My Grandmother's Hexagon Quilt

I recently learned from my 95-year-old aunt that my grandmother was a quilter.  The only time I ever saw her quilt was when she helped my mother with two Dresden Plate quilts Mom made for my sister and me.  My aunt said Gramma used to quilt with other women at church when my aunt was a child.

My daughter and I drove several hours to visit my aunt last week.  She lives in an apartment in a senior care center.  She's mostly independent but requires some help.  After we ate lunch with her she asked if we'd like to see the rest of her apartment. 

In the bedroom was this amazing quilt.  It lit up the room!

When I asked about it my aunt said her mother--my grandmother--had made it.

I'm not a big fan of hexagons but I have to say this quilt took my heart.  The symmetry, the colors, the brightness of it, and all those wonderful print fabrics.

The hexagons were very small, between a half and 3/4 of an inch across.  I didn't have my tape measure but they were smaller than the length of my first knuckle.

There must be thousands of hexagons in this quilt.  Hours and hours of cutting and stitching, not to mention the time to hand quilt.

I love that 1940s green.  I wish I could find it these days.

Is this quilt pattern called "Grandmother's Garden" or am I thinking of a different pattern?

I think the only fabrics that were used more than once were the solids.  (Of course, I didn't examine every single block, but from the ones I looked at, each was different.  Do you suppose she traded fabric with friends?)

I would like to have photographed every block and examine the quilt really closely but it was much more important that I spend time with my aunt.  We had a great visit. 

There's something special about touching a quilt made by an ancestor.

--Nancy.
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