02.05.08
The Appeal of Miniature Quilts
Interest in certain kinds of quilts ebb and wane, depending on the market, and who is teaching what class, or who has just written a book. Miniature quilts, like many other kinds of miniatures, are perennially appealing. I’ll never forget the charmed feeling I had when viewing a large collection of miniature quilts, placed carefully on their own little beds, a guest exhibit done by Tina Gravatt at the Vermont Quilt Festival.
Of course, that is one of the key elements to having, making, or collecting miniature quilts. One likes a way to display them. Miniature beds are made in all sizes and from all materials. Some of them I’ve seen in antique shops have stayed there, due to high prices. A few other ones have come home. Some things are a buy for the soul.
Miniature quilts and miniature beds go along with collecting miniature dolls. I only wish I had realized that miniature dolls can be restrung when the strings that hold them intact break. I threw away some dolls I’d brought home from Spain as I didn’t know the difference. I just thought they couldn’t be fixed. Of course, some people collect miniature teddy bears or Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls or even small beanie babies, with the idea of placing them atop one of the beds.
Miniature beds are particularly fun because of their many styles: brass beds, iron beds, wooden rope beds, Eastlake style beds, canopy beds, trundle beds, and others. They come in all sizes, and often one has to create a mattress, a pillow, and sheets to fit the size of the bed, as well as the top layer: the quilt.
Sometimes, I believe that middle-aged women and older women like to recapture the essence of the childhood they perhaps never had. By collecting miniatures, they too can “play,” and in some instances, share the fun with a grandchild.
Be on the lookout for miniature doll bed patterns. The Wenham Museum has some patterns for sale for a Redwork quilt and other piece miniature quilts. Making miniature quilts is so much fun, I bet you can’t make just one! They take little fabric; just your time and imagination and creativity. That’s the extent of my thoughts for today!
Patricia Cummings
