Tiny Dancer

My most recent project has been making a Mini Tiny Dancer quilt, designed by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts.

I started by sorting through my batiks and pulling out all my beloved jewel tone shades.  From each one I cut a trio of half-hexagon shapes.

I knew I was going to like the final result, when even the trimmings looked pretty enough to photograph:

Then it was time to put down the camera,  and pair them up two by two:

There were ninety half-hexagons that each needed a little triangle topper:

Then it was time to lay out the 15 blocks the pattern called for:

I liked them so much, I made 5 more:

Aaah, that's more like it!

The blocks are pieced together in rows, and all the seams are pressed open.

The back is almost as fun to look at as the top!

And then it was done!

I haven't yet figured out how I want to quilt it, but I would like to accent the little "dancers".

Show me the Minis!

To say that I have been bitten by the mini quilt bug would be an understatement.  I am having so much fun with these, and have now completed six of them.

Four of them are Thimbleblossoms patterns:

Shown in the above photo are Spools, Puddle Jumping, Swoon and Red Letter Day.  All are mini versions of the original larger patterns.    Everyone seems to credit Camille Roskelly for starting the mini quilt craze.  As I understand it, she wanted to have smaller versions of her quilts to take with her when she travelled to Quilt Market, and a new trend for mini versions of quilts was born.

Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts got into the mini quilt scene and introduced four mini versions of her quilt patterns.  Pictured below is my version of her mini Canned Pears:

Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts has also published a line of mini quilt patterns.  Here is my version of her mini "Come What May" pattern.

With these 6 quilts I have a good start on my own mini quilt gallery.  I'll have to decide the perfect place to hang them.  In the meantime, I am enjoying  just seeing them stacked up into a lovely pile of minis!

Have a great week!