Private Mini Swap Anyone?

Call me crazy. But I love making these wee quilts. These are 3 of my favorites. SO....is there anyone out there who would like to do a private wee quilt swap with me? You would probably get one similar to these....all around 12" or less. I promise to swap with anyone who signs up here on my blog by midnight on Weds. the 31st. If you sign up,all you have to do is leave a comment here,send me an email with your mailing info,and then send me a wee quilt that you made. Sound fun? I will do my best to get one made and out to you as soon as possible......now off to the sewing room! Oh yeah....and these count toward my 40 remaining quilts to make! Bonus!

4-10

Here are 4-10 of the mini challenge. I am doing 50 and another quilter is doing 50.....so now I will take some time to work on some other projects.

changing the rules again.....

In a moment of sanity,I pondered my actions last week. Was I nuts? Abducted by aliens? 100 minis when I have so many UFOs and ideas in my head for people quilts?! SOOOO....changing the rules again. Last time. Really. Usually I am not this squirrely. :) One of the other ladies who also challenged herself to make 100 minis and I are each going to do 50 (that makes a hundred in my book!)that way we can still do other things without feeling chained to the machine creating those minis! SO....tomorrow I will post my latest few offerings in the quest for 100.....er I mean 50!

Changin' the Rules

I have been pondering this challenge I bestowed upon myself.....the 100 mini quilts by next year. I like the simplicity of the "Hitty Quilt" with no batting or binding. BUT....having said that,they just don't seem like quilts to me. So.....I am proposing this. When time is of the essence,I shall make the "Hitty Quilts". Other times,my usual minis with batting and binding. I can change the rules,right? No quilt police will pound on my door. While I'm being bold....you will obviously see several "patterns" repeated,just with different fabrics....and I may use some that I made prior to "the challenge" Hey-I may be crazy,but the goal of this project isn't to land in the looney bin after all. A person has to have priorities,right?

#2 and #3 of 100

My first quilt for this challenge was made just like a real quilt. It had batting and binding. The second one-the little rail fence-has batting but no binding. The third one-the 30s one-has neither batting nor binding. Since this challenge was to make 100 mini quilts for Hitty (she is a 6.25" wooden doll) and the quilts are supposed to go on her teeny tiny little beds....drapeability is an issue. Although I love the way quilts turn out ,as well as feel while quilting if they have batting,I think for this project I may be leaving it out. At this size,even the binding causes draping issues.

#1 of 100

Here it is ....#1 of 100. Only 99 to go. I figured I better photograph the mini with the other mini so you wouldn't think I cheated. :) I fell in love with the larger one which was made for a swap. So,I made another much smaller version to keep! Now onto #2.....

My 100 Mini Quilts

Yes. You read that right. 100 mini quilts. I vow to make 100 mini quilts before January 1,2010. That gives me slightly over a year.Before you hurt yourself trying to do the math,that averages out to about 2 per week......am I nuts you ask? Possibly. Over on the Hittygirls group,they have been discussing the children's book "The One Hundred Dresses". I remember that from my childhood. Then some of the ladies got the idea to make 100 dresses. I jumped on that bandwagon as Hitty dresses are a favorite of mine. Then I stopped to think about all the snaps (I hate sewing snaps)and gathering of the skirts. A couple other group members signed on to make 100 other items. Then someone through out the challenge to make 100 mini quilts. Dang-I can do that! So I quickly jumped ship on the dresses and started to plan my 100 minis.

Firstly,I decided that even though I have probably already made 100 minis,I would start fresh. I kicked around the idea of making them all the same size. I quickly aborted that idea when it became evident how much dang math was involved. SO.....they will all be under 15". I will chart my progress online here. I figure with all the fabric I have,even if I start to repeat the basic designs they will look different,right?

So......I slaved away all morning to finish up the last of my commitments swap-wise. Then I made and quilted my first mini. Tonight I will bind it and post #1 tomorrow.

Now. ......I know sometimes there will be crazy weeks when I can't crank em out. But that is what my summer vacation is for,right? When I have all 100,perhaps I'll write a book,take my trunk show on the road,and become rich and famous. Ha!

Anyone crazy enough to join me? :)

Finishing Up Swaps

I am attempting to finish up all my outstanding swaps......I finished my Trip Tychs for the 6-12" Mini Quilt Swap Group on Friday. Today I made this top for the Teeny Tiny Squarees Mini Quilt Swap. This swap was inspired by Lucy from "Quilting from the Past". Each little square in each 4 patch finishes at 3/4". I made this with my "new" Featherweight my Dad just gave me. I love the machine! It makes sewing the tiny little pieces so easy. Now I just need to handquilt this baby in the next day and I am home free......and will be ready to announce my next adventure! :)

Update: Quilted and bound. I love this one!

Flickr group for Teeny Tiny Squares Swap

A Flickr group has been set up to post pix and chart progress......it's called: TeenyTinySquares

Teeny Tiny Squares Swap Update

As of tonight,all partners have been emailed. Check your spam mail if you didn't get yours. Remember that this is a secret swap-no one knows who their partner is. If the person had a blog I included that. Remember that you need to incorporate tiny squares (1.5" or less)somehow into the quilt. You may also use setting triangles or squares as well. These are intended to be scrappy....so have fun!!

The deadline to mail is March 1st. Please do not mail the quilts till at least February. If something comes up or you have questions,please don't hesitate to ask!

Teeny Tiny Squares Quilt Swap

For all of you die-hard doll quilt swappers....never fear....announcing a new swap to tide us addicts over until the next round of the "Doll Quilt Swap" ! Here are the details:

This swap quilt will be comprised of tiny squares. The tiny squares should be 1" before sewing. ***EDIT: several people have indicated they wanted to play but this was too darn small. So....you may also make this from 1.5" squares. That would make the finished square 1" after sewing. Either size is acceptable! I think I will make mine at 1 1/4" squares before sewing. This size still looks small and cute but is a little easier to work with. I made a sample of all three sizes and suggest you do the same***This is a great chance to play with fabrics and use the tiniest of tiny scraps! If you want an idea of what I am talking about,or want to be really blown away by some awesome little quilts,check out Lucy's blog at http://lucyquilting.blogspot.com/ Four patches,nine patches....you design it! Just as long as the quilt contains tiny squares! ***For those that are worried about sewing those tiny squares....I cut 1" strips and did it that way and it was a piece of cake! Probably easier than just cutting tiny squares!

Is that woman amazing or what? So-now that you are all fired up,here are the specifics. The quilt should be 20" or less. It should be quilted and bound. It should have a quilt label. The mailing deadline is March 1st. This will be a secret swap. The deadline to sign up will be Friday December 12th. You will get your partner info on Monday,the 14th. All you have to do is email me at tlhcrawford@aol.com the following info:
Full name,mailing address,email address,blog link.

This sounds like just the ticket to keep us hoppin! Hope you want to play! Now go back and drool over Lucy's quilts! Then sign up!