Hive 6 - June Tutorial - Winter Trees

 

Colors:

For these blocks, I’m envisioning a wintery blue, gray, white & silver metallic color scheme. I grew up in a state without snow, but moved to Idaho four years ago where we’ve been able experience the joys of a White Christmas. Here are some photos and color palettes for inspiration:

Trees: Choose between 4 and 7 different blues for a scrappy feel. I love mixing all types of fabrics, so solids, tone-on-tone, batiks, brighter reproductions, etc. are all okay. Brighter is better for standing out, so saturated, rich, vibrant jewel tones are a great option. Muted blues are also fine, just please pair with some brighter blues so they tree pops. Avoid really light light blues or really dark dark blues. Small and large prints are okay, as long as they read blue. Avoid novelty prints unless they fit the “wintery” theme (e.g. snowflakes, reindeer, presents). I want a more serious “adult” feel, so please nothing cutesy or silly-looking. Bonus points for blues with silver metallic accents. While I absolutely ADORE all metallics (yeah, I know I'm in the minority), please only use silver for these blocks.

Trunks: Medium to dark grays. Bonus points for grays with silver metallic accents.

Background: Please choose one consistent white background for the whole block. White can be solid, but I definitely prefer a little pop/design. White on white is great. Color on white is great if it is blue, gray, or silver. Avoid prints that are too busy so they don’t battle with the blues—I've got some busier prints here and I made one block with a busier background so you have an idea of how busy you can go! I just want the blues to really stand out, so if you use a busier background, make sure to use really rich blues. Bonus points for whites with silver metallic accents.

Tree Template

Please use Cluck Cluck Sew's free printable tree template found here. Remember to make sure the scale is at 100% when printing and check the 1" square with your ruler for size.

Cutting:

1x white background rectangle: 2.5 x 7.5”

2x white background rectangles: 2.5" x 3.25"

2x white background triangles (mirror images) - use the template(s) to cut the right shapes

Please Note: If your background is directional, you will need to cut the three rectangles from a  perpendicular side of the fabric from the triangles so they aren't sideways in the block. If anyone has a better way of explaining this, I'm all ears.

1x gray rectangle for the trunk - 2" x 2"

4-7-ish blue strips. The longest fabric should be around 8", so that it overhangs both sides of the bottom of the template. The strips do not need to be straight, because we will cut some (or all) of them wonky.

 

 

Assembling the Tree:

Lay out the fabric strip that will be the bottom of the tree. It should be around 7.5-8” long, but can be any height that you choose. Use your tree template to verify that the length is sufficient. Cut the top of your first fabric at a wonky angle. Steep, shallow, whatever.

Now select your next fabric and place it right side down on top of your first fabric. The edge of the second fabric should be placed along the edge where you made your wonky cut on the first fabric. Use your template to verify that the fabric is long enough. When you place the template along the bottom edge of your first fabric, there should be a little bit of the second fabric visible on either side of the template (see arrows in picture below).

 

Press however floats your boat. I typically press to the dark side, which is how I was taught as a padawan, but I’ve found that sometimes, pressing to a certain type of piece or unit works out better. For this part, there are no bulky seams or anything, so it doesn’t really matter. I personally pressed all seams up towards the top of the tree.

Now make another wonky cut, this time in the opposite direction as you did for the first fabric. Or make a parallel cut. Or no cut, whatever. Be a rebel if you want to.

 

Add the next fabric strip and make sure to check that the size & positioning of the piece will work. As you can see in the image below, you should be able to see the edges of the fabric peaking out from both sides of the template (arrows). Sew and press.

Continue adding fabric and cutting until you reach the top of the template. Once you have reached the top of the tree, use the template to cut away the excess fabric. Position your ruler along the edge of the template to make your cuts.

This will reveal the final, scrappy triangle that will be the body of the tree! I forgot to take a picture of this step, so please use your imagination...

 

Adding the Background & Trunk

Now you can attach the white mirror image triangles to the body of the tree. Make sure to line up the piece at the top of the tree. Cutting the little divots helps with lining up. If you attach too high, the block will not measure 7.5" and if you attach too low, the top of the tree will get chopped off when sewn to the block above. Sew, press, and then repeat on the other side. I pressed these out towards the light pieces, but you can do whatever you want.

Next locate the trunk piece & background rectangles. Sew each of the white rectangles to either side of the trunk piece. Sew the trunk section to the bottom of the tree. I pressed toward the trunk for all three of theses seams, but you know the drill.

I forgot to take a picture at this step as well, but at this point, the tree should measure 7.5 x 9.5”.

Add the last white rectangle to either the top or the bottom of the tree (surprise me-- or make one of each if you feel so inclined) to bring the total size up to 7.5 x 11.5". I pressed toward the added rectangle here.

And that's the block. Thanks very much for making it for me-- I can't wait to see all of your lovely iterations! I've made 4 so far-- They come together really very quickly.