Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 24- Dresden Plate Quilting Design

Not all the members of the Nancy Page needlework club wanted to use the leaf pattern for quilting the white blocks in the Garden bouquet quilt. They wanted some other designs. And not only for that quilt but for others as well.

Accordingly Nancy had other block patterns which she is suggesting for use. They are called the Dresden plate, the ring on rig and the rosette.

Each week she will give one pattern. When they are all printed she plans to start another quilt. It’s a brand new one and she won’t give a hint as to its plan or color scheme. But she counsels patience. You’ll see it before long.

The one she has today she calls the Dresden plate. She might call it the “Aster” or the “Friendship” or the “Album” pattern. It is planned for the quilt which bears any of those names.

In the quilt the blocks are made of wedge shaped pieces joined to form a circle. There is a circular piece appliquéd in center. And the whole thing is appliquéd to a plain white block.

These quilts are satisfactory in that they use up scraps of material. Even large patterned pieces may be used, since just a wedge is cut. Those large patterned pieces are not so good for flowers or birds, such as we have been using in the Garden Bouquet quilt. In that quilt it is better to use plain and small patterned prints. They do not distort the outline of the appliqué by their own figures.

In the quilting pattern given today the method of procedure is as follows: Trace this onto regular tracing paper. This is tough but semi transparent. Just one-fourth of pattern is given. It is wise to make a complete pattern. This is easily done by using center point as a converging point and repeating pattern three more times.

Carbon paper is useful for transferring pattern, or the tracing paper may be laid over the paper pattern. Since the tracing paper is semi transparent it is easy to see lines through. A sharp pencil will carry the design.

Now paste the newspaper pattern into the Nancy Page scrapbook. Once it is in there you have it safe for future use.

Take a pillow, a sharp pin and set to work to prick the tracing paper pattern.

There are regular perforating machines but the home maker does not need one. Perforate the pattern with pin holes placed about an eighth of an inch apart. The toughness of tracing paper purchased at a stationer’s- comes in to play in the fact that close perforation does not tear paper.

When the pattern is completely pricked, get a wad of soft cloth or cotton and the stamping powder or paste.

Follow directions given with these and you soon will have the pattern transferred to quilt.

Then the fun of quilting begins.

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
Month 18: Forget-Me-Not
Month 19: The Lemon Lily
Month 20: The Crocus
Month 21: The Violet
Month 22: The Border
Month 23: Leaf Quilting Deisgn
~*~
Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 23- Leaf Quilting Design

In readiness for the quilting Nancy had the quilting frames set up in her guest room. She was not expecting company for a week or two so the room would not e occupied and the frames could remain in place.

She had purchased some heavy pins for pinning quilt to frame, some “between” needles for quilting, large spools of number 60 white thread, a wool batt for interlining.

White gingham of the same quality as she used on top of the quilt was seamed to make a large piece measuring 90 by 108. This was, of course, the same size as the top of the quilt.

The pieced bottom was pinned to frame first. This was placed with right side toward the floor and the wrong side uppermost.

The batt was unrolled and spread evenly across the top. Nancy could have used Canton flannel, but this doesn’t give the puffy appearance to the finished quilt that a batt of cotton or wool does.

The wrong, or seamed side, of the top of the quilt was now laid on the padding. This top was carefully stretched and pinned in place. The strip of strong unbleached muslin which had been tacked to the frames was the material into which the pins were inserted.

And now came the marking.

Here are some of the ideas the club members had. First, it was understood that each pieced and appliquéd block would be quilted by using fine quilting stitches around the entire outline. This stitching is just outside the appliquéing. Each leaf, each flower, each bird, each urn is thus framed in fine stitchery.

Next it was decided to run diagonal lines, crossing diamond fashion all through body of urn. The slant of these lines was decided by the slant of the base pieces of urn. In the large diamond blocks which joined the pieced blocks, and in the half diamonds on sides and ends and the quarter diamonds at corners the members planned to use the pattern given today- the leaf.

Since the baskets held flowers and leaves it seemed appropriate to add to the garden effect with the quilted leaves.

Once quarter of pattern used for large diamond is given. It radiates from center, with three other leaves just like it radiating from center and filling diamond block. Two leaves are used on half diamonds and one on quarter diamond corners.

The members traced this pattern onto tough tracing paper. Then with a sharp pin they pricked the pattern, putting the pin pricks about an eighth of an inch apart. By holding the tracing paper on cushion the pin goes through paper easily.

