I'm thinking about trying Grandma's flower garden. Am thinking about using my scraps and doing it all by hand. How do you think this would look using only scraps? Haven't made a scrap quilt before, I usually try to coordinate the colors which leaves me with alot of scraps. What do you think?

I think go for it.

Sounds great!!

go for it...are you going to try and keep all the "paths" light? i think it will look great

Before you commit to a full quilt, you need to like the process of working the Gardens by hand. Plan your Centers, (one color? or varied?);
your Inner (first) Circle of 6 (solid? multicolor? random?); your Outer Circle of 12 (contrasting? solid or tone on tone? floral?). Experiment first.

Make up three or four gardens, and decide on your "Garden Path". At this point, either you like your work or you can drop it. I strongly advise making up a few Garden blocks at a time--NOT cutting thousands of hexagons before stitching.

Go for it! I'm working on one that's king size...and I'm getting there. This is a great "grab and go" project. I've worked on mine at the hospital waiting room, at work, traveling, and it's great for tv watching. I guess you could say that mine is scrappy - but every circle is the same. My MIL has one that's very old and it is entirely scrappy.. and it's beautiful. Like tealfalcon said, tie it together with the "path".

I think they would look lovely

My question is, Why Not! Sounds like fun.

I think this is a great idea...I have a Grandmas Flower Garden that is my take along hand project...I am doing red, white, and blue, with yellow centers but I cut fabric as I need it...place the hexagons in a ziploc bag and go....I have a couple of gardens that had I worked them up in advance I would of swapped the rows of 12.

I do want to make a scrappy one someday :)

Sounds good.

love working with sracps. when it done you fill like to got something for nothing.

I love scrappy so I think it would look great! cant wait to see the finished product. I've been working on one for a year and its scrappy and very little progess, I hate hand work.

I'm making mine with scrappy flowers; the path is one color.

It will work well. Every flower should be different.

Google GFG and you will see many, many scrap GFG's.
(write out GFG)

That's pretty much what I am doing but coordinating in each flower. I have 42 out of 44 full flowers done...It actually goes a lot faster than you think it will once you get going! It's addictive!

I bought some paper templates at the quilt expo. I'm told I don't have to cut hexagons, just strips, fold the fabric over the template, baste, sew together and pop out the template. Hope it is as simple as it sounds.

actually it is! I cut my own templates and pin on my 2 1/2 inch square (or so). I do a quick cut around with small scissors so I don't have too large a seam allowance/bulk and that they are fairly consistent. Then I whip stitch/baste and they are good to go!

I dont pin mine either, nor do I cut hexagons. Just use squares. Its so easy. :)

I'm doing a scrappy one too.. actually a few scrappies. :) Don't worry about it, just have fun.

Hi, I think scrappy would be excellent... there are not rules saying it has to be the traditional. I am working on one myself, using medium to light florals and solids... I plan to do the path in white... I will take some pictures of what flowers I have made so far.. It is a fun project and one you can take along anywhere to work on.

I just read your comment.... I would not pop any papers out until each row is surrounded by another or you may have trouble when you go to add the next row or connect the path. :)

Computer running slow ... repeated above! ;)

yep - I agree with roseofsharon - DON"T take out the template until the hexagon is surrounded on all sides. it's a pain in the tooshy if the template is out too early.

Also agree with keeping the papers in. I still have most of mine in even in the middle. After I get all of the flowers and sides ready to go, I want to starch them all to stiffen a bit before sewing them into the rows. And then removing all the papers.

Sounds great. What is the "path"?

I use the batting as my template and enclose the whole piece with quilting before stitching each unit to each other like English method of top stitching or whipping along the edges. That way it becomes a quilt as you go, and is finished when I decide to stop.

This is also on my list of quilts to make. Thank you for your suggestions.

To tie it all together you will need one color for the path or the flowers will be lost in the "weeds". I used index cards for the base, stitched the hexagons on cards, hand whipped them together and used the cards many times. This is a good project to carry along. Keep in a box that you can grab at a moment's notice when you need something to do with your hands.
A favorite of mine and my mother's.

Carol J.

sounds great, have fun and enjoy the journey of the garden

I hate to appear stupid, but what is "the path." The centers?

My GFGs are "controled" scrappy. The rows of each flower is the same, but each flower is different. I have used the same yellow for each flower center, and only one green fabric for the path's. I have seen a couple here on this thread where the flower is all scrappy. I like that idea also. I love that tiny one someone posted! Mine are 1 in. hexies, but I think I have fallen in love with the smaller ones. Just have fun which ever way you go. It is a nice take-along project, and a good scrap buster.

Most of these quilts ARE made with scraps and they look great.
Good luck, Kutnso

Most of these quilts ARE made with scraps and they look great.
Good luck, Kutnso

Isn't that what grandma's garden is? I think it would be fun to go back and look at all the scraps you have created over the years!

Oh this makes it even clearer...now we have "weeds."
Still don't get the "path" thing...are you talking about the material in between each of the flowers?? There are the petals, then the centers, then path??? Weeds???? I am lost.

I think grandmas flower garden is perfect for scraps.

I started on my first GFG yesterday and quickly got tired of basting !!! So I sprayed starch in a small cover and wet all around the hex then prerssed---Voila---they held perfectly to sew them together. I found that you should match your thread, I used off white on red and the stitches showed a little, to me anyway.
Good luck, Kutnso

Sounds good will keep you busy for awhile.

A nice way to try something new.

Each flower is edged with a solid color and you "walk" through the garden of flowers on this path. If the flowers are printed fabric, the path would be solid so each flower will show up. If you put the flowers side by side without the path, they will just be a jumble of color. Each garden has a path you can walk on to see the flowers in your own garden and Grandmother's Garden.
A logical question if you have never seen this design. Grandmother's Garden pattern has been around for many years and the arrangements just as many. I first saw it when I was a child in the 30's, my mother loved it, was her favorite and so easy to make but best done by hand, the seams are too short to use the sewing machine.

Carol J.