If you are not on Instagram you probably are not aware of the flurry of mini quilt swaps that have been happening over the last year or so. Hundreds and hundreds of mini quilts have been made a swapped all over the world and people’s homes now have walls adorned in beautiful little quilts. After resisting for nearly a year, in February I finally signed up for my first mini quilt swap – the Cotton and Steel mini quilt swap.
I shared my first quilt for this swap a couple of months ago, including the paper piecing pattern I used for this quilt on my original post…….
I liked it but I was not exactly what I wanted. So I went back to the drawing board and came up with this beauty…
I loved making this 15 inch square sampler and shrinking all these quilt blocks down to 3 inches was fun. Nearly all these blocks were paper pieced as I find it is the easiest way for me to get accuracy at this small size.
I really loved putting this quilt together…and even found some prints I could fussy cut at this small size!
So with my Cotton and Steel mini done I felt the need to sign up for another mini swap… this time the Lizzy House mini quilt swap. Now Lizzy House is my favorite designer… I love her prints. As so many of my quilts end up going to kids charities Lizzy Houses fun, modern novelty prints were an instant hit with me.
So what do you do when you have a huge collection of fabulous Lizzy House prints… you make hexagons of course…
So this is my Lizzy House mini work in progress. The day I signed up for the swap I started making hexagons and once I had them all I had a blast arranging and re-arranging them until I had a layout I was happy with.
This quilt has been so much fun to make…though a little tough on my hands as there has been a lot of hand sewing…
I started making this mini before I had my partner details (yes I was that excited!). After you sign up you get assigned a partner, you get sent a list of likes and dislikes and you can stalk them on Instagram so you can make something appropriate for them. So as much as I love these hexagons, I was not sure it was totally up my partners alley… so I made another mini…
..which is much more her style. This quilt is uses four different New York beauty patterns… and I love the unity of the similar shapes of the New York Beauty block combined with the disconnect of the different patterns pieces.
I am sure my partner will love which ever mini I end up sending. I have a couple more weeks before the quilts have to be sent and there is a chance I will change my mind again and make something else. This is the joy of mini quilts…they are so quick and easy to make.
So I can now say I am a mini quilt addict, though I have controlled myself this month and not signed up for any more swaps…yet.
WOMBAT QUILTS 
Oh, I love them all, and I’m unhappy that I’m not your partner. The hexagon quilt is my favorite, of course.
I love the colors in the sampler-style mini. The EPP hexes are great too. My favorite hexes are the fussy cut people.
What a luck, that I don’t have an Instagram account. *gggg* The minis are sooooo amazing – especially the hexies – really lovely!
Greetings, Rike
I have never seen the attraction of hexie quilts, never had the desire to make one – until now. Thanks to you, I will just have to force myself go to the fabric store for some ‘fussy cut’ fabrics. Oh, woe is me ;-))))
Seriously, beautiful work; they are all fun, happy, quilts, and we are all jealous of your partner.
Oh they’re all lovely! Are they all about 15″ x 15″?
Lynne the New York Beauty is 18 inches square and I am not sure how big the hexies will finish up. I do like my minis to be on the smaller side.
I love minis too! Yours are all lovely, naturally. I especially like the sampler – great colors. Great seeing you the other day too
Boy these are gorgeous! You are a mini quilt master – among other gifts of course! 😉
I especially like the redo of #1…
Absolutely adore your hexagons!
Ah yes, sore hands from too many hexies. I have total fellow feeling from your pain! I do adore your hexie-mini (well, I would, wouldn’t I?), but the use of colour in that NYB is just *amazing*. And I’ll gratefully thank my lucky stars I don’t do Instagram because I would almost certainly have added to my project burden…
What was the timescale for making all these quilts? The sheer quantity is mind-blowing, never mind the superb quality.
Viv the turn around is usually 3 months which is a lot of time. These small quilts can be turned around really quickly if needed and they are a great way to test out piecing and quilt in ideas.
I am a huge lizzy house fan and I have been drooling over your hexagon quilt some I first saw it. I love love love it and hope to have something like it hanging in my sewing room someday too!
I am a huge lizzy house fan and I have been drooling over your hexagon quilt for quite some time now. I love love love it and hope to have something like it hanging in my sewing room someday!
You are so clever! I love all of these – such a visual feast! I regret not signing up for the Lizzy House swap now. I love her fabrics but was suffering from a bit of swap fatigue at the time. Oh well perhaps I can do myself a selfish swap? I love the idea of a sampler style quilt.
I saw your Lizzy House hexies on IG and instantly fell in love with them! I’m going to ahve a fair bit of Lizzy left over from the swap, so I might take your lead and make one for my new sewing room … eventually.
love your colour choice on all! great job!