This pattern was laid on diamonds and with stamping powder the pattern was transferred. And then quilted.

The entire border was quilted in diamonds spaced one inch apart. Next week comes another pattern for quilting. The experienced quilters could scarcely stay away from the quilt until it was finished and taken from the frames. And when Nancy showed it her friends said, “My dear, I never saw anything so gorgeous. When are you going to give us another quilt?” And Nancy’s answer was, “Oh pretty soon. Just wait and see what a brand new idea I have for it.”

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
Month 18: Forget-Me-Not
Month 19: The Lemon Lily
Month 20: The Crocus
Month 21: The Violet
Month 22: The Border
~*~
Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 22- The Border

There was great excitement in the Nancy Page Quilt club. The last block had been seamed into the quilt. Here it was in all its glory. Flowers, urns and birds were all arranged in orderly sequence. And wasn’t it pretty? You never heard so many “oh’s” and “ah’s.” Each member liked certain blocks of her own better than anyone else’s, and each member found a block or two in a neighbor’s quilt which she wanted to put into her own.

And now came the question of the border. The quilt was planned for a finished size of 90 by 108 inches. This is generous on any double bed. It allows a good hangover at sides and end and a generous tuck in under pillows with enough to spare to cover the pillows like the old-fashioned sham.

If 90 by 108 inches seems too large, and anyone can tell by spreading a sheet of known size over the bed and seeing how much hang-over it allows- then the border may be made smaller.

Nancy planned to make her border with a strip of white (2 ½ inches), then a pieced strip of white and the urn color (3 inches), and then an outer band of urn color (3 inches). She did not plan to scallop the edges, since the general feeling of the urns is one of geometrically and regularly arranged straight pieces. The straight strips may be mitered at the corners, but since the corner square of pieced patches is not mitered it seems wiser to tear the strips of such a length that they reach from top to bottom of the quilt, letting the end and top pieces of the first or inner strip be of same size as pieced center of quilt.

Nancy tore two strips (A and B) of white for each side, for each end, both top and bottom. These are A and B on pattern. In every case these were one-half inch larger than the finished strip was to be. This allowed for seams.

In cutting the blocks- 1 and 1, 2 and 3- she used the patterns as given in today’s paper, always allowing one-quarter inch on all sides for seams. The pattern is worked out for 90 by 108-inch quilt. Be sure to start border of corners and work toward center, to get true and exact corners.

There were other borders which different members used. Frances used a strip of urn color, then white and then urn color. She had these of equal width. Dorothy used the leaf border given last summer. This called for a wide strip of green- she had used a green urn throughout the quilt- for the outermost edge joined to an equally wide strip of white which bordered or framed the pieced center of quilt.

At regular intervals the green and white were decorated with appliquéd leaves of green and white. A green leaf was appliquéd on the white strip and a white leaf on the green strip. They were most effective. Each member worked out her own scheme, as was said before- and each member admired the efforts of the others.

And now came the quilting. And did they discuss what quilting patterns should be used! They did. Next week we will listen to their discussions. All the members cut out today’s patterns and pasted them in their Nancy Page quilt scrapbook. That book was certainly a treasure trove.

We are almost done with the Garden Bouquet Quilt Series. I have thoroughly enjoyed this quilt even though I am slowly working on it and nowhere near completing it. I hope you are enjoying this quilt too. And if you have a quilt you’d like to show off just email me a photo or two to heathers_custom_sewing{at}yahoo.com so I can share it with everyone else!

Thanks!
~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
Month 18: Forget-Me-Not
Month 19: The Lemon Lily
Month 20: The Crocus
Month 21: The Violet
~*~
Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 21- The Violet

Nancy told the members two weeks ago that the last flower was a spring one. They had guessed apple blossoms and Johnny jump ups and Jack in the pulpits, not to mention Dutchman’s breeches and bleeding hearts. But Nancy kept on saying, “No, no, not that flower.”

The answer was easy, once the members of the Nancy Page Quilt club saw the last drawing for the flower quilt. It was the violet, a large one, to be sure, but then Nancy said she knew a place where violets grew to be perfectly enormous- just enormous.

The color is easy for this last flower, something in violet or lavender, either plain or sprigged or dotted.

The very center is worked in yellow, fast color embroidery cotton.

The stem is done in green- bias tape, preferably.

