Garden Lattice Quilts

Garden Lattice is an adaptation of an old pattern called Betsy’s Lattice, offered in newspapers by Laura Wheeler in the 1930’s for just 10 cents. Readers were enticed to buy the pattern with this write up: Betsy’s Lattice was hidden in an attic for many years, and only the enthusiasm of Laura Wheeler made its owner realise what a lovely old quilt she had. And with the enthusiasm went the wish – the ardent desire – to be able to offer this old-time pattern to quilt lovers. Besides being really most simple to do, it results in a quilt that has real decorative value, and although it is an old pattern, it is a bit different than those commonly seen. You won’t need a green thumb to make this beautiful quilt! It’s so much fun to bring your flower garden indoors, especially with the many beautiful florals available. Fat quarters and eighths are perfect. You begin by strip piecing 1 ½” strips for the Lattice, and adding 6” squares cut into triangles for Sky or Flowers. Just sew the quarters together – the magic is in the locking seams! For those that enjoy appliqué, you can add fussy cut single flowers or clusters to the Lattice and stitch in vines to complete your garden. The beauty of the block lies in its simplicity. By varying the fabrics, and placement of them, plus the addition of appliqué, different looks in overall quilt patterns are created. When Eleanor taught Garden Lattice test classes to her students, they loved the creative ways they could embellish the simple blocks. They appliquéd their favourite fabrics of flowers, fruits, birds, butterflies, and family pets into their gardens. Eleanor explained, ‘This is as arty as I get!’ The creativity is all yours. Gardening is now a number one hobby. Statistics shows that 48% of quilters also love gardening.