Shirley’s Flower Garden
Posted on May 19, 2021 by prairiemoonquilts in Longarm Quilting, QuiltsThe very first year I taught at the Arrow Rock Quilt Camp, I gave a trunk show called “Vintage Inspiration”, which is me showing a whole bunch of quilts I’ve made that were inspired by or made from bits of old quilts I’ve picked up over the years. That was back in 2014.
That’s when I met Shirley, and we’ve been friends ever since.
Before Camp was over that year, Shirley came marching into my classroom and handed me a vintage Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt top and said she wanted me to have it. I wasn’t about to turn down a gift like that!
I recently turned that top into a finished quilt, and when I went back to visit Camp earlier this month, I took it with me and gave it back to Shirley! I wanted her to have it back now that it is finished.
When Shirley and I first met, it was because I was the handwork teacher at Quilt Camp, and she thought I did mostly handwork, and had no idea at the time that I’m also a professional longarm machine quilter for other people. I think she thought I’d probably hand quilt that quilt top!
And while I DO hand quilt some of the time, this particular top was really in no shape for that.
Because it had been a top for so long, the patches around the edges were really worn. There were borders of hexagons on the top and bottom of the quilt, but not on the sides, and the corners of those borders were unfinished, as if the maker wasn’t sure if she was going to put borders on the sides or not, and wasn’t sure exactly how to round the corners with them.
I brought it home with me, and it stayed in the bag for several years. This past year, I decided I otta get it finished up. So I pulled it out and started mulling things over.
I decided to leave the borders on the top and bottom only, and that after quilting it, I would trim the sides straight. So when I took off some of the extra hexies on the sides, I was able to use them to complete the borders on the top and bottom.
There are a few holes in the top and some threadbare patches, but I did not repair any of that. I quilted one flower in each row with a different center than the rest, sort of like a hidden secret kind of thing. (I get bored easily!)
Because of the shape the top was in, I didn’t want to do very much, if any, stitching in the ditch, in order to not weaken the seams any further. So only the outer edge of each flower is outlined. I did not quilt the green path at all.
I pieced a backing for it from some large pieces of vintage floral fabrics I had in my vintage stash, and loaded it on the frame.
I found a matching green solid in my stash for the binding, and it worked great!
I hope Shirley loves it, now that it’s finished. I’m sure it’s at least in a more usable state as a finished quilt than it was as a top, and that’s one of the things I love about working with vintage tops — turning them into usable finished products!
Here are the quilt details:
Finished size: ~66″ x ~78″ (I forgot to measure it after trimming!)
Top: Vintage Grandmother’s Flower Garden hand pieced by a relative of Shirley’s
Backing: pieces of vintage floral fabric from my stash
Binding: matching green solid from my stash
Quilting: custom designs to play up the flowers
Thread: Superior OMNI, #3002 Natural White
Batting: Quilter’s Dream Cotton Select, Natural
Did this bring back memories if the one you quilted for me Shelly?
Wow! Absolutely gorgeous! What an amazing transformation! Thank you for the inspiration!
I love it when old quilts are saved and made special again. I know Shirley will treasure it for a long time, that was a very thoughtful and sweet gift for her.
It’s so very beautiful! It is really nice that both you and Shirley were able to enjoy it at different stages of its life!
Well done Shelly! What a nice re-gift!
Beautiful finish Shelly!!!! I’m sure that she treasures it.
Thank you Shelly! I do love it. You did a fantastic job. I never expected to get the quilt back and I knew I would never get around to working on it. Thanks again!
So lovely!
Lovely! Well done!
Makes me think the grandmother’s flower garden I need to bind
I love what you did. The different centers was perfect for the quilt.
You did a beautiful job with this beautiful antique quilt! I know Shirley will treasure it.
The machine Quilting on this quilt was perfect! What a beautiful job!
What a beautiful quilt! And the generosity of both you and Shirley is inspirational!
Thanks so much for letting us see your quilting. It is absolutely perfect for that quilt! Tonight, I am making hexie flowers. That is not my idea of fun. I hope the person who made the quilt enjoyed making them more than I. How wonderful that all of that lady’s hard work has turned into a gorgeous quilt. Love your quilting and your binding! Congratulations on a job well done.
Great job! It’s beautiful and I’m sure Shirley will cherish it. A very generous gift! I also appreciate the quilting ideas in your pictures. I have a GFG that I am working on by hand but have been stumped as to how to quilt it…has to be on the Longarm if it’s going to get done in my lifetime. You’ve given me some good ideas! Guess it’s time to stop procrastinating and put my blocks together😊
I know these quilts are so precious. I love Grandma’s Flower Garden and you did a beautiful job with it. My daughter found a top when she helped her dad move. He told her his grandmother had made it and had always used it for a throw on picnics. She asked if she could have it and he said, “yes.” She brought it to me and asked if I could make a quilt for my ex. Of course, I said, “yes.” I found some reproduction fabric that went w/it for the back. I had it appraised and typed an introduction with the family background to the appraisal and had it reproduced on fabric. I pieced it into the backing and tied the quilt. It was appropriate for the piecing. He got the quilt as a Christmas gift and was in tears over it. He bought a beautiful quilt stand and it’s hung in his guest room. I have another vintage, hand-pieced top I’ve always wanted to hand quilt. After seeing your quilting, I think it’s time to get it under the sewing machine needle. It needs to be a quilt! Thank you for the inspiration.
i just love quilt tops as i seem to be always buying them and such, but that is another story
i am sure she loved it and will keep it for years to come.
happy quilting
Wonderful!
What a gorgeous quilt and generous re-gift! Sure she was as delighted as she was surprised.
Thanks for the quilting close ups. I have a few hexie quilts I want to finish but I’ve been stumped about how to quilt them.
How large are these hexies on a side?
Great job