Grandmother's Flower Garden - 2010 Quilt Workshop Block

Grandmother’s Flower Garden
(English Paper Piecing)

Cutting:
Background
1 - 13 ½” square Background Fabric
Fabric 16 (flower center) 1 - 3 ½” square
Fabric 17 (flower petals) 3 - 3 ½” squares
Fabric 18 (flower petals) 3 - 3 ½” squares

1. Pin a paper template to one of the 3 ½” squares. Cut out around the template with a ¼” seam allowance. Your seam allowance does not have to be exact because the template will be an accurate guide.
2. Place a template right side down on the wrong side of the fabric piece and fold the seam allowance over one edge. Beginning with a knot on the right side of the fabric, baste the seam allowance in place; stitch through the fabric and the paper template with ¼” long stitches. Finger press the basted edge.
3. As you approach a corner, fold the seam allowance of the next edge over the template and continue stitching. Stitch all edges in the same manner. Don’t knot the thread as you finish, but do leave a thread tail of about ½” or so on the fabrics right side.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until all fabric pieces have been basted to paper templates.
5. Place one of the flower petal fabric-covered template on top of the flower center fabric covered template, with right sides together, aligning the edges to be joined. Pin the pieces together at the center.
6. With a single strand of quilting thread, begin stitching about 1/8” from one corner using tiny whipstitches and catching a thread of both fabric folds. You’ll feel the paper template with your needle, but do not stitch through the template.
7. Backstitch to the nearest corner.
8. Once you reach the corner, reverse the direction of your stitching and sew across the edges to the opposite corner. Take a backstitch, and knot the thread with the knot in the fabric using a backstitch loop knot.
9. Lightly press open the joined pieces and check the seam from the right side. Stitches should not show. If they do, take smaller whipstitches through less of the fabric folds as you sew.
10. Repeat steps 5 - 9 until all the petals have been attached to the center.
11. Reposition so that 2 of the petal pieces are aligned (right sides together) and sew side seam in the same manner as before.
12. Repeat step 11 until all petal side seams have been sewn.
13. When all edges of the piece have been stitched to adjoining pieces, remove the paper template, pulling the basting threads and templates out from the block.
    
    (Before I remove the pieces, I usually lightly press the flower with spray starch. This helps it keep it’s shape after the templates have been taken out)
    
    Fold the background piece in half and press.. Fold the background piece in half the other way and press… This will mark center of the background for placement of the flower.
    
    Place the flower in the center of the background piece. Pin in place and applique to the background. This can be done either by machine or by hand.