Grandmother's Flower Garden - A Quilt You Can Make

By Susan M. Thigpen © 1987A finished quilt will look something like this.

Issue: March, 1987

This is a very old quilt pattern, although just how old no one seems to know. If you would rather work with needle and thread instead of seeds and dirt, you can still produce a "beautiful crop" by summer.

This quilt pattern is best done by hand instead of on a sewing machine because the corners are very hard to sew together. Make sure you cut your pattern and pieces very carefully because if they aren't straight, it will distort the size and shape of your quilt blocks and you'll have a heck of a time trying to fit them together.

Every block in the quilt is the same size and shape. You have the option of finishing the outside row in the same pattern, which is beautiful but difficult, or using one half of the pattern to come out with a straight edge. One of the nicest things about this quilt pattern is that it can be cut from small scraps of material. You might like to go through your scrap material and see if you have suitable fabric for the pattern. You will probably want to buy enough material of one color to do the background of the top and match it with the backing.

When you are sewing the individual pieces together, do not sew all the way to the corner. Stop about one quarter of an inch from the end. When you sew the next piece to the first two, you can spread that open corner to meet the shape of the new piece you are attaching. Stitch right up to the last line of stitching so that there won't be any gaps in your finished top. Continue to sew individual pieces around in a circle (attaching them to the center piece) until you have one flower completed. After you have the correct number of flower blocks finished to complete your quilt, then start attaching the flowers together in rows with the background color material pieces. After rows are complete, attach rows together to form a complete quilt top.

Quilt pattern.Quilt the top and backing of the quilt together by stitching around the "flower shape" and the "center" of the flower. This will cause the flowers to puff slightly and give a pretty effect.

Choose any colors you like. Usually, the brighter the colors, the prettier a Grandmother's Flower Garden is.

Choose a solid color material as the background to put in the rows joining each "flower" to each other.

Good luck with your quilting. If you are new to quilting, you might want to get your feet wet by making a pillow top first. This will be a good test to see if you would like to devote the time and patience it will take to do a full size quilt. Never underestimate the value of something you make yourself. It could well become the heirloom your descendants treasure!