!

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  14. I never tire of seeing your mini quilts. Beautiful. Hugs

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  15. Oh, you are sooooooooo funny!! And I think a little nutty!! But your minis are fabulous and amazing!!

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  16. Love these minis.... and you are tempting me to head in the mini direction, gf!

    You do amazing work... just lovely!

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  17. I could NEVER tire of your minis Janet! And your little Stars & Stripes .5 is amazing!!!! I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!!

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  18. OH no...keep 'em coming girl!! I love all your work, and your pretty mini quilts are perfect. Now if you can just incorporate your magic shrinkage to my hips....

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  19. So stinkin' cute Mom! I love it :)

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  20. I have always loved your patriotic quilts no matter what the size. The minis, though, are amazing. I love your use of tans and beiges instead of just off-white; makes for such a great 'old and much used and loved' look. You continue to inspire me, my friend.

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  21. Would never tire of seeing minis... they are my favorite too! Love your newest challenge... that is tiny! It's so fun to see how you created a series of quilts and to follow the threads between them!

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  22. Wow, the incredible shrinking quilt at its zenith! So cute. Your work is amazing!

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  23. Whew!!! What a gorgeous 'series'!!! So that is a 2" star block - wow - great sewing :-)

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  24. Tired of minis? Who gets tired of minis?? I'm 'quilting minis' vicariously through you, so please keep up the lovely work! Hahahaa!!! :)

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  25. Love them all!! And who could ever be tired of minis??? Not me :)

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  26. Are you tired of me telling you how much I LOVE STARS!! Well, I'm NOT TIRED of seeing your minis!! These little patriotic quilts are winners, no matter what size!! Your trunk show will be amazing!!! Way to go!!

    Blessings and hugs

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  27. I never tire of seeing your mini quilts. Keep them coming Janet.
    Julia ♥

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  28. I love your minis and love looking at them every time you share one. I to love small quilts and ornaments! I enjoyed how your sizes shrunk. Keep them coming Janet. ((()))

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  29. I love it!! I enjoy seeing your minis and they are so much fun to make!!

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  30. Please don't stop making and sharing mini quilts with us! I love all of these, but the 8.5 size is a favorite!

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  31. bring 'em on! love to see them, they do inspire and delight me and on how i love r/w/b quilts....very nice, all of them!

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  32. I'm glad you are sharing!! Can't be at your trunk show, so this is good!! Red, white, and blue makes my heart beat faster!!

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  33. Oh my! I love those patriotic minis! I might have to "borrow" your idea and make one of my own. :) Great job!

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  34. so tiny! so cute!
    your patriotic quilts are wonderful! I always enjoy seeing your minis!

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  35. Progress, progress! Your minis continue to count up, and each one is as special as the previous ones. Lovely work, Janet. You're impressing all of us.

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  36. Sweet little quilts. I heard from a few of the buyers of my AAQI quilts. Always extra fun to know where they landed. Nice some of your quilts are staying in the family. Also a fun way to fund reunion costs.

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  37. I'm thinking if you really had to, it could go smaller but I would advise against if it you like your sanity. LOL. Can't wait to see all the minis together at your trunk show - they certainly are inspiring!

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  38. I really like your small, smaller, and smallest quilts! What a great idea to have an auction at your reunion.

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  39. Your mini trunk show is going to be awsome! I can see some traveling in your future. I'll bet a lot of guilds would love to see your work. I made a copycat version of your five star quilt but it doesn't have the sparkle yours does because I didn't use a variety of fabric. Your mini is just amazingly mini!

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