The leaves are in green.

The design is applied to the white triangle which is seamed to the lower triangle made up of the pieced urn. The two birds are appliquéd beside the flower.

The method of making is the same as that used in all previous blocks. Transfer pattern on lightweight cardboard is cut out and laid on the materials. These are cut with a quarter inch allowance on all sides for turning under the raw edges.

After the raw edges are basted and pressed in place the pieces are pinned onto the white triangles and appliquéd in place. So are the birds the leaves and the stems. And now the blocks are all finished.

These four blocks- the balloon flower, lemon lily, crocus and violet are seamed to the lower sides of the diamonds and triangles of white which have been seamed to the flower blocks in the row above.

This leaves the triangles of white to be put in between the flower blocks. Triangles only are used since we have now reached the outer part of the quilt. We need to get a straight edge on which to attach the border strips.

In the two lower corners, that is, on the lower left of the balloon flower block and the lower right of the last block, the violet, the small triangles measuring 12 ½ by 12 ½ by 8 ¾ seamed.

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
Month 18: Forget-Me-Not
Month 19: The Lemon Lily
Month 20: The Crocus
~*~
Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 20- The Crocus

When Nancy told the members last week that the coming flower would be an early spring one the members were divided between the hepatica and the trailing arbutus. But Nancy said these flowers were both too small and fragile to appliqué easily. “I have picked a larger flower, one that will adapt itself to needlework. Can’t you think of a blossom which comes up, almost through the snow on your lawns and shows its head in yellow, in white or in purple?”

“Oh, you mean a crocus,” they chorused. “Crocus it is,” said Nancy.

It’s a good looking flower, too, when made in pale lavender and deeper figured purple or in yellows or even in yellow for one flower and lavender for the other.

The leaves are long. For the first time there is no stem shown. Instead we have three leaves, developed in fast color soft green material. Choose something which will wash and take stitchery easily.

These leaves and flowers are appliquéd onto the large white triangle which is seamed to the equally large triangle of the pieced urn.

The club members could make these urns in short time, nowadays, since they had made nineteen of them. You see, each flower with its pair of admiring birds comes out of an urn. The combination of the triangle block of urn joined to the triangle block of white gives a large diamond block measuring 12 inches on each one of its four sides, when seamed and joined in the quilt.

The triangles are cut 12 ½ by 12 ½ by 17 ½. Then when seams are taken off the size is 12 by 12.

In making these flowers the club members followed the usual procedure.

First, they cut the picture with its accompanying directions from the paper.

Second, they traced the design lightly onto the white triangle as indicated by the small inset drawing.

Third, they made another tracing on lightweight cardboard.

Fourth, they put the original design for safe keeping in the Nancy Page scrap book.

Fifth, they cut out the various parts of the design which had been traced on the cardboard.

Sixth, they laid these on the material from which the flowers and leaves would be made.

Seventh, they cut out the material, allowing one-quarter inch on all sides for turning under raw edges.

Eighth, they turned under raw edges, basted and pressed the pieces.

Ninth, they pinned the pieces in place on the white triangle.

Tenth, they appliquéd them with a slanting, invisible hemming stitch.

The birds were appliquéd, and the next to the last block in the quilt was finished.

Supposing the members had been appliquéing the pieces with buttonhole stitch, then they would not have allowed the quarter inch since the buttonholing covers the raw edges.

Some members were making the quilt in outline stitch.

Others were filling in the outline spaces with colored crayons. Then this color was pressed with a hot iron which set the color.

The members who were doing this found that the effect was improved if the outline was worked with color fast embroidery cotton.

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
Month 18: Forget-Me-Not
Month 19: The Lemon Lily
~*~
Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 19- The Lemon Lily

The tiger lily had proved such a favorite that Nancy declared she would design another lily for the flowers in the garden bouquet quilt. This time she chose the lemon lily, that pale yellow flower which is so fragrant and so enticing on a hot mid-summer’s night. This time she has designed the lily with its petals open to the breezes.

There are three parts to the flower, two leaves and a stem. The stem is made preferably from bias tape in the same shade of green as is used for the leaves.

The bias tape is safe to use since it is made from color fast material. It is easy to manipulate since it is cut on the bias. Then, too, since the edges are turned in ready for use it is more expeditiously put on.

The upper triangle of white which has been seamed onto the lower triangle of the pieced urn is ready for the lily and the two appliquéd birds.

