In October of 2014 I discovered Geta Grama, a fantastic quilter from Romania. (Thank you, Al Gore, for inventing the internet so I can discover all these European quilters.) On her blog she has a quilt called “Together in a Friendship World“. It is amazing. Hand pieced hexagons, but she has changed their dimensions, to make the quilt look 3-d. Of course, it is all hand pieced.
Fortunately, she also has a smaller, more attainable pattern, made with machine appliqué. (I try to restrict myself only one hand-piecing project at a time, or they never get finished. Luckily, a machine made quilt is a different category, and I start as many of those as I please. Occasionally I finish them.) The pattern for “My Secret Flower Garden” cost me $13, and was worth every penny. The directions are very clear, and she breaks down a fairly complex process into easy steps.
I have a few photos of the process. Geta has a very clear tutorial on her website, and the directions in the pattern are wonderful.
I finished the top in two days, and then followed her directions for feathered hexagon quilting over the next two. This was a rare attempt at free motion quilting this elaborate. I think it turned out very well. I did just sew from one hexie to another, and my in-between stitches are visible. In hindsight, I should have stopped and started for each section, but really, I wasn’t feeling that detail oriented that day.
This quilt one a first-place ribbon at the Big E in 2015. Thanks, Geta!
Absolutely gorgeous! You did a great job.
A question, though…I know the pieces are fused down and quilted, but is there any stitching around the raw edges (the typical stitching on a raw edge appliqué piece)?
I did not stitch down the edge of each piece. I know that is usually a treatment for machine applique. I’m not sure if Geta’s pattern called for that or not. I intended the piece to be a wall hanging, so I did not. Many of the outer pieces are so small that if I had done a blanket stitch or zig zag around the edge, none of the fabric would have shown, unless I used something other than cotton thread.