Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt

Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt is my most favorite quilt block!  Not just because it’s stunning, looks so classic, and is so appealing to the eye.  I have a story about the flower garden quilt pattern.

As a young girl, I often spent the night at my grandma’s house.  I would get dressed in my nightgown, and grandma and I would crawl in bed to talk before I fell asleep.

I remember her covering us with a beautiful old quilt with huge flower shapes made of hexagons on it.  I would trace the hexagons as we quietly talked, looking at all of the different fabrics that made the beautiful flowers.

My grandma has since passed away, and I wanted to make a replica of her grandma's flower garden quilt as soon as I became a quilter.  Sadly, the quilt has disappeared.  Other quilts of my grandmother’s are living quiet lives at my aunts’ homes, but no one seems to remember the flower garden quilt that I loved so much.

History of Grandmother’s Flower Garden Quilt

This flower garden quilt pattern is an example of a mosaic quilt.  Mosaic quilts were being made as early as the end of the 1700’s. The hexagon shape was a popular mosaic shape because of its versatility in creating designs.

The oldest hexagon template was found in England and dates to 1770.  This simple geometric shape offered the quilter great flexibility.

In the 1930’s, quilters became interested in the revival of these old hexagon quilts, and Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt pattern sprung to life. This quilt design is also known as “honeycomb”.

Chris found this quilt in an Antique Store in Indianapolis

English Paper Piecing

The hexagon pieces are most often joined together with the English Paper Piecing technique.  This is done by hand, with hexagon paper patterns inside of the fabric hexagon to make it possible to have sturdy fabric hexagons to sew together.

English paper piecing is different from modern paper piecing as modern paper piecing is done with a sewing machine. 

Many quilters today like this old method of English Paper Piecing.  It is time consuming, but it assures that the pieces are sewn together accurately.  Another advantage of English Paper Piecing is that it is easy to pick up and take on the go.

Look for other English paper piecing designs and patterns ideas!

As you scroll down this page, many articles, patterns, and examples of Grandmother’s Flower Garden can be found.  Be sure to check them out.  There are a lot of tips and tricks to make this lovely quilt!