The patterns for the urn and for birds were given early in the quilt series. If you do not have those or any of the back flower patterns send to your newspaper for them. A small notice is printed each week telling you how you may obtain the back copies.

Most quilt club members keep their patterns in the Nancy Page quilt scrap book. This is made from a pattern designed by Nancy and may be procured from your paper also.

The group held a discussion as to the advisability of using plain or figured material for the lily. Nancy voted in favor of plain. She wanted a pale yellow for the open part of the flower and a darker shade for the lower part.

She said that this flower always was a solid color which was one of the features which distinguished it from the cousin, the tiger lily.

By this time you are surely used to the best procedure for making the design. First, cut the picture along with its accompanying illustrations from the paper. Second, trace the flower, leaves and stem lightly on the white triangle. Third, trace the design onto lightweight cardboard. Cut out the various parts.

You will note the dotted lines going through some of the petals. These indicate the overlapping of material. It is best to allow as much cut too close to finished shape it is apt to pull out of position.

In cutting the cloth be sure to allow one-quarter inch for turning as is shown, for if the pattern is under on all sides. The raw edges are turned under, basted and pressed in place.

Then the pieces are pinned on the white triangle as indicated by the faint tracery. By using a slanting, invisible hemming stitch the [pieces are appliquéd in place.]

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
Month 18: Forget-Me-Not
~*~
Hand Appliqué
Machine Appliqué
Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial
Biased Binding Tutorial

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

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 17- Balloon Flower

“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 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

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

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 16- The Rose

Loud acclaim greeted the fifteenth flower in the Nancy Page garden bouquet quilt. “I am so glad you have put in a rose, Nancy. I was wondering when we would have the sweetest of all flowers.”

“I gave you a wild rose earlier.” “We know that, but we wanted to make a double rose, one with lots and lots of petals.”

“Well here you are, three sets of petals, all curved and scalloped. I hope you have fun making this flower.”

There was no question but that the members expected to have fun. If the zest with which they attacked the new pattern was any indication.

The zinnia had had numberless petals to be sure, but they had not minded making that design. In the zinnia the petals had grown darker towards the edges. In the rose the process was reversed and the inner-most circle was the darkest.

Some members chose three shades of rose. Others made a yellow rose and still others had a rose shading from near white to blush pink. It is all a matter of choice and of the scraps of material which one has on hand.

This flower, like the zinnia, is best made of plain material. The figured designs fit in better with flower patterns which are not complicated as the rose.

This pattern differs from any of the rest in that it shows a tip of green leaf above the rose and has three perfectly good leaves growing from the stem. It is a tricky block to make, but a beautiful one when finished. After the color scheme has been decided then the method followed is the usual one.

Cut the patterns, with its accompanying directions, from the paper. Make a light tracing on the white triangle of the flower and leaves. This white triangle is 12 ½ by 12 ½ by 17 ½ and is seamed along the 17 ½ inch length to the same length of the pieced urn block. The birds and flowers are appliquéd onto the upper triangle.

If desired, plan to raise the flower by lengthening the stem slightly. This does not crowd the birds too closely to leaves. In the paper pattern it is necessary to shorten the stem because of lack of space. This is not true in the actual quilt.

Trace the pattern onto light weight cardboard. Put the original in the Nancy Page scrap book for safe keeping.

Cut the cardboard pattern into its pieces. In making the rose it is wise to follow the same procedure as suggested for the zinnia- let the bottom petals of the rose be cut in one piece and overlap the second and third series on that. This keeps the shape better than if the pieces are cut as discs.

In cutting the material be sure to allow one-quarter inch on all sides for turning under. After the raw edges are under, baste, press and pin in place on the white triangle following the faint tracery.

Appliqué with hemming stitch.

Crayon may be used and pressed in with a hot iron. Outline stitch is suggested, but not advised. Buttonhole appliqué may be used, in which case cut pieces the exact size as given in pattern. The buttonhole covers the raw edges.

I haven’t been able to work on my Poppy 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

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

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 15- The Poppy

It’s a quick jump that quilt makers take. Last week they were busily ushering in one of the first flowers of spring- the daffodil, and today they are in the hey-day of summer with its glorious poppies.

This poppy may be developed in pinks, soft reds or in yellows or soft orange. It all depends upon the scraps and the looks of the colors in the quilt.

