Working In Small Scale

Saturday is ME day, a day when anything goes, dear hubby and I might decide to take a day trip, go shopping or stay home and do our own thing.  Since it is winter here in the midwest  United States, and in an area that cannot make up its mind if it wants to be spring or winter.  As an example this time yesterday it was 58 degrees and today it is 28 degrees and snow this afternoon and tonight.  Hubby and I decided it was a stay home day so I pondered what I wanted to do this morning and decided to work on some element of my cancer quilt.  My quilt has a barn on it, that may sound a little strange for a cancer quilt but upon its completion I will photograph the quilt and explain it's meaning in one of my blog posts. Anyway, a quilter can't have a barn without a barn quilt and mine is no exception.  I pull the pattern segment for the barn and get out my ruler. Hmmm, the finished size of the barn quilt is 1 3/8".  Ohhhh, ok I whine a few seconds, but knowing those who create miniatures must deal in these dimensions I carry on.  Each square finishes 3/8",

so with my 1/4" on each side my square measures 7/8".  The squares on the right are my 7/8" squares and the squares on the left measure 1 1/8" to be made into half square triangles and then be cut down to my 7/8" square.

I drew my line and sewed ever so slowly to get my square.  I then trimmed the seam allowance to 1/8"
and proceeded to set my block together as any other pieced work.
There wasn't much room for fingers or even a stiletto and I admit I had to unsew one seam that was definitely not straight.  I sewed the other side on before removing the incorrect seam and had more to hold onto when resewing and that helped keep the seam straight.  I chose not to trim my seam allowance to an 1/8" when sewing the squares together as was my first thought as I felt it laid nicely with the full 1/4" attached.

Here is my completed barn quilt that when pieced into the barn and will measure 1 3/8".finished.  The outside border will measure 1/8".
Although this was not as bad as I first anticipated I don't see much miniature work in my future, but I certainly have a new appreciation for those who work in such small scale.
Working outside our comfort zone is good for us, try something you haven't done before you might decide you enjoy it.