Vena Cava Mini Quilt Pattern
Mini Quilts Are My Therapy
Have you ever had a rough day, then spent 15-20 minutes sewing or quilting and suddenly feel so much better? No? Please try it sometime.
Believe me, I know how hard it can be to find just 5 minutes some days. But if you’re willing to make those 5 minutes a priority every day, I’m willing to bet you’ll feel more clear-minded.
This idea of prioritizing time for making combined with the desire to know myself better is what spurred this series of quilt rune mini quilts. Each quilt rune represents a different aspect of life to meditate on during the making process.
The Quilt Rune series will eventually include around twenty mini quilt patterns and this design, Vena Cava, is the eighth. Named after the vessel that pumps blood throughout our bodies, Vena Cava’s design is inspired by a Nordic rune meaning hope and includes a short mindfulness prompt on the subject.
Materials for the Mini Quilt
This mini quilt project comes together quite fast and can be a great scrap buster. All you need is half a yard for the background fabric and an eighth of a yard or less for all other fabrics.
With finished dimensions of around 15 by 24 inches this is also a perfect project for using up those batting leftovers.
For this particular mini quilt, I used a design from my Dreaming fabric collection for the background. This fabric is called Moongarden in Lapis and is available in quilting cotton and organic quilting cotton, both in five width options, as well as Kona cotton and over ten other substrates. You can find it at Hawthorne Supply Co.
The rest of the fabrics I used for this mini quilt are all Kona solids: Doeskin, Roasted Pecan, Ice Peach, and Spruce. I then used more Doeskin for the backing and binding.
Doeskin was also used for the corner pockets on the backside. I like to add corner pockets to my wall-hanging mini quilts to make them easier to hang.
Check out my How to Finish a Wall Hanging tutorial to do this yourself. It’s so easy! Just slip a flat-head thumbtack in the pockets and you’re good to go!
I hand-quilted this mini quilt project with DMC’s Pearl Cotton in size 8 in color 793. That is my go-to hand quilting thread size and I’m always thrilled with the results.
If you’d like to try hand quilting but don’t know where to start check out my free hand quilting course called The Art of Hand Quilting. It goes over the basics like marking and tying knots to get you started and feeling confident.
Dream it
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Make it
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Dream it 〰️ Make it 〰️
Dream it
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Make it
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Dream it 〰️ Make it 〰️
Sewing Curves Doesn’t Have to Be Scary
Half square triangles, a bit of strip piecing, and a half circle are all it takes to pull this mini quilt pattern together. The half circle may look intimidating, but it’s no harder than a quarter circle (AKA drunkard’s path).
I’ve found that basting the curved pieces together with clear, washable, glue stick, and sewing at the slowest speed my machine will allow, makes the curved piecing process so much easier. Glue basting also gives perfect results. Still unsure? Check out this video tutorial by Donna of XOXSEW to see what I’m saying.
Mini Quilts Can Be Your Therapy Too
Sewing and quilting can be a therapeutic and even cathartic way to spend time and this mini quilt pattern is designed exactly for that. It’s also great for learning a new skill (hand quilting or half circles, anyone?), using up those fabric and batting scraps, and perfecting your HST game. Not to mention, the modern, unique design makes a great wall hanging for any space.
Spending just 5 or 15 minutes a day working with your hands can really make a difference. It’s my hope that this mini quilt pattern will help you make time for yourself and get to know yourself better.
