A floating flower garden is a queen’s palace for sure!
The Floating Flower Garden quilt is a modern take on a classic quilt.
Table of contents
- A floating flower garden is a queen’s palace for sure!
- Floating Flower Garden
- How to use both sides for a classic quilt design?
- Add to that, a non-traditional method for making this floating flower garden.
- Design wall to the rescue.
- Black and white photos galore!
- Using both sides of fabric provides a soft difference to the values and makes a quilt sparkle!
- Shop more than 50 patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides!
- Enjoy YOUR quilting journey!
What’s a better spot for a creative queen bee than this lovely palace quilt?
Floating Flower Garden
First, this quilt began with fat quarter bundles from one fabric line. It was one of those fabric purchases without any planning or direction.
In addition, I was certain I wanted to use both beautiful sides of this fabric line.
How to use both sides for a classic quilt design?
Next, I found a tool for making half-hexagons. Using the Hex and More ruler and lots of 2.5 ” strips, I made lots of half-hexagon pieces.
Add to that, a non-traditional method for making this floating flower garden.
Yet, I still wasn’t sure where this quilt was headed – or if it would work! For months, I arranged and re-arranged the hexagons. In addition to changing the placement of color, I also played with the values by turning some fabrics to their REVERSE side. Read The Tricky Traits of Value.
Design wall to the rescue.
Using a design wall helped me figure this baby out in a number of ways. Most importantly it allowed me to take good photos of this large quilt.
Black and white photos galore!
Just as I instruct students in classes and workshops, always take black and white photos to check your values. Color can fool you – and it tried to fool me with this quilt!
My goal was to create a blended quilt version (see Blended Quilts book) of the classic Grandmother’s Flower Garden. I tried many combinations, but the look really came together when I started to use the reverse side of the fabrics for the outer flower rings.
Each black center and first ring are the front of the fabric. I could have excluded the lightest fabric to make the changes in value more apparent, but again, I was aiming for a more subtle approach.
Using both sides of fabric provides a soft difference to the values and makes a quilt sparkle!
I’m happy to say that this quilt one a coveted ribbon in my guild’s quilt show!