Nancy cautioned the members against making any one flower of too noisy or strong a color. It is best, the club members found, to keep all the colors rather subdued.

This flower has a number of pieces- four are used in the flower, two little sepals and two leaves, as well as a stem. The stem is easy, since that is made from biased tape. The leaves are of the same shade of green as the stem. The sepals may be of a darker green. The petals are of two shades. The back one, shown as a shaded piece in the pattern is of a darker shade than the three front petals. The dotted lines indicate the overlapping of pieces. It is wise to cut these as shown in pattern for straight edges or plenty of underlap help to hold the pieces in shape. The members had the white triangles ready. This is cut 12 ½ by 12 ½ by 17 ½ inches. It is seemed on the seventeen inch side to the pieced urn block which has been prepared ahead of time. The pattern for the urn was given at the start of this quilt. The members used the urn pattern every time they prepared a new block. It is used twenty times in all in the quilt. This is the fourteenth flower block.

The birds, patterns for which were given earlier also, are always appliquéd to the upper white triangle in which is placed the flower. The method of procedure had become a habit by this time with all the members. First they cut the pattern, with accompanying directions, from the paper. Next they traced the flower lightly onto the upper triangle of white. Thirdly they traced the design onto light weight cardboard. Fourthly, they placed the original pattern for safe-keeping in the Nancy Page scrap book. Next they cut out the cardboard pattern into its parts. They laid these on the color-fast material and cut the pieces allowing one-quarter inch on all sides for turning under raw edges. When these were turned under they were basted and pressed. Then they laid them in place on the white triangle, following the light tracery made at the start. The pieces were then appliquéd with slanting, hemming stitch. The block was completed when the flower, its leaves and stem were growing from the urn and when the admiring birds were appliquéd beside the flower.


I haven’t been able to work on my Poppy 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

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

Garden Bouquet Quilt- Month 14- The Phlox

Nancy asked the members of the quilt club whether they had ever walked in their gardens at the cool of day and caught the quit fragrance of the phlox. There is just a faint sweetness that lets you know the phlox is blossoming.

For the flower in our quilt you may use your own judgment and scraps as to the best colors. I have seen pink and white phlox, white and purple, lavender, magenta, red, yellow. You might make each one of the four blossoms a different color, or you might keep them all the same.

I should think a small fast color print design in lavender and white or in pink and white would be attractive. Your choice depends, somewhat, upon the color you used for the zinnia.

Notice that the four blossoms are all cut from the same master pattern. The center of each flower is embroidered with fast color embroidery cotton. Choose a rather dark color for this center. The stem is made from bias tape. At least I think that is the easiest way to make it, for the edges are all turned in for you and being on the bias the stem will take curves easily. The leaves are of the same green as used in all the other leaves of the ten previous flowers.

That mention of “ten” called to the members minds the fact that they were starting on the last half of the quilt. In the finished quilt there will be twenty flower blocks or flowers with birds on the urns. The ten which have been given thus far are tulip, cactus, lily of the valley, trillium, nasturtium, primrose, pansy, and zinnia. Now the phlox makes the eleventh flower. There are nine more to come after this.

Each flower is placed in an urn and each flower has two birds admiring it. The urn makes the lower half of the diamond-shaped block and the flower and birds are appliquéd on the upper triangle. This triangle is 12 ½ by 12 ½ by 17 ½ inches before it is sewed into the quilt. The finished diamond is twelve by twelve.

After the club members had cut the pattern, with its accompanying directions, from the paper they made a light tracing of the flower on the upper triangle. Then they made a second tracing on the lightweight cardboard. The original was then put away for safekeeping in the Nancy Page quilt scrap book. Directions for this scrap book may be obtained by writing this paper.

The cardboard design was cut into its separate pieces and these were used as patterns. They were laid on the soft, fast color material of which the flower and leaves are to be made. In cutting, a quarter-inch allowance is made on all sides. This allowance is turned under, basted and pressed. Then the pieces are pinned in place on the triangle and sewed or appliquéd with running, invisible hemming stitch. The block is then ready for its place in the fast developing and much admired quilt.


I haven’t been able to work on my Phlox 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

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

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 13- The Daffodil

After the members had finished the tiger lily design they had put the white diamonds in place. This gave them three rows of white triangles with two rows of white diamonds.

