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Old 05-04-2011, 04:50 PM
  #5  
Prism99
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
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I would recommend a grandmother's flower garden too, for hand piecing. It's not an easy pattern to machine piece.

I don't use paper foundations and whip stitching for this pattern (English paper piecing method). I just cut lots of hexagons and then "eyeball" the 1/4" seam allowance when hand piecing. Works great. (If just starting out, you can pencil mark the corners; no need to trace each side.) This is the method I saw Jinny Beyer demonstrate on a video.

My absolute favorite way to cut the hexagons is with an Ardco metal template (the one with the center cut out). I cut strips the correct width, then use the metal template as a guide to make the other cuts. I like these templates because they are very accurate, don't slip, and are pretty much indestructible. Here is a link to them:
http://www.ardcotemplates.com/
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