Grandma’s Floral Garden
I know my great aunt Florence pieced this together, but there is a possibility that my great grandmother, her mother, helped with the piecing too. I’m so thrilled to have this piece of heritage! It is ALL hand-pieced! Can you believe it? For as big as it is, I can’t imagine what it took to do all of that by hand. This quilt top measured to be about 88” x 81”
English Paper Piecing
English Paper Piecing is an amazing skill! Essentially, you fold and lightly glue a piece of fabric around a piece of paper. Seam allowance has been added to the fabric so that it folds over the paper neatly. Each seam is then hand stitched together, one-at-a-time. Hexagons are a common shape with this type of quilting, but other small shapes, like triangles, rhombi, and small squares, can also be used. It’s almost like playing with the small wooden shapes that we used in elementary school.
Look at that detail!
Take a minute to look at that detail! I’m in such awe by the amount of time and dedication to each flower and each piece. The vintage cotton prints are amazing to see too! I took this quilt top to a friend of mine who has a long arm quilting machine. The pattern she chose is gorgeous with the bees, flowers and little hexagons.
Finishing touches
I found a soft sage green fabric in my stash that I thought would be perfect for the binding. I attached the binding by hand to pay homage to how this quilt was pieced together. I love the heritage that will follow this quilt wherever it goes.
