I get by with a little help from my friends.

I've always loved braid quilts, but after trying one during the Simply Charming Every Other Month SAL last year, I was leery of the bias edges. Since any slight deviations are very obvious in mini quilts, I wasn't sure I could risk it. But when I found a foundation pattern, I knew I would give it a go.       This was made using two mini charm packs of Barbara Brackman lines--Civil War Album, and Ladies Album (thanks, Kris!). I cut each square into 3 strips to use in the braids. The outer border is also from the Ladies Album line. The braids measure 1 1/2" x 7 1/2", and the sashing is 1/4" wide. I alternated the direction the braids pointed to give a subtle chevron effect. That is about as close to "modern" as I will ever get. There are plenty of little strips left--I feel a mini rail fence coming on!

I tried the wandering geese strips of this little gem set in many different colors, but I loved it best in this blue. I tried really hard to love it with a soft purple, but it just didn't click for me. However, I didn't have enough of any one blue this shade in my Civil War repros. I tried to match it at both LQS, without success, and finally determined to "make do". I am loving the fact that this quilt is so fresh and springy looking, and came out of my CW scrap baskets. It would never have worked if I haven't been blessed in the past with scrap donations from blogging friends (thanks Karen and Carol). 

I didn't achieve my goal of having all of the sawtooth borders on this feathered star by tonight. But only one more to go. Part of the issue was that I didn't like the pink border as wide as it was when I had sewn on my first strip of HSTs. So I unpicked it and trimmed down the pink border all around so it would finish at just over 1/4", before reattaching it and adding more. I may add another narrow pink border after the sawtooth border is completed. I am thinking it may be tricky to put the binding on the sawtooth edge after the foundation papers are removed.

Some have asked me where I am getting the patterns for these minis. All of the ones pictured here are based on foundations from issues of the now out-of-print magazine, Miniature Quilts (thanks again Denise and Carole!). I didn't follow any of the patterns as written, but I used the foundations for the braids, geese, and feathered star, to form my own versions of the quilts. If you are interested, keep your eyes open for the magazines at guild swap and giveaway tables, in thrift stores and online (ebay and Etsy usually have some).

Just have to say, this may be the first guild trunk show where much of the quilts are flimsies. Pretty sure the tops I have made so far will not all get quilted in time.  : )
Until next time,
Janet O.