How I Make Inchies

Instructor: Sandra Hamilton

There is only one rule when making inchies.  You must do enough stitching on the sandwich to hold the layers together when you cut it up.

What are inchies?  They are tiny works of art around 1 inch square.  When we talk about quilted inchies I think they should be 3 layers held together by stitches or they are not a quilt.  They can be displayed together to create an art piece or used individually for things like charms to mark your scissors, to decorate greeting cards, as zipper pulls and any other use that sounds fun.

1.       The sandwich.  First we make a sandwich that is then cut up to the size required.

A 6.5 inch square sandwich yields:    36   1 inch inchies

 16   1.5 inch inchies

                                                  9      2 inch inchies.

I like working with 1.5 inch inchies best.  There is more room for embellishments.

Traditionally very heavy interfacing such as Pelltex or Timtex is used for inchies but I substitute batting.  I like to see texture from my quilting on the surface of the inchies and I find heavy interfacing hard to stitch through when hand embellishing.

The  sandwich I make for inchies has 4 layers going from the back to the top fabric

a)      Backing fabric.  May be omitted if all the inchies are going to be displayed in a way that hides their backs.

b)      Stiff interfacing (e.g. Decobond).  This adds body to the inchie sandwich and makes it easier to finish the edges.

c)      Batting.  I use whatever small pieces I have.

d)      Top fabric.  This may be interfaced with a light non woven interfacing if some stitching is going to be added before the sandwich is made.

              2.  Embellishments.  I like to think of the various embellishments that go on the inchies as layers.  Use as many as you think will work for your project.

a)      Couching decorative threads.  The first layer is couching of decorative threads, yarns, ribbons, etc.  May be done on the faced top fabric or on the sandwich.  The thread used for couching can match or contrast with the material being couched.  Or use invisible thread.  Use a neutral or matching thread in the bobbin.  Choose a zig zag stitch that matches the width of the couched material or use some other stitch such as a blanket stitch 

b)      Decorative stitches.  May be done on the faced top fabric or on the sandwich.  Choose decorative threads and decorative stitches on your machine.  I usually use 2 or 3 different threads.

Things to remember when you are doing decorative stiches:- ·    Long patterns will distort if you turn the fabric at the wrong time. ·    Some stitches work better without the batting. ·    My favourite stitch is triple straight stitch which is a utility stitch on most machines meant for use on knits. ·    Dense stitches with lots of thread may distort the fabric and may be hard to stitch through at later stages. ·    Leave room for quilting and to hand embellish.

c)      Quilting.  There must be at least one line of stitching through each one inch square (for 1 inch inchies) or the layers will not stay together when the sandwich is cut up.  Quilting may be done with a regular foot, walking foot or quilting foot and free motion stitching.  Use thread to contrast or match your fabric.

d)      Hand embellishment.   See later in this handout.

3.  Cutting the sandwich into inchies.

·         Straighten one edge of your sandwich and cut it into strips of the required size and then into squares or rectangles.   

·         There is no rule that says all your inchies have to be the same size.  This depends on the look you want for your project. 

·         It is harder to finish the edges of curves than straight lines.

4.  Finishing the Edges.

You can finish the edge by hand or machine.  Traditional edging is either a zig-zag stitch or a satin stitch.  It is possible to finish the edge by couching a cord to the edge.  I have never tried to bind the edge of an inchie but there is not a rule saying you can’t.

Zig-zag the edges. 

Set the machine for a narrow width and a short length.  I usually start with both settings at 2 and adjust from there.

 Choose a thicker thread and decide if you want the same thread in the bobbin.  I sometimes use a fine neutral thread in the bobbin and find that it allows the top thread to be drawn around the edge.

Position the middle of one side of the inchie under the foot with the edge lined up with the middle of the foot. Your zig-zag stitches should be half on and half off the edge of the inchie.  

If there is a second rule to making inchies this is it.  Zig-zag stitches should go half on and half off the edge being stitched.

Stitch to the corner and stop with the needle down on the right hand swing.  Lift the foot a little and turn the inchie 90 deg against the needle.  Continue to the next corner and repeat.

Continue until you come back to where you started.  Take a few tiny stitches to lock your thread.

Satin Stitch the Edges

Set the machine for a narrow stich width and a short stitch length.  The stitch length usually needs to be under 1 and usually closer to .05.  Start in the middle of one side and use the technique above to finish the edge, turn corners and to finish off the stitching.


5.  Hand Embellishment.

Hand embellishment can be anything from sewing on a button with 2 holes with matching thread to adding multiple embroidery stitches.  Refer to a book of embroidery stitches or search on line.  Try this link https://pintangle.com/tast-faq/  This site is based in Australia.  Be aware that buttonhole stitch and blanket stitch are often used interchangeable but in fact are 2 different stitches.  This applies to some other stitches as well.

a)      Sewing on buttons.

 I often use seed beads to hold buttons in place. 

·         This can be simple:  come up through a hole in the button, pick up a seed bead or two and go back down the same hole.  Repeat for the other holes.

·         More complicated:  come up through a hole in the button, pick up 3 or 4 seed beads and go back down a different hole.

·         More complicated still:  sew the button in place with a couple of stitches then come up a hole in the button, pick up enough beads to reach over the edge of the button and make a stitch at the edge of the button.  Repeat as many times as you like.  This can get to a point where there are too many beads on top of the button to get through a hole in the button again.  Be creative.  Pass your thread through a couple of beads, pick up a few more beads and attach the string to other beads.

© Sandra Hamilton  Nov 2019