Update on "Grandmother's Flower Garden" Quilt

I started thinking that I wasn't getting very far by making a few hexagons and then sewing them together.  I figured that I would feel that I was making better progress if made several hundred hexagons before sewing them together.  With that said I have been working hard making the hexagons.

I know that this doesn't look like much but there are 57 print hexagons, 53 white hexagons, and 44 green hexagons.  I think I need to make a lot more before I start putting them together.  This is going to be a slow moving project.

Week Three: "Grandmother's Flower Garden" Quilt

This week was very busy, so I didn't get as far as I would have liked to.

Week Two: "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt

 I do apologize for the lack of post lately.  It is due to a lack of knowledge of computers and technical difficulties.

 This is my week two progress on my "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt.

Grandmother's Flower Garden

After spending many hours on the internet, I came up with a pattern to make my "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt.  I really liked both the green background and the white background so I decided to incorporate both into my design.

So, I decided to make a double flower with white hexagons around the flower and then a row of green around the flowers.  I also decided to make all the centers in yellow.

Now that I had my design in my head I went to the internet to download some hexagon graph paper. I went to the bottom of the page and used the 5ish to the inch black link, and printed the paper.

 Using colored pencils I mapped out my design.  This may change, but it is a start.

Now it is time to start my "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt.

I am going to try to post my progress each week on the blog.  So look for updates every Tuesday!

 Week one progress!

Hexagons

When Martelli had templates on their Redline Direct, I bought a set of hexagons. At the time I bought then I had no idea what I was going to do with them.  Then I saw a "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt on line and knew that I had to make it.

 Well, for starters it is pieced together using the English paper piecing method.  If you don't know what that is, here is a video that will help you understand English paper piecing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHe-MJavMqI.

I decided to start by making a pin cushion that I found in McCall's Quilting Magazine (Nov./Dec. 2013) to get me started with hexagons.

I used Martelli hexagons to cut both the paper and the fabric.

I used the 2 inch fussy cut template to make my paper pattern.  After I make one sheet, I then copied the paper several times and then cut out all the hexagons.

 

I first cut a 2 1/2 by 3 inch pieces of fabric, then using the template, I cut the hexagon shapes.

 

Next I pinned the paper shapes to the fabric.

I have stitched the edges down and now I am ready to whip stitch the hexagons together.  I stitched mine down differently than in any of the other videos.  I tack down ONLY the corners (with a stitch and then a back stitch) making sure that I do NOT go through the paper. This helps preserve the paper so that it can be used over many times.

Next I pressed them and right after I press them and before I sew them together, I take out the papers (which can be used again).  This is different than any of the youtube videos that I watched.  I just don't see the need for the paper when sewing them together.

I sewed all the sides together except one.  I stuffed it with crushed walnut shells, that I got at the pet store, before whip stitching the last side of the last hexagon.  My finished pin cushion!