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Grandmothers flower garden


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Hello all,

Does anyone know where I can get a pattern for grandmothers flower garden? My sister said she would like a quilt using that traditional pattern and I thought maybe someone might know where I could locate instructions for it. I've checked on the web and I've not had much luck. I would appreciate any help on this. Thank you much.

Raggie:)

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I'd love to have one too, but I don't think I'll find anyone to make it for me. I think this one is traditionally hand pieced. Don't know if there were other ways to make it besides English paper piecing. I see in Eleanor Burns' Egg Money Quilts, there is a pattern for it, as part of a sampler. Also she refers to Quiltsmart.com for a modern approach. They sell printed fusible panels to make traditional patterns. I bought the one for lone star but haven't made it yet. I'll get to it one of these days. Has anyone tried their Grandmother's Flower Garden panels?

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Yup, English paper piecing is the only way to go with GFG as far as I know.

I have been working for months on one using heavy paper hexagons. It will be used as the large frame around a center appliqued piece for a quilt.

It's great work to carry with you though as it fits into a baggie and you can stitch them up in free moments, like waiting in doctor's offices.

Sara

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I am working on a Grandmother's Flower Garden, too. I got the hexagons from http://www.paperpieces.com/ and boy has that simplified the process. As mentioned, it is a great project to keep in a sandwich baggie or work on watching TV or with friends....not concentration required.

I am using the 1 and 1/4 inch hexagons. I would recommend them...the flower is a nice size. My goal is to use only fabrics from my stash for the flowers. I'm considering putting them together as is without a background color...but I have a ways to go before I decide that.

post--13461898350336_thumb.jpg

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I don't know if you are adamant about doing this by hand or not, but you might want to find out more about Marcie Baker. I see her at all the big shows. I think she has a pattern out and teaches classes called, "NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FLOWER GARDEN". She has a trick on how to make the flowers by machine, in rows. I've taken her tumbling blocks class, years ago and it was also done by rows. Very unique way to do the patterns! But they work! Maybe she goes by Marcia Baker...

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Marci Baker has developed a method for making GFG all sewn on a DSM.

She has a program on quiltersnewsnetwork.com that shows how to do it.

You can get the book and tools from aliciasattic.com. Click on Feature and scroll down to find the book and tool set, or you can buy the items separately.

Her method is basicly sewing strips together, cutting the strip sets a particular way, and sewing those pieces together to form a pieced strip. Then you sew those strips together and you have a GFG quilt top.

Of course, the hexogons have a seam through the middle, which may not be of interest. Although, these days I see seams in quilt blocks where they never were in days gone by. I haven't tried this method myself. Someday I would like to. It looks interesting. So many things to try, and so little time!

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Quilt Patis are another option. Based on English paper piecing, quilt patis are reusable plastic templates with a hole in the center. You stitch your fabric around them just as with English paper piecing, but when you have assembled your GFG block, you take a chopstick or similar tool and insert it into the holes in the templates and pop them out to use for the next GFG block

http://quiltpati.tripod.com/id12.html

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I have been wanting to start one of these as well but am stuck when it comes to picking the size of the hexagon.

What size hexagon is a good size to use if you want to make a traditional queen size Grandmothers Flower Garden Quilt?

Here's a link to another source that carries the mylar plastic hexagon templates http://secure.netsolhost.com/87062.88414/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=BQP

They also sell the "pop stick" that you use to pop out the mylar pieces once you are done stitching the pieces together as well as the caddy for the whole thing to be stored in.

Joann

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I don't think there's a "traditional" size. The doll quilt that my grandmother pieced for my aunt is about .5" across the straight line. It really is a "grandmother's flower garden" quilt since it has flowers and was made by my grandmother. Sorry, an attempt at humor.

I chose 1.25" hexagons because they are a nice size. Not too big or to small, and the hexagons are really easy to work with.

One of the woman that I used to work with started one by using the mylar pieces and wasn't happy with it. She then went to cutting out her own hexagons and not using paper to piece them, but I noticed that hers needed a really good press while mine was pretty much ready to quilt when I was finished piecing.

By the way, a brag moment here, but my 2nd attempt at a GFG took first place in it's division at the Sandy (Oregon) Historical Society quilt show. Before you are very impressed, let me say that this was a small show, but still! First place!

Beth

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Thanks everyone! I've looked at all your suggestions and will do a little more research before I figure out what I will do! It is truly amazing to me how so much information can be given in so short amount of time. Thank you again! I knew I could count on all of you to send me to the right places.

Raggie

:)

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Wow, Beth, congratulations! Small show, big show, what does it matter? It is a win! Thanks everybody for the great tips, as I will be doing one of these when we go on our trip to California at the end of the week. No time to order premade, so will be drawing and cutting paper all week, then fabric. Oh boy. I think I'll finish quilting the SnW Posie quilt when I get back. Let it sit a while.

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  • 5 years later...

I made a GMFG lap quilt, using a running stitch, no paper templates. I made a plastic template for the finished size, traced around it on the fabric and then cut the fabric with an approximate 1/4 inch. It was faster than using the card stock templates and worked well. Pis at qnovice.blogspot

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I drew up one sheet of hexagons I think it was six per sheet. I copied the sheets and lightly spray glued them to each piece of fabric.put the glue on the paper. I also pieced it by machine, I start in 1/4 inch and then end 1/4 inch and backstitch on the hexagons. Makes it much easier to piece, and results in sharp corners. Took my 2 months to piece a king size one, I also made the sides straight by adding half hexagons wherever needed to make the sides and top edges straight. I would be telling SIS to piece her own top and U will quilt it, LOL Carol

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Hi, I have been working on a GMFG quilt for several years now. I was given blocks that had been started by a lady using original 1930's prints. She had completed two rows of the hexagons. Her daughter found the blocks in a small box after she passed away and gave them to my friend who is a quilter. My friend wasn't sure how to assemble them so she gave them to me to complete. I went online to http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/ and printed several pages of hexagons at one time. Then I put several pieces of blank copy paper behind each printed page and stapled them together. Then I cut the hexagons on the lines on the first copy. It saved a lot of ink. I have been keeping the paper in the hexs until I have a second row secured to it so they don't lose their shape. Here is a sample of one completed block.

8432010151_214613286e.jpg

IMG_0796 by Heirloom Quilter, on Flickr

8433095064_750cd24f46.jpg

IMG_0795 by Heirloom Quilter, on Flickr

I use a whipstitch to sew the pieces together. The original blocks, the center, yellow row and print row were done with a running stitch. I couldn't figure out how to do that so I gave up and used the whipstitch.

I hope this helps you.

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