Grandmother's Flower Garden

Daughter # 2 has remained faithful to her first love... quilting.

She her garden.

Grandmother’s Flower Garden is a pattern based on the assembly of seven hexagons. One central hexagon is surrounded by six adjoining hexagons of a different pattern. The flower units are typically surrounded by a neutral color to accent the flower units.

A hexagon template was transferred to index cards, sprayed with light weight adhesive, and adhered to the fabric (saw this method demonstrated on youtube). The seam allowance was folded over on the index card. The hexagons were sewn together by hand (right sides matching) using a neutral colored thread. This method is a variation on English Paper Piecing.

http://www.patternsfromhistory.com/colonial_revival/flower_garden.htm

"If quilts have taken the country by storm, then the hexagon Flower Garden, or Grandmother's Flower Garden, or the French Rose Garden---whatever your locality calls it---well, it's a whirlwind."

"Listen in on any group of ardent quilt fans and you will hear frequent mention of this most popular pattern of the day and it is not hard to see why." ¹
Romance of the Patchwork Quilt - 1935

Barbara Brackman reports that the Grandmother's Flower Garden was the most popular pattern after 1925. She tells us, "...many women who never made another quilt finished a Grandmother's Flower Garden." ²

References:

¹ p 88 "The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt" by Carrie A. Hall & Rose G. Kretsinger

² p 169 "Clues in the Calico" by Barbara Brackman