Five Friday Favorites: Favorite Mini Quilts

Happy Friday everyone!  For this week's installment of Five Friday Favorites, I'm sharing my current favorite Mini Quilt Patterns!

Mini Quilts are a fun way to add color to walls, they make great gifts, and they're (usually) quicker to finish than a regular sized quilt.  Here are my current top 5 favorite minis.

#1:  Arabesque

photo credit: Allison Jensen (Woodberry Way blog)

One thing I love about mini quilts is that it takes such a small amount of fabric.  It's  a great way to use up the last little scraps of your most favorite fabrics.  This mini uses only 8 charms (5" squares) and 1/3 yard of background fabric.  Arabesque was designed by Allison  Jensen a.k.a. Woodberry Way, and it's a free tutorial on Allison's blog.  And if you love this mini, then you'll probably also love the full size version of the quilt which is available as a free tutorial over on the Moda Bakeshop blog.  (link here)

#2:  Dresden Mini

photo credit:  Fort Worth Fabric Studio blog

I've been wanting to try my hand at a dresden block or two for awhile now.  But honestly I don't see myself making a whole quilt of them.  A mini is a great way to try a new technique, or to try a more challenging block without committing to a larger project.  I've made a few minis this way - just make one quilt block and bind it - voila!  You have a mini quilt!  

This Dresden Mini is a free downloadable PDF from the Fort Worth Fabric Studio blog.  I think it's so sweet made in the 1930's prints

#3:  Mini Scrap Quilt

photo credit:  Amy Smart, tutorial found on Flamingo Toes blog

Like I said above, a mini quilt is a great way to try out a new-to-you technique.  This mini, designed by Amy Smart uses foundation paper piecing to create each block.  I love this mini because it's a fun way to use up those "strings" that are in your scrap bin - the strips of fabric that you love but are too thin to do much with.  I know we all have them!  I actually took a class from Amy where she taught this technique.  This scrappy selvages pillow is what I made from the class!  

You can find the free tutorial for this mini quilt here on the Flamingo Toes blog.

#4:  Mini Patchwork Pineapple

photo credit:  Sassafras Lane Designs

I've had a good friend give me a couple of pineapple mini quilts and I just love them - they're so stinkin' cute!  This mini is designed by Sassafras Lane Designs and is a free tutorial available on their blog.  And don't feel limited to just using your yellow scraps!  I've seen some really cute pink, aqua and orange pineapples too.  

#5:  Mini Spools

photo credit:  Camille Roskelley (Thimbleblossoms pattern shop)

I mean, come on.  How cute is this?  It's just MEANT to hang on a sewing room wall.  Mini Spools is just one of the many adorable mini quilts designed by Camille Roskelley (Thimbleblossoms).  You can see the others here in her pattern shop, and see pics of her wall of mini quilts here in this blog post.  Out of all of her mini quilts, the Mini Spools quilt is my favorite.  By FAR! 

Want to see some of my other favorites (many are on my want-to-make list!)  Check out my mini quilt board on Pinterest.  And for more mini quilt inspiration, check out #miniquilt on Instagram.  As always, thanks for following along and I hope you have a great weekend!