Lovely minis!
My gosh, I just don’t know where to begin to flatter you. I love all of your minis and consider you a mini master. I have always liked Lizzy House, but now, now I want to run to a quilt store at 2 in the morning and buy ALL the Lizzy House! There is no way I could give away that hexagon quilt after I made it. I’m just not that sweet or generous spirited. It’s hard to realize the harsh reality about yourself sometimes, but there you are. Not that I don’t love the other three quilts. Trust me I do! In fact if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I must say I would love to try to do your quilts. But I think I’ll start with something less complicated for my first mini. But I’ve got to try EPP for real and do some Lizzy House hexagons. Anyway, can you tell I think your minis are amazing? Your partner will love the circle all cut up and cool mini, anyone would love it. No wonder you love idoing minis! You’ve certainly convinced me to push some WIPs to the side and try it! Thanks for the inspiration! (I think if I don’t have a cute Lizzy House hedgehog hexagon soon, I’ll end up on the floor just like the little girl at the White House!)
Beth let me know if you would like a Lizzy House hexagon starter kit. I am happy to send you some fussy cut 2 1/2 inch squares and some hexie papers to get you going.
That is so kind of you!! I have several projects going now including a quilt that needs a lot of embroidery on it, so It’s going to be awhile before I can get started on something new. (I took Rachel’s [Stitched in Color] hand sewing class [wonderful!] and a neurological condition I have has put me way behind, but I’m determined to finish my quilt and my lessons! 😀) I truly love your minis and they have lit a fire under me, but I would want to show you some progress before two years if I were to accept your kind offer! However, if I do succumb to the temptation and get to working on a Lizzy House mini, I will be sure to share my attempts with you. I love the quilting community because of people like you, so generous – hearted and talented. Your offer means a lot to me. Thank you!
Beth the offer stands….when you are ready I can send you a little packet through to get started. Just let me know.
I love your minis!!! I agree-the swaps are so tempting! I’ve only been able to resist signing up for all of them because of the baby I’m about to birth! 🙂 I still have done two, though, and wouldn’t be surprised if I sign up for another one (or two) after I get back into the swing of things post-baby. Minis are so fun since you can try out different methods and still have a fairly fast turn around!
Can I say I love them all and who ever gets them…they are so very lucky and of couse, will love them too! I have yet to sign up for a swap, but have wanted to for so long. Maybe next time I see one I’ll jump on the band wagon too!
I have just started on the hexi addiction ….
I have to say that your New York Beauty mini is my absolute favourite though. What a stunner.
I have several Mini Quilts on my To-Do list. Maybe I should get started on one!
Hi Pam,
I am just loving your paper piecing ideas and thank you for generously sharing the patterns.
Pam I downloaded the Pink Snowball patterns as PDF files as I just had to make them, but I finished the first one yesterday and it went together just perfectly.
The problem is the size is only 11-1/2″
If it’s going to be joined to the squares which are 6-1/2″ shouldn’t I have ended up with a 12-1/2″ size snowball which once it is sewn into the quilt it would be a 12″ finished size.
Can you let me know if the snowball blocks should be 12-1/2 ” unfinished or what you think ???
I know you’re busy but I’m a bit stumped over what I’ve done wrong.
Thanks heaps Pam and thanks again for a lovely site.
Bronwyn
Sent from my iPad
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Hi Bronwyn
I have double checked the pattern the measurements are all correct… so I have two ideas about what went wrong. The first is did you download to your desktop or print from from the your browers. Adobe has a fun little quirk where if you do not download the pattern to your desktop and print from the download it does not print to scale (it prints a little smaller than scale). My other idea was that the “scale to print” box was ticked when you printed the pattern. I always make sure that I measure the pattern once I have printed it to make sure that it has printed to size, especially if the pattern has to be exactly 12 inches.
If neither of these things are the issue I am stumped. If you printed the pattern correctly, made the blocks, trimmed your blocks with the correct 1/4 inch seam allowance all should be good.
Have your ripped off the paper from the block yet? If not can you measure the pattern for me and tell me what you have.
Thanks
Cath
I tend to turn what others would make into mini quilts into cushions. The Lizzy House hexies would be a great cushion! Recently, I have seen friends’ sewing room walls adorned with minis. I might too have to make one and resist turning it into a humidicrib cover or a cushion.
I really didn’t appreciate Lizzy House until I saw pictures like yours from this swap popping up about the place. I get it now. So cute.
Wow. They are gorgeous
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Love at first sight!! Must learn to paper piece, your New York Beauty is irresistible.