Miniature Quilts Photo Essay
by Patricia Cummings
All quilts made by Pat; All photos and sets by James Cummings
For the longest time now, I have loved making miniature quilts. Some of them, I have adapted from antique designs, some are from my own imagination, and others were inspired by the published designs of other people. This is a photo essay that is complemented by the photo settings created by the photographer. I hope you enjoy seeing our work.
This first mini quilt measures 12 5/8" square. I loved the wavy fabric which I have also used again in the quilt's binding. The name of the quilt is "Dizzy Flying Geese" and I made it to utilize triangular pieces of nineteenth century fabric I had purchased at a quilt show. The lion is from my childhood when I loved to collect painted ceramics. Quilt designed and made by Patricia Cummings.
The quilt in the cradle is one that I made when I was teaching classes in color theory. I simply used squares of different "values" of the color blue, some with accents of pink. The 13" quilt was inspired by Nancy Astle's featured mini in a 1995 issue of Miniature Quilts magazine. The Scotty dog on the floor is a traditional 1930s pattern for which I used authentic period fabrics, and yes, the cloth pieces are the same on both "sides."
The quilt hanging in the background was designed by Sonja Palmer and featured in Miniature Quilts magazine. Each Scotty dog has buttonhole stitch in black embroidery thread around its perimeter. In those days, I had to cut the shapes out by hand, but today, Keepsake Quilting sells die-cut "Scotty" shapes. In the foreground is the sewing machine I had as a child, and a miniature quilt with cheater cloth that I quilted in the ditch to make a mini that measures 11 3/4" x 12 1/4".
The "Lone Star" mini was made using directions from a book, Miniature to Masterpiece by Nancy Srebo Johnson, with whom I took a class when I was first learning to machine piece minis. It measures 13 1/4" square and was made in 1992. The "Polar Bears" mini, 14" x 12" was a Christmas gift, and is based on a pattern in the book A Quilter's Ark by Margaret Rolfe.
These Amish dolls are sitting atop the edge of a quilt designed by Tess Herlan. Three of the fabrics are the exact same print as each other, just in different hues. The colors are definitely pastel ones of orange and lavender and quite reminiscent of the 1930s.
This doll bed was mine as a child. I decided to take small nineteenth century motifs and scatter them on the surface of this bedspread made of linen/cotton.
This simulated potting shed scene features two quilts. The first of bluebirds is 26" square and re-created from a pattern in Mini Quilts from Traditional Designs by Adele Corcoran and Caroline Wilkinson. The bluebird design is actually seen much earlier in some nineteenth century quilts. I so enjoyed making this quilt as its colors are so cheerful. I used a variable green fabric for the leaves. Behind the simulated window frame (a recycled picture frame with added wooden inserts) is a toile fabric designed by Kaye England that is reminiscent of a country village.
This log cabin doll house was created by Jim Cummings, within an old wooden box we found in "this old house." On the bed, is a small quilt that is a piece of cheater cloth. I purchased the School House pillow at the top of the bed. You will notice that the essentials are in the cabin: a sewing machine, a basket of threads, bolts of cloth, a chest for food, a rocking chair, a grandfather's clock, and an extra lantern in case we need it. There is even a little gray ceramic mouse on the floor. Of course, our terrier, watch dog, has just "stepped out" and will soon make short work of the mouse!
There are quite a few other miniature quilts that I've made, here and there, on this website, and many others that were never photographed before being sent to friends across the globe. I've lost track of the number of miniature quilts I've made, and each one has been different!
These little quilts seem to be my calling. They are great for people with short attention spans, or those who want a quicker turn around time than happens with large quilts. I hope you are inspired to design your own quilt, or to choose from the many books on the subject to get you started. As always, Happy Quilting!
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Other Files About Miniature Quilts:
Crazy Quilts in Miniature: Ideas and Techniques
Adorable Puppies Miniature Quilt
©Copyright 2008. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. Write to us at: pat@quiltersmuse.com. In advance, I will tell you that I cannot provide patterns for any of the quilts shown in this article.