GFG - One Major Effort

When we arrived in Florida in early January, I had two quilting goals. One was making the blocks for Smoked Cheddar, which required the use of the sewing machine. The other was making Grandmother's Flower Garden, an entirely hand-stitching project.

The sewing room also serves as our guest room, so with more guests this winter than last, I have not had as much access to the sewing machine as I did last year. Therefore, Smoked Cheddar has mostly been on hold. 

Conversely, the amount of time spent working on GFG has been increased and so very rewarding. I am rather surprised, actually, at the progress I've made on it. The picture above shows the present state of completion, and only three flowers are yet to be unattached.

A while back, I took some process pictures of how I am handling the stitching as the quilt grows. The bulky nature of an ever-enlarging quilt forces one to work in subsets.

One of the reasons I had to be pushed to make this quilt was the idea of stitching these hexagons one by one by one by on for what would seem like infinity. However, making the flowers was an easy little finished bit and it was satisfying! So the idea of adding part of the path to the side of the flower made the endless one-by-one attaching of that path more amenable.

Now, let's talk about what is yet to be done on this quilt. First, I need about 13 more flowers. I did not bring bright, flowery fabric with me, so I've only made 2 while here. I used some of that same fabric that I used on the pillow covers. 

It is very likely that I will make one more trip to Quilted Twins down in Dade City. When that happens, I will specifically look for happy florals to use in making flowers. I know I have plenty at home, but it would be nice to include "Florida fabric" since so much of this quilt has been made here.

I still have ideas swirling around in my head for handling the borders. It seems like something not to stress about at this stage. It'll come in due time.

Happy Spring! 

And Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne