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.

Hexagon Needlebooks

Tonight I am teaching a class that involves hexagons, so I've been looking for various ways to use the shape.
I found a great tutorial for Hexagon Needlebooks over on My Three Sons.

These little notebooks are easy to do and are a fun way to use scraps of focus fabrics.

Hexagons are the perfect shape to do a little fussy cutting.

The inside of the needlebook is made of wool.

This fat quarter was a gift from a friend,

that contained wonderful designs that could also be used for the back.

I'm sure you can find D-rings in many places, but I found mine at my local quilt store, 4 for around $1.50

White Pumpkins

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it: the colors, the cooler temperatures, the wonderful smells of soups and stews wafting from the kitchen.
Fall is Pumpkins. Even though I love the beautiful hues of the traditional oranges found in most pumpkins, I have always been drawn to to the uniqueness of white pumpkins.

A few years ago when I was enmeshed in the art of primitive rug hooking, I made
Pumpkin Vines
(size 28" X 63")

Pumpkin Vines is a design by Emma Lou Lais.

Emma Lou has been a leader in keeping the art of rug hooking alive in the United States. I had the privilege of taking several workshops from her when she came to a friends home here in Utah.

White pumpkins are also known as Albino pumpkins, Ghost pumpkins, Snowball, Casper, Lumina, Baby Boo, and Cotton Candy pumpkins.

White pumpkins have the same taste and flavor as orange pumpkins, and can be substituted in recipes.

And if you would like to make this wonderful pumpkin out of recycled white sweaters, there is a free tutorial over on Small Fry & Co.

Knit Purse

While I was teaching my class the other day, a student's purse really caught my eye.
Look at this wonderful purse that was first knitted and then felted down.

Love the colors.
She said she just "made up the design", and that the purse was easy to make.
The bag was soft to the touch and sturdy enough that it didn't even need a lining.

Little bits of ribbon were intertwined amidst the yarns.

Learning to knit has been on my Wish List for years. sigh...someday.

Mumbo Gumbo-ing

I taught another class yesterday on Mumbo Gumbo. I've taught this class several times, and I keep wondering if there is anyone else in our small town who will sign up.

This is such a great way to use up scraps, that the popularity of this pattern continues to draw quilters in.

One woman approached me and asked how many fat quarters she needed to purchase to make Mumbo Gumbo. I explained that you don't need to buy fabric to make this quilt, and this is a great opportunity to use up all those leftover scraps that don't match.
She is a new quilter without a stash, and very much wants to make Mumbo Gumbo.
I very willingly gave her an entire bin of my scraps. It was quite a relief to know all those fabric strips will now have a good home.

MG is one of those projects where you pull out a random strip and sew away.

No color planning. No strict quilt rules.

For some of the ladies this was a little difficult and made them work outside their box.

Fortunately everyone was all smiles as we sewed along.

Isn't that what quilt classes are all about? We learn new ways to approach our art.

Mumbo Gumbo is by Pie In The Sky Quilts

One of my students suggested that this would be a great group project to work on for a charity quilt. Give everyone a stash of fabric strips, and have them each make one or two blocks.

I always learn so much from fellow quilters.