These white diamonds, cut 12 ½ by 12 ½ inches square were attached in this manner. One of the 12 ½ inch sides was seamed to lower right of primrose urn block and to another side was seamed to lower left of zinnia. Another diamond block was seamed on two adjoining sides to lower right and left of zinnia and phlox blocks, respectively.

A third diamond was seamed to lower right and left of phlox and lily respectively. And that left the lower right of the lily to which was seamed a 12 ½ inch side of a triangle of white.

Now comes the fourth row of flowers and urns. The first flower in this row is the daffodil, that spring flower which heartens all of us who are tired of winter.

“My heart with rapture thrills and dances with the daffodils,” thus quoted Nancy Page and this echoed the club members.

The flower is made from the palest yellow with a center of rich orange. The French knots in the center are done in green or in orange. The leaves are long and slim as daffodil leaves should be. They, like all the leaves and flowers, are made from color fast material such as gingham or print. This flower calls for plain colored material. The stem may be made from bias tape, already turned and ready to appliqué or it may be made from the same green material as used for leaves. The lower part of the diamond block is the pieced urn. On the upper triangle are appliquéd the birds and the flower. After the members had cut the pattern with its accompanying directions from the paper they traced the flower and leaves lightly on the upper triangle. Then they traced the pattern onto lightweight cardboard. Next they put the original design away for safekeeping in the Nancy Page quilt scrap book. The cardboard pattern was now cut into its pieces and there were laid on the material of which the design would be made. The cutting allowance is always one-quarter inch on all sides unless the flower and leaves are being appliquéd by using buttonhole stitch. In that case, no seam allowance is necessary since the buttonhole stitch covers the raw edges.

After the pieces are cut out they are prepared for appliqué by turning under raw edges, basting and pressing in place. Then the pieces are pinned onto the white triangle and appliquéd with fine, slanting invisible hemming stitch. Just so soon as the birds are appliquéd the block is ready for placement in the quilt. It is coming along nicely and is it popular- oh my!


I haven’t been able to work on my Daffodil 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

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

Garden Bouquet Quilt: Month 12- The Zinnia

“I suppose that I should have kept the zinnia for the last flower since it comes last alphabetically, but I am so fond of the stocky, sturdy blossom that I had to put it in sooner. Zinnias always make me think of autumn luncheons with decorations in the warm, soft tones. There are the dull old yellow, the faded pinks, the sooty purples and lavenders and the burnt orange shades. As you can see I have suggested petals by scalloping the edge. And the gradation in color is made possible by the four sets of circles on top of another.”

“How would we appliqué those circles, Nancy? Should we have four complete circles with an upper layer always superimposed upon the lower, or shall we cut for scalloped discs?”

“You will find it easier to appliqué and keep in shape if you cut the four circles and then lay one on top of another. Of course, that means that there will be four thicknesses of cloth at the center of the flower but that is not serious.”

The members had pieced the lower half of the diamond-shaped block. It made the urn to which was seamed the upper triangle of white. On this was appliquéd the zinnia with its stem and leaves and the two birds. Some of the members appliquéd the birds ahead of the appearance of the flower. They had spare time and could do it easily. These women usually used the same material for all the birds. But those who changed the coloring of the birds to match or contrast with the coloring of the flowers waited until the new pattern appeared.

In every case the urns were all made of the same colored material. This gave a repetition in the quilt which made for beauty. The pattern as given in today’s paper was cut, along with its accompanying directions, from paper.

Then a light tracing of the design was made on the white triangle. This helped to place the pieces correctly when they were ready for appliqué. Next a tracing of design was made on light-weight cardboard. This was cut into its pieces and laid on the color fast materials which are used for the pattern. The zinnia petals were made darker toward the outside. That is, four shades of the color chosen were used. Plain color is better for this flower than a figured pattern material. In cutting the pieces of cloth a quarter inch allowance was made on all sides for turning under of raw edges. These were turned, basted and pressed. Then they were laid in place on the traced outline on the triangle, and the pieces pinned in place. They were appliquéd with slanting, invisible hemming stitch.

Sometimes Nancy advised making the flower stem a little longer than shown here. This raised the flower above the birds’ heads. Because of the limitations of size in the paper it is impossible to make the stem quite as long as Nancy would like to see. Bias tape is used for stems.

The members were so enthusiastic about the zinnia they wanted to make another one, but Nancy said no. She promised them a phlox for the next flower.


I haven’t been able to work on my Zinnia 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

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