Dollhouse Quilts

A dollhouse miniature quilt is a quilt sewn in a very small scale, but sizes do vary. For instance, a quilt that will be used on a typical doll bed is sewn in a smaller scale than a baby quilt, but isn't nearly as small as the little quilts used in most dollhouses.

One popular dollhouse size is referred to as 1 to 12, or 1:12. Both of those designations mean the same thing -- that every 1-inch in the dollhouse and its furnishings is equal to 12-inches in the full size item. A 12-inch quilt block would be reduced to 1-inch to fit the scale of the house.

It's true, a 1-inch quilt block is tiny, but it's very doable. Let's go over a few dollhouse quilt basics before we talk about starter patterns.

Dollhouse Quilt Layout Options

When you are covering a dollhouse bed with a footboard, quilts often drape more attractively if blocks are omitted from the quilt's bottom corners. That configuration allows the end of the quilt to be tucked between the mattress and the footboard, and leaves the sides free to fall towards the floor.

Dollhouse Quilt Batting

Sometimes it's best to omit batting in these little quilts, especially when you're making blocks with lots of closely spaced seams that create stiffness all on their own. A quilt's ability to drape is important, and if that disappears you'll have a piece that looks more like a potholder than a quilt!

If you make a dollhouse quilt from a single preprinted panel, you might indeed want to include batting. Try silk batting or a piece of cotton fabric.

Dollhouse Quilt Binding

As with any other quilt, binding can be sewn on separately or it can be created by folding the backing's raw edge under, then over the front of the quilt, where it is hand stitched in place. Mitered, single-fold binding can be applied, but avoid double-fold binding because it creates too much bulk for tiny quilts.

Knife-edge binding is another option, and is created by trimming back the batting to match the size of the finished quilt, and then folding under the outer edges of the quilt and backing. Align the edges and sew around the quilt with a tiny seam allowance.

Draping a Dollhouse Quilt

Try one of these methods to drape a stiff quilt:

• Dampen the quilt slightly and mold it to the shape of the bed.

• Insert fine-gauge wires into the quilt along edges that should drape. Bend the wire to mold the quilt to the desired shape.

Dollhouse Quilt Patterns

Pieced Dollhouse Mini Quilts

Download my mini Log Cabin templates to make foundation pieced blocks that finish at either 1" or 1-1/2".

• Use the instructions for my 6" log cabin block to construct the minis. Fabric positioning and basic directions are the same, but the miniature quilt blocks have fewer logs, which means you won't surround the block's center log as many times.

• Try 1/2" wide fabric strips for logs and position them to sew a small seam allowance -- 1/8" or a little more is fine. Trim back larger allowances after sewing to reduce bulk.

• Read foundation piecing basics before you make a block.

Dollhouse Mini Quilts from Printed Fabric

Fussy-cut one or more motifs from any printed fabric to make an easy medallion quilt. Surround the center motif with multiple borders or setting triangles.

There are lots of pre-printed fabric panels available now. Find one you feel has "blocks" in the right scale for your dollhouse. Add borders if you like and finish to make a cute -- and fast -- quilt.