Ma Petite Mini Quilt + Your Free April 2017 Calendar

How are your Easter preparations going? It won't be long and the Easter Bunny will be paying us all a visit and I'm almost ready. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming holiday because it means the end of this first school term as well. This term has been extremely busy with so much going on, so we are ready to enjoy a break and recuperate ready for term two. They seem to cram everything into the first term to take advantage of the good weather, I think, but its very tiring for the kids and the mums.
While we patiently wait for these holidays, its time for my new monthly mini and your free April 2017 Calendar. I've already shown you the gorgeous fabrics I used in a previous post, so now without further ado, here's my new mini quilt pattern, the very stunning, Ma Petite:
I'm soooooo excited to share this mini quilt with you. As you already know I love sampler quilts and it really was only a matter of time before I decided to squeeze as many sampler blocks as I could into a quilt under 20" square :) I'm so thrilled with this little quilt! The fabrics were perfect for this design and they were great to work with; showcasing those tiny blocks oh so well. I love each and every little block in this quilt and I think they look even cuter in miniature.
My favorite quilt to snuggle under is my Chatelaine sampler (you can read all about it HERE) and now I have this gorgeous mini sampler to hang in the studio as well, where I can admire it while I sew.
The sampler blocks all finish at 3" square and I selected thirteen simple but pretty blocks with most of them constructed using either a nine or four patch grid. There is one paper pieced block (the little pink and blue double pinwheel) but I also included a (traditionally pieced) optional pinwheel block for you to substitute if paper piecing isn't your thing. If you do include the FPP block you could always use the optional block as a quilt label if you like.
I decided on plain white sashing and setting triangles for this one because I really wanted those little blocks to pop. The sashing is tiny (finishes at 1/2") but I've eliminated cornerstones etc. to make it quicker and easier to piece. So this means the lengths of the sashing strips between the rows, are cut larger than required and then trimmed when the quilt top is together. Not the most conventional way to piece, but for this size quilt it eliminates working with teeny tiny cornerstones and triangles and matching lots of seams. The pattern will talk you through this method and I'm always available to help if you get stuck, so send me an email.
Ma Petite is French for "my little one" or "my little" and I think it suits this mini sampler quilt perfectly. It looks so cute with its big sister, my Chatelaine sampler doesn't it? I have used a couple of the same blocks in both quilts but the majority of them are exclusive to this mini quilt pattern.
I finished the quilt with a simple pieced border and as I have mentioned before, on point quilts always finish at an odd size so be prepared to ease these borders on just a teeny little bit. If that's not for you, then add a plain coloured border instead, it will look just as lovely and you might feel more comfortable attaching it.
I quilted Ma Petite with the same all over flower design I used for my Chatelaine quilt and I chose that gorgeous red and white pinstripe binding to finish it off.
The best part about this mini, is that after you have made your little quilt and its hanging proudly on the wall, the pattern will become a useful reference library of 3" block patterns which you can use in other projects as well; either small gifts or border elements or as multiples for cushion fronts etc.
The PDF pattern includes full step by step instructions, tips and diagrams to help with ease of construction. I've also included a colouring sheet to help you plan your mini quilt prior to sewing and optional instructions for adding a hanging sleeve or corner hangers to the back of your quilt.
If you would like to make your own Ma Petite mini quilt, from today until the end of April 2017, PDF patterns will be available at the introductory price of $4.95 (AU) in my Big Cartel shop, HERE.
Or if you prefer an instant download, PDF patterns are also available in my Etsy shop, HERE.
I also have your free April 2017 calendar featuring the gorgeous Ma Petite:

You can download and print your free calendar by visiting HERE.
I hope you love Ma Petite as much as I do. Its a gorgeous mini quilt with some fun little blocks to try and it looks fantastic hanging in my studio. Its one of those quilts that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you see it and it definitely brightens my day and my studio. I love it ♥
Happy sewing :)

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