Tutorial Thursday! - Faux Center Grandmother's Flower Garden

As I was thinking about what I wanted to do for the tutorial today, my mind fell on the Grandmothers Flower Garden blocks I am working on for my How Does Your Garden Grow Sew Along!  So, I thought why not kill 2 birds with one stone, so to speak.  Today, I will show you my take on the Grandmother's Flower Garden block and how I am mixing it up and making it my way!   For a recap on the why for's about the Sew Along go to this post...

The only tools you will need are 2 coordinating fabrics (one light and one dark), a hexie template in the size you want to work with, a cardboard hexie that is about 1/2 inches smaller than the one you will be cutting by, needle, thread, an iron and an ironing surface.

I bought my hexie template rulers from Quilters Rule because I loved that they had the view finder and allowed you to trace the inside of the template to create your cardboard piece to iron by.

 

Start by placing your hexie template on your fabric and tracing around the outside edge of the template in 6 different areas on your fabric.  If you have a hexie template with the view window, take advantage of it to fussy cut your fabric.

 If you choose to, you can omit the tracing part and just cut around the hexie shape with your rotary cutter.

 Remember to cut 6 hexie shapes!

 Turn all 6 hexies over to the backside and lay the hexie template back down on the back.  Trace with a marking pen all around the inside edge of the hexie.  This line will help you when you start ironing the edges under.

 As I started making these flowers I found the neatest little thing to have handy so I didn't have to jump and run to the large ironing board! My ironing board cover is in need of a change and I was set to do that this week. When I pulled the new cover out of the package a thought struck me... There is a heavy piece of cardboard inside these covers and it makes the perfect little ironing pad just right for these little jobs such as the hexie flowers!  So I pulled out my mini iron and I am happy as a pig in the mud now!

 Now, we are going to iron the edges under for all 6 hexies!  Lay the cardboard hexie template down on the backside of the hexie shape.  Line the cardboard hexie up with your traced line.  Fold the top edge down over the cardboard just to the drawn line and iron.

 I will move to the bottom edge and iron the edges under there next.  This helps keep your cardboard hexie stable.

 Then do your sides, one at a time, taking care to have those corners sharp and to the point!

 You will have this once you make your way around all 6 sides!

Now carefully remove the cardboard hexie.

 Turn your hexie piece back over so the right side is up, and taking your fingers, work all the pressed edges back under if they are trying to peek out and press your hexie one more time.  Do this for all 6 hexies!

 Now you have this!  And your pressed hexies are now the size of your cardboard hexie!  Just right!

 I always make myself a road map whenever I am sewing any quilt!  I lay all 6 of the hexies out like I want them before I start sewing them together.

 When you are ready to start sewing your hexies together, lift one of the hexies and turn it back to the left taking care to keep the top edges together, that go together.  Lay the hexie completely down on top of the other so that right sides are toughing.

 Pick these two hexies up and shift them so that both corners match up well along that edge.

Threaded with a neutral thread, take your needle and bring it up underneath the flap and bring it out right on the corner of the hexie closest to you.  Stop pulling the thread when your knot is safely tucked up inside the flap and rest right next to the hexie.

 Whip stitch all the way across from one corner to the other using tiny even stitches.  It will be as if you are almost satin stitching these 2 hexies together.

 Do not take large bites with your needle.  You want to insert your needle as close to the top edges as possible to get that tiny stitch.  Finish off by taking 3 stitches in the last stitch and knot off.  Clip your thread.

 Lay out the sewn piece and finger press the seam open.

 Making sure your road map does not get out of place, lay this section back down with the others and proceed to pick up the 3rd hexie to be joined to these first two in the same manner. Continue on around until all 6 hexies are sewn together!

 Remember... Take tiny bites!!

 Now you have all 6 hexies joined together into a pretty flower!

 Cut a background block to sew your flower to... Size of background square will be determined by the size of the hexie template that you used!

Make sure you have at least 1 1/2 inches of background showing all the way around once your flower is laid down.

 Pin the flower to the background well!

 Knot your thread and bring your needle up from the bottom, and taking that tiny bite again, stitch the flower to the background square!

 I took stitches about every 1/16th of an inch so that the edges of the hexie flower would be good and flat.  Remember to take those tiny bites when coming up through the background and into the flower.

 After you go all the way around the outer edge of your flower, you will stitch in the same manner all the way around the inside of the flower.  That fullness will work itself out as you pull your stitches while you sew.

 Ta-Da!! And you have just made a Faux Center Grandmother's Flower Garden Block!!

FYI: Some people will tell you to do a basting stitch around the hexies after you iron them to keep the flaps down while you sew the hexies together but that is a lot of un-necessary work to me.  But, if it makes your life easier to do so... then baste them down..but remove the basting stitch once you have the flower sewn to the background square.

I have named my quilt, "The Hippy Garden" because of the 70'ish fabrics that I am using!  They are so fun!  The next photo shows how I am going to be setting my blocks together.  I can't wait to have my quilt finished and hanging in my studio!

Thank you for your kind attention while I showed you how I go about making these faux center GFG blocks!  I hope I have helped you find an easier way to stitch your own hexie flowers!

And why don't you come on and join us for the Sew Along!   Hope to see you this Sunday at the Linky party!!