It's a craze that's sweeping the entire quilting community--welcome to the world of little quilts. Little Quilts' co-owner, Alice Berg, joins host Alex Anderson to demonstrate how to make a flag quilt. Berg also shows the easy-as-apple-pie antiquing technique of tea dyeing.
Little quilts are quick, easy, and a fun way to decorate. There is a difference between little quilts and miniature quilts. Miniatures quilts have very small pieces and blocks and difficult to make (figure A). Whereas, a little quilt block measures five inches and are easier to manage.
Materials:
seven-inch finished block for flag corner
assorted fabric colors
ruler, mat , rotary blade
large bowl
6-8 tea bags
Fabric choices
Go to the fabric stash and determine the basic quilt color -- red, blue, green, muslin or white, etc. Once decided, add interest with similar but different light, medium and dark fabrics of the same color family (figure B). Repeat the process for blue, green, and so on. In place of muslin, chose fabrics that are known as "tan nothing prints." These fabrics come across as a solid giving a more antique look to the quilt. Large designs are not necessarily suitable for little quilts.
A study of antique quilts created this fabric pallet known as the "magic fabrics " (figure C). It was determined that these shades of fabric created an interesting quilt that sparkled and gave the eye a lot to look at. Some shades may not be appealing , but remember, you're not going to wear the fabric...you're putting it into a quilt .
Fabric and color placement
This process can be unnerving. Here are the dos and don'ts. Do take a basic two-color block and add similar but different fabrics of the same color family to create an eye-catching design (figure D). However , don't take it over the top (figure E).
Basket o' strips
It couldn't get any easier. Get organized by cutting 1-1/2-inch fabric strips and load up a basket. This width is used throughout the design of the little quilts.
House block (seven-inch finished block)
Any seven-inch block design may be used in the corner block of this flag quilt. Create this easy house block (figure F) or a single star to shine in the corner of this quilt. Remember to select similar but different colored fabrics to create more interest.
Cutting & stripe unit tips
- Whenever possible, cut strips on the length of the grain or along the selvages . Cutting across the grain or on the bias will create a rippled strip.
- Stitch together two strips, set the seam and press to the dark stripe.
- Assemble a seven-stripe unit (final measurement 11-inches) and a six-stripe unit (final measurement 18-inches), alternating reds and tan-nothing prints. Note: It will be easier and more accurate to prepare a unit longer than needed and then cut to the desired measurement (figure G).
Final construction
1. Assemble completed units.
2. Mark the quilting design. On dark fabrics, a white pencil or chalk is best. On lighter fabrics, use a washout marker or pencil. Either freehand a wave line for a folksy look or make a wave template (figure G). Use a simple stitch-in-the-ditch technique to finish the quilting of the house block.
Tea dyeing technique
Once the little quilt is completely finished, give it a tea bath. Here's the formula:
1. Fill a large bowl with two quarts of hot tap water and steep six to eight tea bags for 10 to 15 minutes. What type of tea? The cheapest tea works best because it's known to use the blackest tea.
2. Remove the tea bags, place the quilt in the tea bath and soak for 15 minutes. Once the time is up, gentle squeeze out excess tea and lay flat on a towel to dry.
A little nervous about dunking your new quilt? Maybe indulging in a bit of tea would help!
Resources Little Quilts All Through the House
by Alice Berg (ISBN: 1564770338)
Click
here to order this title.
Little Quilts
1450-C Roswell Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062
US
Phone: 770-578-6727
E-mail:
info@littlequilts.com
Website:
www.littlequilts.com
Celebrate! With Little Quilts
by Alice Berg (ISBN: 1564771083)
Click
here to order this title.
Little Quilts
1450-C Roswell Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062
US
Phone: 770-578-6727
E-mail:
info@littlequilts.com
Website:
www.littlequilts.com
Guests Alice Berg
Co-owner, Little Quilts
1450-C Roswell Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062
Phone: 770-578-6727
E-mail:
info@littlequilts.com
Website:
www.littlequilts.com
Also in this Episode
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