Meet
Kathleen Rindal Brooks
Ever since she was four-years old, Kathleen Rindal Brooks
has had a needle in her hand, and for the last 21 years, it's been a quilting needle.
Today she carries an additional article wherever she goes-a pocket-sized miniature. Making
full use of their portability, she's able to share her passion of quilting at all times.
Kathleen believes that happiness comes to those who
surround themselves with the things and people they love. After all, it works for her! The
cheerful quilter lives happily in River Forest, Illinois, with her husband Rich and their
children Travis, Jordan and Hayley. Unusual pets also make excellent company-a hedgehog
called Mrs. Tiggy Winkle and a pig named Wilbur. A pet pig? Why be surprised? After all,
this is the same household that produced the author of Little Bits of
Whimsy: A Pattern Book. This pattern/how-to book is filled with many fun-filled
designs that tickle your imagination. It's widespread appeal has led the way to her
recently released book,
A Pocketful
of Whimsy: Wee Patchwork Gifts. It, too, is drawing quilters everywhere into the
miniature fold.
One way Kathleen gives her miniatures their personality is
by her masterful use of scraps. Her clever use of conversation prints is one way she gives
her quilts their playful touch. "Don't be afraid to experiment with unconventional
positioning," says Kathleen. "For instance, I've used a Statue of Liberty print
whose crown was lost in the piecing. But careful placement gave identical house
blocks distinction in ways such as having a flag fly over one and a pig grazing besides
another. And Kathleen does it all with scraps. With her guidance, so can you!
Take these tips from Kathleen herself!
Use preprints to add excitement
to your little quilts!
No doubt about it, makers of miniature quilts love detail!
Little snipets of color draw our eyes around the quilt and focus attention on different
areas of the design. In a full-size quilt, the quilting stitch itself can add interest and
texture, but miniatures generally lack large open areas for intricate embellishment with
quilting. However, miniature quilts offer their own unique opportunities for delightful
detail-the abundance of shapes and colors in such a compact area is exciting in itself. In
addition to the overall effect created by the patchwork pattern, another dimension can be
added by embedding tiny images or motifs within individual pieces. Preprints, those odd
and wonderful fabrics printed with mini-motifs, are the perfect source of unique
highlights to accent your finished quilt! Preprints are known as "conversational
prints" in the fabric trade. As you begin using them in your quilts, you'll see why!
How to use preprints
Take a tour of some very special quilts with Kathleen
Rindal Brooks, the quiltmaker, as your guide. Depending on your style and your fabric
collection, preprints can serve a variety of purposes in your quilts.
 Fabrics like those
in "Yankee Jazz" (14 3/4" square, photo by Jim Newberry)
can be used to develop a theme. This quilt was designed to express the
spirit of America. Common symbols of Americana all contribute to the
patriotic statement and add a sense of whimsy. George Washington, Old Glory,
Lady Liberty, "USA," "MOM," and apple pie patches were used in this quilt. A
variety of patch sizes was required to accommodate the differently scaled
images.
 Sometimes fabrics you already own will inspire a theme
quilt as happened in "My Favorite Things" (4 3/4" square, photo by Stephen J. Appel Photography). The quilt began
simply, using preprints from my collection with motifs that fit the predetermined size of
my blocks. As I worked, I realized that some of the images had deeper personal
significance to me than others. I decided to pare my selection of fabrics to include only
pictures of things I truly loved. No one else may know the difference but for me, the
change made the quilt that much more my own.
 Even a commercial pattern or commonplace patchwork design
can be enlivened by clever use of preprints. Identical houses in "A Chicken
in Every Pot" (14 1/2" x 21", photo by Jim Newberry) became a neighborhood of
individual homes. One has a flag flying overhead and another has a pig parked under a
window sill. Amusing details like these are wonderful attention grabbers for children and
adults alike.
 On the other hand, one great novelty print can deserve a
quilt all its own. You don't need a large selection of preprints to make a quilt like
"Vereingung" (12" x 16", photo by
Jim Newberry). The dog motif, which I gleaned from a somewhat tedious print, stands out
against the uniformity of the remaining brick wall of patches.
You can incorporate messages or even names in your
patchwork. Alphabet fabrics provide a wonderful way to accomplish this. At first glance,
preprinted letters are often less conspicuous than penned ones, but patchwork
"writing" creates another delightful layer of detail within a finished quilt.
More than a bit of patience is required to piece your words, but the admiration you'll
receive from fellow quilters will make it well worth the effort!
Acquisition Tips
I am often asked how I acquired my selection of preprints,
and many of my quilting friends are certain I must have traveled the world to amass my
collection. But the real secret is knowing how to shop! I can almost guarantee that, at
any given time, your local fabric shops will have several possibilities already on their
shelves. Check in the calico section, of course, but don't neglect the juvenile prints
department or the holiday fabrics.
Because they tend to have limited appeal, I often find
great preprints on the sale table too-and it's no wonder. A large piece of potentially
exciting preprint fabric is often downright ugly! But look around and within the
unappealing whole. Force your eyes to see only one motif at a time. If anything captures
your interest, buy some! Even if you have no immediate inspiration for using the fabric in
a quilt, a fraction of a yard is not a major investment and you'll ensure that, when
working on some future project, today's funky find won't be that "one that got
away."
Designing with preprints
Once you have a novelty print or two in hand, it's time to
determine the design of your quilt. The scale of your patchwork will be determined largely
by the size of the pictures you are attempting to incorporate. When you've chosen what
looks like a workable pattern, prepare paper "windows" the size and shape of
your templates. Placing each fabric behind a window lets you judge in advance how the
finished pieces will look. Adjust the proportions if necessary.
 The three Ohio Star blocks
in "Star Struck" (16" x
20", photo by Jim Newberry) are larger than I first planned, but I needed that format
and size to accommodate the faces of the celebrities which are the focal point of the
quilt. Abraham Lincoln and Groucho Marx are joined by other well-known faces-how many do
you recognize?
I often draw a design on graph paper and piece directly
onto the paper to ensure accuracy. Once the motif is encircled by the surrounding
patchwork pieces, recheck its placement. If the motif is not properly centered, rip it
out! This step often tries the patience of even the most tireless quilters, but an extra
minute or two (or ten!) spent getting it just right will make all the difference.
 These pictures are the focal points of your quilts and
thereby determine the overall quality of your final
creations. I'm often asked how I piece so accurately. The answer is that I don't-I undo
and redo a lot! I confess, I ripped out the teacup many times before it met with my
satisfaction!
So, next time you're fabric shopping, scan those bolts with
a broader vision, searching for some whimsical touches to grace your next miniature.
Be sure to visit Kathleen's
galleries.
Gallery 1: Quilts from her book Little Bits
of Whimsy: A Pattern Book.(We're
sorry but this book is out of print. Please check with your local quilt shop
or library for a copy.)
Gallery 2: Projects from her latest book,
A
Pocketful of Whimsy: Wee Patchwork Gifts.
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