Thursday, October 14, 2010

Grandmother's Flower Garden Class

Years ago, one of the first quilts I made was a Grandmother's Flower Garden.
Since then, I have taught many classes the wonderful method of English paper piecing, where each hexagon is sewn by hand.

This may not look like a quilt a beginner could make, but trust me on this one.
Time consuming yes! But easy enough to construct that even a 10 year old can master.

I taught a class last night at Quilted Works here in St. George, Utah, and had everyone wave hello. I had a few new quilters in the group and they agreed that this is a really easy and fun quilt to make. In fact, as they finished their first flowers, many said "This could be addictive!"

My pattern came from the book Grandma's Quiting Bee, which can still be found on Amazon. (for as little as .84 cents)

Grandmother's Flower Garden was the most popular pattern of 1925. Many women who never made another quilt finished a GFG.
(One lady laughed and said it was probably because this quilt took a life time to complete!)

Hexagon templates have been found from as early as 1770, and considered to be one of the oldest quilt patterns.
The original roots of GFG came from 18th Century England, brought to the United States by immigrants as early as 1807.
Grandmother's Flower Garden is also thought to be the first published quilt pattern in America.

So fun to see the enthusiasm as students finish their first flowers.

Some were well organized before they even came to class.

Dare I mention that there are 2,277 hexagons in the queen sized quilt I made?
Not wanting to chase everyone out of the room, I did show the class many alternative hexagon projects that do not require as much time and effort.

15 comments:

Lois Evensen said...

What a fun class! And, the favorite old quilt pattern is just beautiful.

Elizabeth said...

Grandmother's Flower Garden is one of my favorites! I love it!

Jana said...

Beautiful quilt! I love this quilt pattern and have several quilts in my collection using it but I'm not sure I have the patience to make my own! Looks like the ladies in your class had a fun time though!

Wonky Girl said...

Well, I was toying with the idea of starting one of these quilts. I go to a beading class at a neighbors house but I don't bead cuz I'm a quilter, we all just visit. I could work on sewing the parts together while there.
Ok, I just ordered the used book from amazon- you made it too easy with all the links! LOL Now to choose colors, the hardest part for me.
Thanks!

Material Mary said...

You could be proud of your accomplishment on that beautiful quilt. Great job Nedra!!
Mary

Alannah said...

I love this! I haven't ever quilted before like this and want to try something new! I can't wait to look it up and try it!

Caro said...

Awesome. I have one started and it is a project that I can easily pick up at any time. I feel the hankering to get back to it after reading your post.

Janet said...

Hexagons can be addictive, I wonder if a lot of those quilts didn't get finished because they weren't sure on how to finish the edges. I don't think it'll ever go out of fashion, yours is beautiful and a real treasure.

Annette said...

I am so impressed. Your quilt is amazing and inspiring! I am working on a GGF quilt that I hope to finish it in my lifetime. ☺

Melanie said...

The GFG quilt is the reason I wanted to start quilting. It is definitely one of my favorites. I have been working on one for years now. It will take me a long time to finish, but I know it will be so worth it! Love yours, so pretty!

Cathy @ CabbageQuilts said...

I adore Grandmothers flower garden quilts, I think my first ever foray into patchwork was a gfg cushion! I would love to be in one of your classes one day! xo

Truffle queen said...

I made a GFG using '30s hexagons that Jane (of Jane's fabrics) didn't want! A shoebox FULL!! I STILL have some! Did you use the papers from "Paper Pieces" in Sycamore, IL? I had the opportunity of seeing their operation in the flesh! Wow - talk about a LOT of hexagons, diamonds, etc, etc! FUN!! Question - do you quilt the GFG by hand or machine? Mine is still waiting for that step!!

Cindy said...

I love to English Paper Piece. It was the perfect project to work on when we traveled with Max and baseball. Fun project.

Nanette Merrill said...

You are such a fantastic teacher.

Marlin said...

Hello, I love gardening. I found some awesome points here to make my garden beautiful and unique.


Marlin recently posted...flower gardening tips for beginners