Grandmother Flower Garden advice needed

I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.
Actually have most of one block completed, but have some questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block machine,
but really tried my patience.
2) which direction do the seams get pressed?
3) what on earth do you do with all those thread tails when machine piecing
4) is there a specific sequence for adding the individual hexagon rows?
Any advice from you will be appreciated Thank you.

--
Audrey Eischens
Angels are among us
http://photos.yahoo.com/lil_audie2

1) hand piece them buggers. Life is too short to do hexes on a machine,
unless you're using Very Big Hexes. (eight inches to a side?) g
2) depends on where you plan to quilt. If you're going to quilt 1/4" in on
every hex, doesn't really matter. If you're going to quilt 1/4" in on the
ring but not on the centers, press toward the centers---in other words, if
you're only going to stitch on one side of a given seam, press toward the
other side. The object is not to put the bulk where you'll have to quilt
thru three layers of top.
3) now that you're hand piecing, not an issue g
4) I've always pieced the whole "flower" bits and then added the "pathway"
bits, next flower, pathway bits, etc. until I have A Quilt Top. But
whatever works for you is okay.

--pig

On 2/04/04 19:09, opined:

I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.
Actually have most of one block completed, but have some questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block machine,
but really tried my patience.
2) which direction do the seams get pressed?
3) what on earth do you do with all those thread tails when machine piecing
4) is there a specific sequence for adding the individual hexagon rows?
Any advice from you will be appreciated Thank you.

--
Audrey Eischens
Angels are among us
http://photos.yahoo.com/lil_audie2

I'd probably EPP it even though I know it would take me a million years.

Maureen

Audrey Eischens wrote:
I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.
Actually have most of one block completed, but have some questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block machine,
but really tried my patience.
2) which direction do the seams get pressed?
3) what on earth do you do with all those thread tails when machine piecing
4) is there a specific sequence for adding the individual hexagon rows?
Any advice from you will be appreciated Thank you.

--
Audrey Eischens
Angels are among us
http://photos.yahoo.com/lil_audie2

I've been hand piecing. Got the fabrics on the Alaskan Hwy in 2000. I'm
doing a twin size, have all the flowers together, just adding the "fence"
around them now. This will be a WIP .... FOREVER And I'm crazy. I have two
daughters so I will be starting a second as soon as this one's done!
Deni from burnaby bc canada
"Audrey Eischens" wrote in message
...
I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden
quilt.
Actually have most of one block completed, but have some questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block machine,
but really tried my patience.
2) which direction do the seams get pressed?
3) what on earth do you do with all those thread tails when machine
piecing
4) is there a specific sequence for adding the individual hexagon rows?
Any advice from you will be appreciated Thank you.

--
Audrey Eischens
Angels are among us
http://photos.yahoo.com/lil_audie2

My GFG was done by hand, using mylar templates (which you then
remove). Seams are all open, because each hexagon was gathered onto
the template first.
It was not a quick project but a great carry along one (each flower in
a bag).

Mary

I've seen Deni working on this project. She has a small tin with papers,
scissors, fabric and needle. When a passenger in your car for any distance
they come out and she stitches. Amazing how many she can get done on a trip
down to Seattle. It's always in her purse so whenever she is somewhere
waiting it comes out. The girl is a GFG fiend!

--
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Queen of Travelogues

"Lindroos" wrote in message
news:_SCUb.12954$An3.4298@edtnps84...
I've been hand piecing. Got the fabrics on the Alaskan Hwy in 2000. I'm
doing a twin size, have all the flowers together, just adding the "fence"
around them now. This will be a WIP .... FOREVER And I'm crazy. I have two
daughters so I will be starting a second as soon as this one's done!
Deni from burnaby bc canada
"Audrey Eischens" wrote in message
...
I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden
quilt.
Actually have most of one block completed, but have some questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block
machine,
but really tried my patience.
2) which direction do the seams get pressed?
3) what on earth do you do with all those thread tails when machine
piecing
4) is there a specific sequence for adding the individual hexagon rows?
Any advice from you will be appreciated Thank you.

