Introducing my latest quilt design the Granny’s Flower Patch quilt a beautiful quilt inspired by my love for growing flowers in my garden.
The Granny’s Flower Patch Quilt evolved after looking at the various ways a traditional Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt design could be created. It’s hard not to fall in love with this iconic English Paper Piecing design and it is more often than not on every EPPer’s to make wish list.
I too have a desire to make one, but I also have a desire to make English Paper Piecing accessible to time poor stitchers who love the idea of hand stitching, but perhaps don’t won’t to hand stitch an entire quilt together. And so, I started to think about how you could deconstruct a Grandmother’s Flower Quilt to make a simpler version that still incorporated hexie flowers and could still be beautiful.
As usual when starting a new quilt design, I headed to my stash to see what would inspire me. I started with a single fabric, dark teal with a small floral print on it, and built my selection around this, pulling out fabrics that used the same colours as in the first print.
When selecting fabric, I always make sure to select some low volumes and solids to help with contrast and harmony.
Without even really realizing it, I had selected a range of colours that feature in many of the beautiful dahlias and zinnias I grow in my garden.
Next, I started to make the double hexie flowers choosing a solid and pattern fabric that complemented each other. If I used solid for the center flower, I did the outer petals in a print and vice versa.
For the single flowers I did pattern fabrics for the petals and chose a solid center that picked up on the main petal colour while also allowing for contrast.
Once I had all my flowers ready it was time to choose how and what I was going to applique them on to. I decide to slip stitch applique the double hexie flowers on to four patch blocks using solid pastel colours. These flower blocks would then be stitched together, four across and four down to create the quilt top.
Once the quilt top was complete, I then appliqued the single flowers in between the double ones where the block seams met, using the same applique method.
Once I had all my flowers appliqued it was time to quilt. I created a pieced back from two fabrics and pin basted the quilt.
I decided to try out Wonderfil’s Spagetti and Fruitti 12wt cotton thread for the quilting. I really enjoyed using this thread. I was able to colour match the threads to my fabrics pretty well and it was nice to quilt with. I did a combination of short and long quilt stitches.
For the binding I ended up choosing a lovely Liberty floral fabric that picked up on all the colours in the hexie flowers.
I’ve never used a small floral print for binding, nor Liberty fabric and I love how it has turned out. Using the floral print gives the whole quilt a little lift and I think if I’d gone with one of the plainer options I was thinking of, it would have left the quilt feeling flat and a bit plain.
To stitch my binding down on the back I chose a different technique that I had seen Amanda of Prairie Quilt Co. do on one of her quilts. She used a large running stitch that shows on the back.
I used the same Fruitti variegated thread that I used to quilt around my hexie flowers in big stitches to sew down the binding, which I think then links back to the quilting on the front.
I am so happy with my finished Granny’s Flower Patch Quilt.
It is the perfect lap sized quilt, and I have enjoyed snuggling underneath it of an evening while I sit and stitch.
There is just something so beautiful about creating hexie flowers. This quilt reminds me of summer blooms in my garden and now I can feel the happiness they bring me all year round with my quilt.
The Granny’s Flower Patch Quilt is a choose your own adventure quilt pattern!
The pattern can be made in four different sizes: Crib, Lap, Twin/Single and Queen.
There are five different pattern versions that use either hexagons or jewels for a twist. My version is also included.
All instructions are included so that you can plan out your shapes, prepare your fabric, how to piece and applique your flowers, construct the quilt top and quilting.
This is the perfect pattern if you are just getting started in English Paper Piecing.
Pattern releasing June 1st
BONUS OFFER!
My Guide to English Paper Piecing is releasing June 1st! In this comprehensive digital PDF download book, I share all my best tips, techniques and wisdom on EPP gained over 20 years of slow stitching.
Get the Granny’s Flower Patch PDF pattern for FREE when you purchase the guidebook in the first week of release.*
Offer valid from June 1st through to midnight June 7th.
