Mary's Flower Garden


	Prepare for quilting by layering the top, batting and back.
		Through quilting, you will create the illusion of hexagon patches in the background fabric between flowers and around the flower garden.

		Trace the hexagon at the right onto tem-plate plastic. You may need to reduce the size of the template somewhat to match the actual size of the petals on your quilt top. The hexagon printed here is the exact size of the hexagon printed on the interfacing. When sewing and turning it is likely to “shrink” a bit. If you need to, just trim off a small, equal amount from each side. Using the template and an erasable marker or quilting pencil, mark hexagon pattern quilting lines around the outside of your garden. Machine quilt using invisible thread. Follow the path illustrated here. Unfortunately, it is not possible to machine-quilt the hex pattern in a continuous line without stitching back over previously stitched lines. Turn the quilt on its “side” (points of the hexes pointing toward the top) as shown. Start at the top center of the flower garden and stitch following the solid line path in Diagram 1. Go back to the top and follow the solid line path in Diagram 2 (The dashed line is the first path you stitched.). You will be stitching again over all the vertical lines. Work outward, smooth and re-pin as necessary.


		Kit contains 10 panels of printed interfacing and instructions. See chart below for number of panels needed.
Mary’s Flower Garden	Cover quilt by Mary Henderson and Arlene Koble. Approx. finished size: 50” x 57” Finished block size: 10 - 1/2” x 12” Layout: 4 x 4 blocks
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary…How does your garden grow? Yes, this technique is contrary, but it grows on you quickly when you see how fast and easy it is! Just like the gardens of yesterday, quilts of the past needed much time and effort to create. The traditional ‘Grandmother’s Flower Garden’ quilt pattern demanded a high degree of skill and required several thousand small hexagon pieces cut and pieced individually. Not so today! My grandmother, Ann “Mattie” Donnelly, my nickname namesake, had a beautifully simple garden with peony bushes and blackberries. It is from her influence for simplicity that this quilt pattern was born. Mary’s Flower Garden is a modern version of Grandma’s. It has been made so simple through the clever use of appliqué techniques and Quiltsmart printed interfacing. Just three pieces per flower. You will love it!

For a scrap quilt: For Petals Fabrics substitute a variety of fabrics to yield: Tablerunner: (4) 7” x 7” squares and (4) 11” x 11” squares Baby: (9) 7” x 7” squares and (9) 11” x 11” squares Lap size: (16) 7” x 7” squares and (16) 11” x 11” squares Fabric Selections Tips: Select fabrics that contrast with each other and with the background fabric. It is also recommended (but not required) that you avoid strong directional prints such as stripes or plaids. The reason: the pattern of the fabric will interfere with the illusion that the flowers are made of individual pieces.

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		Taken from kit instructions...
	Mary’s Flower Garden by Mary Pat “Mattie” Henderson Text © 1996, 1999, and 2003 by Mary Pat Henderson. Photos and illustrations © 1996, 1999, and 2003 by Quiltsmart. All rights reserved. No part of this pattern may be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission of the author.