GFG photo update and The Underground Railroad Quilt

Hi everyone. I had a few email questions about the pin in the hole that is punched out in the freezer paper method of the Grandmother's Flower Garden. Here is a close-up of the pin. I place it inside the hole and grab just the fabric not the paper. It holds it in place if the paper isn't sticking too well, especially if I have shoved the flower in my purse and it's all wrinkled.

Oh, did I say shoved a flower in my purse...well maybe I do. Let me set the scene for you. Your in the doctor's waiting room for an hour... your lap is covered with a spool of thread, hexagons, little scissors and snips of thread everywhere... they call your name. Ahhhh!!! You scramble to gather everything and shove it in your purse, not even the little baggie that you carry your hexes around in. It's all in your purse!! You walk in and you notice that you have snips of thread hanging off the back of your pants. Lovely. I know some of you have been there...admit it.


The next few pictures are of a quilt that my daughter is starting for her graduation requirements for high school. Our state has mandated 2 required projects that must be completed to graduate. One is called PBGR, proficiency based graduation requirements. This is an electronic portfolio of work that is specially graded, then scanned into the e-portfolio to show a student is proficient in 6 major areas. This is all extra work on top of the regular school work. This years class needs 32 PBGRs.

The second requirement is a senior exhibition project. Each senior must chose a subject that they are interested in and then expand their knowledge of that subject. It consists of an 8-10 page report, a physical project to demonstrate, 16 hours with a mentor, a journal of the process and then a 10 minute speech in front of a panel of judges. This sounds like a lot and it is. I feel for the kids. I have a senior and a junior so we have to through this back to back.

Well, our oldest daughter, who has no interest in sewing, crafting or cooking has surprised us by choosing to make a quilt. It is the Underground Railroad quilt. She has already finished her paper and now we, oh I mean she has the task of making the quilt. I forgot to mention the mentor can not be a family member. She doesn't even know how to turn on the sewing machine...this is going to be a process for sure. If you have children, you know a part of you is walking across that stage at graduation. Remember all the years of cutting, glue, sewing, typing, crying, up all night or is all this just at our house!!! lol. Thankfully our girls are smarties and always do well. Our oldest has a 4.0 and has so far been excepted into 2 universities...waiting on four more letters. Never mind waiting for letters...I'm waiting for money to fall from the sky to pay for it all!!

Here's the fabric: civil war era, mostly from Windham and Andover. There are some pictures of the book and some pages inside. It is by Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard.

Wish us, I mean wish her luck with the quilt!!

Have a great weekend!!

~Karen~

Grandmother's Flower Garden Paper Piecing Tutorial

Hi everyone!! I had so many email requests for instructions on paper piecing a Grandmother's Flower Garden, I thought I would give a tutorial a try. I want to warn you though...I am not an expert on this. I have tried so many things along the way, these are the steps that work best for me. Please feel free to use all or as little as you'd like...I just hope this helps!! It may seem long, but it's hard not to list everything.

For me I like to read something fast, not big long instructions. So I think I might just bullet before each picture, so it's a quick read.

Paper Choices

Choose one paper type and stick with it through whole project. Different paper thickness will give different sized hexagons.

• Freezer paper: found in grocery stores next to aluminum foil, $5-$6 for a huge roll. This is my paper choice and will be in the instructions. You can iron on fabric and use it over and over again. See warning below on the ironing part.
  
• index cards




• magazine pull out thingys that we all hate




• old cards: Christmas/birthday/any holiday card

Tools

• scissors
  
• hole punch
  
• stapler
  
• staple remover: not necessary but easier if you use the staple method

Freezer Paper Method:

• The picture below is a warning. Freezer paper has 2 sides: a dull side that will not hurt your iron and a shiny side that you will cry over if it hits your iron. SHINY SIDE DOWN on wrong side of fabric. I warned you. My job is done here.

Templates

• choose your desired size and cut one out of a sturdy cardboard or plastic
  

Preparing Paper

• cut a large piece of freezer paper about 18" long
• fan fold it, making sure each fold is a little larger than your hexagon template
• trace your hexagon template onto freezer paper, butt one straight edge next to the other...makes for easy cutting later.
• once you have traced them all on the length of paper, staple down each side on the INSIDE of each hexagon. This is to ensure the papers do not move when it's time to cut them apart.
  
