“If I called this flower a platycodon I don’t suppose many of you would know what I meant. But if I refer to it as a balloon flower open to the breeze and sun you would recognize it at once. Am I right?”
“Right you are, Nancy. We recognize it, but what color shall we make it?” “The balloon flower is blue or white. Since we are making these flowers on a white background I suggest that you use blue. You might use a fine blue and white check or stripe. That will give the effect you want. Be careful, though, that you do not choose too dark or strong a blue. Now let’s get to work.”
The members did just as you have learned to do. First, they cut the pattern from paper, traced it lightly on white triangle, traced it again on lightweight cardboard. Then they put the original with its accompanying directions in the Nancy Page quilt scrap book for safe keeping. If you haven’t the directions for making one of those scrap books write to your paper for that leaflet.
After the cardboard tracing was made it was cut into its parts These were laid on the color fast, soft material of which the flower, leaves and stem would be made. For the stem, Nancy suggests, as you know, bias tape. Its use saves {part of the article is missing & from here it goes on to say…} After the birds were appliquéd the block was ready to be put into the quilt.
By the time this block was finished the fourth row of urns with their birds and flowers were completed. Now the group were ready to add the white diamonds. The four blocks, the daffodil, poppy, rose and balloon flower were seamed to lower sides of white diamonds that were joining the third row of flowers. In each case the lower left of a diamonds was seamed to the upper right of a new block and the lower right to the upper left. Nancy admitted this sounded complicated, but it wasn’t, once the pieces were laid out on a flat surface. It is just a matter of putting the white diamonds in between the flower block diamonds. At the two outer sides of the quilt there is a white triangle, in place of a white diamond. These triangles later furnish the straight sides of the quilt to which a border is attached.
The club worked so steadily at the seaming and joining that they scarcely noticed Nancy when she came in with Chinese tea and rice flour cakes. She explained that these were in keeping since the flower was often called a Chinese bell flower. The members expressed appreciation and made the rest of us so hungry that it is time to say, “Let’s stop and eat.”
I haven’t been able to work on my Balloon Flower block so I don’t have anything to show off. I will update this when I do get the chance!
Do you have any Garden Bouquet Quilt blocks to show off? Leave a link to your blog post about it in the comment section or email me a photo at heathers_custom_sewing{at}yahoo.com so I can share with everyone!
I hope you are enjoying this series!
~Heather
Quick Links to:
Month 1: Beginning Instructions, Urn, and Basket InstructionsMonth 2, Part 1: The TulipMonth 2, Part 2: The Saucy BirdMonth 2, Part 3: The Meek BirdMonth 3: The CactusMonth 4: Lily of the ValleyMonth 5: The Wild RoseMonth 6: The TrilliumMonth 7: Canterbury BellsMonth 8: NasturtiumMonth 9: The PansyMonth 10: The Tiger LilyMonth 11: The PrimroseMonth 12: The ZinniaMonth 13: The DaffodilMonth 14: The PhloxMonth 15: The PoppyMonth 16: The RoseHand AppliquéMachine AppliquéAlternate Method of Appliqué TutorialBiased Binding Tutorial
Maternity by Pablo Picasso