--
Audrey Eischens
Angels are among us
http://photos.yahoo.com/lil_audie2

On Wed, 4 Feb 2004 19:09:00 -0600, "Audrey Eischens"
wrote:

I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.
Actually have most of one block completed, but have some questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block machine,
but really tried my patience.

Hand-piece - else you will end up a screaming wotsit within 24
hours...

2) which direction do the seams get pressed?

Don't - as you're piecing over papers the seams get whipped into place
and they stay there quite happily.

3) what on earth do you do with all those thread tails when machine piecing

If you hand-piece you don't get tail threads!

4) is there a specific sequence for adding the individual hexagon rows?

I work the flowers first, then decide which order I want them in and
then stitch the path between them. Invest in a pad of hexagon paper
and a box of coloured pencils and experiment with different layouts -
rather than straightforward flowers (6 hexes around 1) you may want to
do a lozenge shape (adding two extra hexes one each side), or mebbe a
second row around the first to make a double flower... the top will
grow like topsy!

Some advice: when hand-piecing GFG - don't remove the papers until the
hexes are completely surrounded, else the seams go all wonky. Stitch a
load together, then spend 5 mins or so removing the papers that are
completely surrounded - this helps reduce the bulk you are hauling
around!

Also, if tacking the papers into the fabric hexes, make a large knot
in your tacking thread and stitch it through from the front of the hex
to the back, makes it easier to remove the tacking thread when you
come to removing the papers.

If using freezer paper, you can either iron the shiny side of the cut
hexagon down onto the fabric, or have the paper shiny side up and
merely iron the seam allowance onto the paper... this will however
leave little tails that don't get stuck down which you will have to
fudge down with your fingers when you are stitching.

Any advice from you will be appreciated Thank you.

Happy to help!
Suzie B
--
"From the internet connection under the pier"
Southend, UK
--
Please remove NOSPAM when emailing me!
http://community.webshots.com/user/suziekga

I finally decided to start a long desired Grandmother's Flower Garden
quilt. Actually have most of one block completed, but have some
questions:
1) is it better to machine or hand piece? I did the first block
machine, but really tried my patience.
Hand-piece - else you will end up a screaming wotsit within 24 hours...

Block? GFGs have blocks? I thought you just attached hexagons
one at a time? Is this some hidden secret you've just let out,
and if so are the Quilters in Black on their way round?

(Hats off to anyone with the patience to finish one of those. I saw
an awesome one in the Linlithgow shop a few years ago, mostly dark
green, king or queen size - this ring a bell with anybody?)

======== Email to "j-c" at this site; email to "bogus" will bounce ========
Jack Campin: 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU; 0131 6604760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/purrhome.html food intolerance data & recipes,
Mac logic fonts, Scots traditional music files and CD-ROMs of Scottish music.

On 7 Feb 2004 21:56:54 GMT, (bogus address)
wrote:

Block? GFGs have blocks? I thought you just attached hexagons
one at a time? Is this some hidden secret you've just let out,
and if so are the Quilters in Black on their way round?

Hey there Jack...

I sort-of consider a block of GFG to be the centre surrounded by 6
petals, attach them block by block to the path thats already there,
then stitch individual path hexes around it...

And whilst we're talking paving here, you can stitch 2-3 hexes
together in either a straight line or an off-centre line and manoeuvre
them around your block as well!

Just my two-penneth!

Suzie B

(Hats off to anyone with the patience to finish one of those. I saw
an awesome one in the Linlithgow shop a few years ago, mostly dark
green, king or queen size - this ring a bell with anybody?)

======== Email to "j-c" at this site; email to "bogus" will bounce ========
Jack Campin: 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU; 0131 6604760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/purrhome.html food intolerance data & recipes,
Mac logic fonts, Scots traditional music files and CD-ROMs of Scottish music.


--
"From the internet connection under the pier"
Southend, UK
--
Please remove NOSPAM when emailing me!
http://community.webshots.com/user/suziekga