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Transform Fabric Scraps into Art: A Guide to Framing Mini Quilts

Have you ever thought about framing a mini quilt?! If you’re a sewing enthusiast with a collection of fabric scraps, why not turn them into a stunning piece of home decor?

Framing a mini quilt is a fantastic way to showcase your creativity and add a personalized touch to any space. In this tutorial, I’ll guide you through the process of making a mini quilt and framing it, allowing you to transform your fabric scraps into unique artwork.

Materials Needed:

mini quilt design, improv patchwork mini quilt
improv patchwork mini quilt design

Piecing the Mini Quilt

You may choose to piece a traditional patchwork mini quilt or even an improv mini quilt! Here are some tips for improv piecing your Mini Quilt textile art:

Begin by gathering fabric scraps and sort them by color or pattern. Then, plan out which shapes and design you want in your mini quilt. You can follow a patchwork pattern, do improv piecing, or even applique fabric onto a piece of background fabric. Plan for your mini Quilt to be slightly smaller than the size of the frame you have selected.

Next, follow the plan you’ve created and piece your mini quilt in your desired method of choice.

Once the quilt top is complete, trim any excess fabric to create straight edges.

My Patchwork Mini Quilt

I personally chose an 11″ x 14″ frame without any mat, so I tried to get my quilt design as close to 11″ x 14″ as possible. If your frame has a mat included, you can have a little bit more flexibility with your quilt sizing. Consider leaving a small border around the quilt top if you would like too.

If you are using exact measurements, make sure to measure your actual frame before you start! Mine is actually 10 3/4″ x 13 3/4″ on the inside of the frame itself.

Since I knew I was aiming for very specific size mini quilt, I knew I needed to so some advanced planning to make a traditionally pieced patchwork quilt to fit those dimensions. Flying Geese have stolen my heart lately and I wanted to make something a little more modern and abstract. I ended up cutting and making the following pieces:

  • 8 – 2″ x 4″ finished Flying Geese (2.5″ x 4.5″ unfinished)
  • 2 – 2.5″ x 4.5″ background fabric rectangles
  • 1 – 4.5″ background fabric square
  • 2 – 8.5″ x 1.5″ background fabric strips
  • 1 – 14.5″ x 1.5″ background fabric strip
  • 1 – 14.5″ x 2.5″ background fabric strip

If you want to design your own mini quilt, you can definitely do that too! I love sketching some blocks onto graph paper and then simply add borders of varying sizes to get your mini quilt to your final size needed.

Quilting the Mini Quilt

I’ll admit this step is optional but I personally love the extra texture it adds to my textile artwork!

Take your piece of quilt batting and trim it to a bit larger than the mini quilt. I like to have it be at least an 1″ bigger on all 4 sides. Or, if your mini quilt is larger than needed already you can use batting that is the exact same size as your mini quilt.

Layer the mini quilt on top of the batting and baste it in place. Just a little spray baste will do the trick here, or a few safety pins if you prefer.

Next, it’s time to quilt the mini quilt! On smaller projects like these I love to recommend trying out a new skill or technique. You could try hand quilting or Free Motion Quilting or a fun straight line quilting motif! Whatever feels like fun for you!

I personally chose to quilt a little bit by machine with varying weights of thread. Adding some accent hand stitches for some extra fun is always a good idea too! Remember, this is ART and it can be whatever you want it to be!

Once you have quilted the mini quilt, trim it down to your desired size. I recommend stitching around all 4 sides about 1/8″ away from the edge.

Framing the Mini Quilt

Now comes the easy part! Now that your mini quilt is pieced and quilted, it’s just a matter of putting it inside your frame of choice. Some frames may be slightly different, but for the most part you should be able to follow these simple steps for framing your new mini quilt artwork.

The frames I used are simple natural oak wooden frames gifted to me from Haus & Hues. I love the natural wood and minimal look, and I especially love that they’re a FL-based company and all their products are made here in the USA! This is the entire gallery wall frame set I used.

Begin with the frame back-side up and remove the back cover. Remove any stock images that might have come with the frame too.

Lay your mini quilt face down on the glass/plastic front piece of the frame and ensure it is centered in place and straight.

Next, reattach the back piece of your frame. Pay attention to how you want the quilt to hang because the back piece usually has a “top” side with a hanging bracket attached.

Finally, hang or display your framed mini quilt in your desired location, and enjoy the charming, handmade artwork you’ve created!

With a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, you can turn fabric scraps into stunning artwork for your home. By piecing a mini quilt and framing it, you can transform those unused remnants into a personalized masterpiece. Follow this tutorial to showcase your sewing skills and add a touch of handmade beauty to any room. Get started today, and let your fabric scraps become a unique expression of your creativity! I can’t wait to see what you create!

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