  
  

Hole punch

• punch hole in the cut hexagons: this step is optional, but I do it for 2 reasons
• 1: you can place a small pin inside the hole through the fabric to keep the paper from moving
• 2: you can use a little wooden skewer in the hole at the end of the project to pop out the papers. see 2nd picture below this text.
• you really don't need to pin if you are using the papers for the first few times, because they really stick well when you iron them on. The pin is good for older papers or if you are using other forms of paper.

Staple Removal

• remove staples
• separate papers
  
  
  

Ready for Fabric

• place freezer paper hexagons SHINY SIDE DOWN on the wrong side of fabric, either on a strip of fabric or a square of fabric. Make sure the fabric is 1/4" larger on all sides
• iron with a hot iron just for a couple seconds: it doesn't take long to adhere.
• paper can be used (ironed) over and over again
  
  

Cutting

• at this point you can cut out each hexagon exactly or leave it as a square as seen below.
• if you leave it as a square there is less cutting, you can use squares you already have and no one sees the wrong side anyway.
• However, there may be some of that extra fabric in the way if you were to hand quilt it a 1/4" from the edge.
  
  
  

Hand Sewing

• fold over first edge of fabric over paper (picture 1)
• still holding onto to first edge, fold over second edge. (picture 2)
• with needle and knotted thread take a small stitch just at the intersection of the overlapped corner. (picture 3)
• DO NOT GO THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE. STITCH ONLY THROUGH THE FOLDED CORNER. (you'll see why later)
• proceed to next corner, fold over edge and take another stitch. Still again, do not go through to the other side. (picture 4)
• when you have finished sewing all side it should look like picture 5 if you have trimmed the fabric and picture 6 if you left it as a square.
• the last picture 7 shows the right side of the fabric hexagon. See, no stitches on the front and nothing to pull out when you are done. The stitches that you put in on the other side stay in. NO PULLING OUT THREADS... WOOHOO!!!!

picture 1

picture 2

picture 3


picture 4



picture 5


picture 6

picture 7
See no threads to remove on the right side of fabric!!!

one less step




Making the Flower

• take 2 hexagons ( I start with the center and one flower petal) and with right sides together whip stitch across one side. I use tiny stitches, just taking a little of the fabric, being careful not to go through the paper.
• once the side is stitched, do not cut the thread. Open the 2 hexagons place another piece and begin stitching another side.

Examples

Here are a few pictures of some small flowers that I've made which will be sewn into pincushions. You can make your flowers larger, with more rows and follow the traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern or you can applique a flower onto a quilt or fabric to make a pillow or a framed picture.


These next 2 pictures are the front and back of a flower that has already been sewn together. Just needs to be stuffed and whipped stitched closed.

This last picture is of a tiny one. Can you see all the threads on the wrong side that are just left there and don't have to be removed!


Well, I hope that wasn't too confusing. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. This was my first tutorial so go easy on me!! lol

Have a great day!!
~Karen~

Giveaway Photo Update and My Grandmother's Flower Garden

Here are the 2 pictures I promised of the paper pieced pin cushion for the giveaway. I used different fabrics for the front and back. Not sure why my computer switched the way I can download pictures from my camera, but I finally figured it out. If you are new to this blog, go to this post and sign up for the giveaway for both the pin cushion and the heart table runner/wall hanging. I'll be picking the winner on Saturday.

Since we're talking about Grandmother's Flower Garden and paper piecing, thought I would show you the quilt I have been paper piecing for years...and I mean years. It's one of those quilts!!! I keep little baggies of flowers everywhere: in each car, in every purse, by the bed and near the couch. If I can steal a moment somewhere, I take a few stitches.

I started this quilt in, I think 2000. I told my husband it would be a gift to him for our 50th wedding anniversary. This summer we will be celebrating 22 wonderful years of marriage. Get the picture here...no pressure to sew this one. I have 28 more years to finish!!! lol I'll probably still be blogging, so I'll post a picture when it's done!! Hope you can stick around with me.

Grandmother's Flower Garden is meaningful to me, because that's how I started blogging. I met 2 friends, Jodi and Vanessa, by helping them out with their paper piecing flower gardens. They welcomed me into the world of blogging and the rest is history. Thanks ladies!!

Well, I'm off to bed. I have to catch a train to Boston at 6:15 am to go to a conference. Don't make me go...it's so cold and it just snowed here in New England all day, then changed to freezing rain. Yuck!!

Have a great night,

~Karen~

Enjoy the pictures!