Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 18- Forget-Me-Not

The members of the Nancy Page quilt club were already bemoaning the fact that there were only four more meetings of the club. But Nancy reminded them that they would meet to plan a border and a quilting pattern. So that there were really six meetings still to come, if you count the one today as coming. Today the group makes the first flower in the last row. It is appropriately enough a forget-me-not.

For members who thought the flower was too large to represent a forget-me-not Nancy said, “All right, call it an anemore if you want to. Or make it a blue flax. I don’t care. You see all those flowers are about the same shape. It’s just a matter of persona; preference.”

The forget-me-not may be made in pale blue or in pale blue and in pale pink. One of the flowers may be blue and two of them pink. In any case, though, Nancy advised that the deeper part of the flower, shown by the shaded portion, be of the same color as the upper part. It might be a darker shade. But she didn’t advise blue and pink combined in one flower.

The materials chosen are color fast and of a softness which will allow easy stitching. Gingham is good.

The tiny circle in the center of the wide open flower may be embroidered in color fast embroidery cotton. The larger circle may be worked in outline stitch, or it may be a small appliquéd circle of a deeper shade of cloth. The outline stitch is the easier to use.

After the pattern with its accompanying directions was cut from the paper a light tracing was made on the white triangle which is seamed to the lower triangle block. This lower triangle consists of the pieced urn.

After the tracing on the cloth has been made, a second tracing is made on the lightweight cardboard. This is cut out and used as patterns for cutting the materials which will soon appear as flower and leaves.

The patterns are laid on material and the pieces cut with one-quarter inch allowance on all sides. The raw edges are turned under this quarter inch and basted and pressed.
Then the pieces are laid in place on the traced outline and appliquéd in place. A slanting, invisible hemming stitch is used.

The stem, which is best made of bias tape, is continued up under the open flower as indicated by the dotted lines. The dotted lines in the flowers show where pieces overlap. It is wise to allow sufficient material for under laying, otherwise the pattern pulls out of shape.

The flowers may be done in outline stitch, although this is not advised. They, as well as the leaves and stem, may be colored with crayon which is set into material by pressing with a hot iron.

The pieces may be appliquéd by using a buttonhole stitch. When this is done it is not necessary to allow the quarter in for turning under edges since the buttonhole covers the raw edges.

The birds are appliquéd in place and the seventeenth block of the garden bouquet quilt is finished.

(Click in the image to enlarge, right click & save to your computer, when you print it make sure the square equals 1 inch.)

I haven’t been able to work on my 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 Instructions
Month 2, Part 1: The Tulip
Month 2, Part 2: The Saucy Bird
Month 2, Part 3: The Meek Bird
Month 3: The Cactus
Month 4: Lily of the Valley
Month 5: The Wild Rose
Month 6: The Trillium
Month 7: Canterbury Bells
Month 8: Nasturtium
Month 9: The Pansy
Month 10: The Tiger Lily
Month 11: The Primrose
Month 12: The Zinnia
Month 13: The Daffodil
Month 14: The Phlox
Month 15: The Poppy
Month 16: The Rose
Month 17: Balloon Flower

Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial