Hive 7 - July Tutorial - Tree Blocks for Sara

I went back and forth on a few ideas for blocks this month but decided to stick with another choose your own adventure block. A while back I came across Wombat Quilts’ Wonky Tree Forest quilt, and really liked the style and color choices. I’ve since seen other quilts with a similar style and I think it’ll be a great Bee quilt.

Here is the original inspiration:

The ask:

I am looking for blocks that are 12.5” tall by either 6.5” or 12.5” wide that contain at least one tree. Trees do not need to take up the whole height or width of the block but can be surrounded by low volume to make up the remaining dimensions. For the trees, I am looking for a variety in realistic shades of green, with brown for the trunks. I would prefer ‘forest’ type trees – not palms or potted. Press as desired.

Fabric Selection:

Trees: I would prefer solid, blender, or low/medium contrast prints greens or browns to be used. Greens should be used for tree canopies, and brown for tree trunks. In the photo below, the greens to the left work well, while the prints in the greens to the right are too busy to come across as realistic.

Low Volume: Whites, creams, and low value tans are preferred, with light/medium contrast. In the photo below, the fabrics to the left were ones that I used. The ones to the right would be ok in moderation but had darker contrast in the prints so I omitted them.

 

Time to Sew!

Since this is a choose your own adventure, I’ve got a couple tutorial options written but have also linked to several other resources. There are so many ways to approach this block.

If you need to see larger pictures, either click on them or drag the image to the search bar. If that fails, please let me know!

Tutorial 1: Classic Pine

Cutting Directions

• For the tree branches (green): If using one color, cut one 2.5" x WOF strip, then subcut.
• Cut 1 – 2.5” x 4.5” strip
• Cut 1 – 2.5” x 6.5” strip
• Cut 1 – 2.5” x 8.5” strip
• Cut 1 – 2.5” x 10.5” strip
• For the tree trunk (brown):
• Cut 1 – 2.5” x 2.5” square
• For the background (low volume): If using one color, cut two 2.5" x WOF strip, then subcut.
• Cut 10 – 2.5” x 2.5” square
• Cut 2 – 2.5” x 3.5” strips
• Cut 2 – 2.5” x 1.5” strips
• Cut 2 – 2.5” x 4.5” strips
• Cut 1 – 2.5" x 10.5" strip
• Cut 1 – 2.5" x 12.5" strip

Piecing Directions

1. Using eight 2.5” low volume squares, snowball the corners of each green strip. On the first strip, which is the shortest, trim the first seam before doing the second corner. (Pictures 1 & 2)
1. On four squares, draw a line from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. On the other four squares, draw a line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.
2. Align each square with the edge of the strips, right sides together. The diagonal lines should be aligned so that they lead to the bottom corner of the strip.
3. Sew directly on each line.
4. Press as desired.
5. Trim the outer excess to leave a ¼” seam.
6. Repeat for all green strips.
2. Using the background strips, assemble each individual row (Picture 3). Sewn rows will be 10.5” wide and 2.5” tall. Press. I've included a diagram to show which piece goes where below.
3. Sew rows together (Picture 4). Trim to 10.5” square. Press.
4. Attach the 2.5” x 10.5” low volume strip to any side of the block, resulting in a rectangle that is 10.5” by 12.5” (Picture 5). Press.
5. Attach the 2.5” x 12.5” low volume strip to a short edge, resulting in a 12.5” square block (Picture 6). Press.
6. Unfinished block should be 12.5" x 12.5".

Tutorial 2: Improv Trees

Fabrics

• For each tree:
• One green square or rectangle (can be pieced)
• One brown rectangle
• Four small low volume remnants
• Low volume for background

Piecing Directions

1. Make the tree canopy by snowballing either the corners or edges of the green square or rectangle with low volume fabric. (Pictures 1-5)
2. Make the tree trunk by attaching low volume background fabric to either side of the brown rectangle. This rectangle should be the same size or larger than the tree canopy. (Picture 6)
3. Sew the tree canopy and tree trunk together. Press. Trim, if desired. (Picture 7)
4. Continue to add background fabrics to the square to create an unfinished block 12.5” tall by either 6.5” or 12.5” wide. Press. (Pictures 8-10)

Other Options

There are so many fantastic tree blocks out there! I’ve got a few different styles linked blow as reference, but this certainly is not a complete list.

• Wombat Quilts' Wonky Tree Forest Tutorial
• The Sewing Loft's Patchwork Tree
• Scrap Fabric Love's Scrap/Crumb Tree
• Bonjour Quilt's Tree Block for #bushfireblocks
• Other #bushfireblocks are linked on Wollongong MQG's webpage
• Threadbare Creation's Tree Farm - Three Ways
• Daydream of Quilt's Single Tree Block
• Daydream of Quilt's Two Trees Block

Thank you! I'm excited to see what we create!