Calculating yardage for Grandmother Flower Garden Quilt
09-08-2020, 08:03 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 12
Calculating yardage for Grandmother Flower Garden Quilt
Hey guys,
How do you calculate yardage for the path fabric on a grandmother flower garden quilt? I want to make one of these but I have no idea what I'd need for yardage for the path. I've already been piecing the flower blocks with scraps I have. But the path needs to be all the same. I've searched and searched for patterns and instructions but all I find are the people describing making the flowers and the templates used. I don't see anything that discusses amounts needed for the path.
Help?
I'm thinking I want to make a throw size, but a bed size may be possible. Not sure yet. lol
How do you calculate yardage for the path fabric on a grandmother flower garden quilt? I want to make one of these but I have no idea what I'd need for yardage for the path. I've already been piecing the flower blocks with scraps I have. But the path needs to be all the same. I've searched and searched for patterns and instructions but all I find are the people describing making the flowers and the templates used. I don't see anything that discusses amounts needed for the path.
Help?
I'm thinking I want to make a throw size, but a bed size may be possible. Not sure yet. lol
09-08-2020, 08:12 AM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,141
Usually you do a lot of counting! There are ways/helps to do this.
This seems to be a nice breakdown:
https://johannamaskoquilts.blogspot....uilts-aka.html
Usually you figure out how big a square you need to cut your hex and then multiply how many you need to determine your yardage. This is actually one of my favorite quilting sites, it has a variety of graphs, here's one on hexes, you fill in the size you need (they are using finished edge as the size, so for cutting you want the finished size plus seam allowance)
https://www.incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/
This seems to be a nice breakdown:
https://johannamaskoquilts.blogspot....uilts-aka.html
Usually you figure out how big a square you need to cut your hex and then multiply how many you need to determine your yardage. This is actually one of my favorite quilting sites, it has a variety of graphs, here's one on hexes, you fill in the size you need (they are using finished edge as the size, so for cutting you want the finished size plus seam allowance)
https://www.incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/
09-08-2020, 10:22 AM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Asheville, previously Lake Vermilion, Tarpon Springs, Duluth, St Paul, Soudan
Posts: 1,651
Currently in the process of sewing a GFG. You need to know three things:
If you are doing a center plus one round of petals, you need 12 path hexagons for the first block. Because subsequent blocks share path hexagons with the first block and each other, fewer are required. I would make 8. Your total no of hexes is (No of blocks * 8) + 4.
If you are doing two rounds of petals, you need 18 path hexagons for the first block. I would count 12 for subsequent blocks. So your total hexes are (No of blocks * 12) + 6.
How big a patch do you need to cut each hexagon? I cut mine with flat side on the top and bottom. So I measure top to bottom of a finished hex, add 1/2”. To see how many hexes you get out of a strip, measure point to point on a finished hex and add 1/2”
Now figure out how many you can cut from a strip. My patches are 3.5 x 4.5, so i get 8 from each strip.
Divide the total you need by how many you get out of each strip and round up. Multiply by strip width, 9 (for the inevitable crooked cuts) and divide that total by 36. Round up to the nearest 1/8 yard. Buy that much and hope it
If you are doing a center plus one round of petals, you need 12 path hexagons for the first block. Because subsequent blocks share path hexagons with the first block and each other, fewer are required. I would make 8. Your total no of hexes is (No of blocks * 8) + 4.
If you are doing two rounds of petals, you need 18 path hexagons for the first block. I would count 12 for subsequent blocks. So your total hexes are (No of blocks * 12) + 6.
How big a patch do you need to cut each hexagon? I cut mine with flat side on the top and bottom. So I measure top to bottom of a finished hex, add 1/2”. To see how many hexes you get out of a strip, measure point to point on a finished hex and add 1/2”
Now figure out how many you can cut from a strip. My patches are 3.5 x 4.5, so i get 8 from each strip.
Divide the total you need by how many you get out of each strip and round up. Multiply by strip width, 9 (for the inevitable crooked cuts) and divide that total by 36. Round up to the nearest 1/8 yard. Buy that much and hope it
Yup. I'm pretty shocked right now.
09-08-2020, 05:12 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: East Arkansas
Posts: 2,534
OR you could just "wing" it. I just finished a GFG and have various shades of white/cream for the path. When I ran out of one shade, I just found another one close and used that. Don't think I would have ever finished my quilt top if I had to do math. Besides, I wanted to use scraps and it came out just right. My centers were white/cream too.
09-08-2020, 05:25 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 12
OR you could just "wing" it. I just finished a GFG and have various shades of white/cream for the path. When I ran out of one shade, I just found another one close and used that. Don't think I would have ever finished my quilt top if I had to do math. Besides, I wanted to use scraps and it came out just right. My centers were white/cream too.
09-09-2020, 01:57 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Gainesville, Missouri
Posts: 520
It is going to depend on how big your hexies are. I just put away my GFG last week because I'm getting ready to start my sister's DWR in the next week or so.
My hexies is 1.25" and I bought three yards of black for my paths around the flowers. It's already the size of a large lap quilt, which I'm considering stopping it there and I still have at least a yard of black remaining. If I stop where I'm at now, that yard will be my binding.
Hoping that helps!
My hexies is 1.25" and I bought three yards of black for my paths around the flowers. It's already the size of a large lap quilt, which I'm considering stopping it there and I still have at least a yard of black remaining. If I stop where I'm at now, that yard will be my binding.
Hoping that helps!
09-09-2020, 03:36 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 12
It is going to depend on how big your hexies are. I just put away my GFG last week because I'm getting ready to start my sister's DWR in the next week or so.
My hexies is 1.25" and I bought three yards of black for my paths around the flowers. It's already the size of a large lap quilt, which I'm considering stopping it there and I still have at least a yard of black remaining. If I stop where I'm at now, that yard will be my binding.
Hoping that helps!
My hexies is 1.25" and I bought three yards of black for my paths around the flowers. It's already the size of a large lap quilt, which I'm considering stopping it there and I still have at least a yard of black remaining. If I stop where I'm at now, that yard will be my binding.
Hoping that helps!
09-10-2020, 05:27 AM
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 5,931
i think the best way is to mix the path colors. Start off with 3 or 5 different shades of whatever the path is and mix them. If you run out, an additional shade won't matter. I would prefer to buy more fabric than do the math.
09-10-2020, 07:06 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Sherwood Forest
Posts: 482
Usually you do a lot of counting! There are ways/helps to do this.
This seems to be a nice breakdown:
https://johannamaskoquilts.blogspot....uilts-aka.html
Usually you figure out how big a square you need to cut your hex and then multiply how many you need to determine your yardage. This is actually one of my favorite quilting sites, it has a variety of graphs, here's one on hexes, you fill in the size you need (they are using finished edge as the size, so for cutting you want the finished size plus seam allowance)
https://www.incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/
This seems to be a nice breakdown:
https://johannamaskoquilts.blogspot....uilts-aka.html
Usually you figure out how big a square you need to cut your hex and then multiply how many you need to determine your yardage. This is actually one of my favorite quilting sites, it has a variety of graphs, here's one on hexes, you fill in the size you need (they are using finished edge as the size, so for cutting you want the finished size plus seam allowance)
https://www.incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/
Thank you for these links........I do quite a bit of EPP and normally just wing it by buying extra. The graph paper proved useful as I have been hunting for 2 inch paper.
