Last Fall I purchased a small amount of a Cotton and Steel Print by Sarah Watts (from the August collection), and when I cut some of it into strips for another project I made the pleasant discovery that this fabric really looks like Birch bark. Naturally, I went and bought more immediately! I am really excited to make use of this fabric in an improvisationally pieced tree quilt.
I found a stash Kona cotton in a color that was very close to the color of the teal green splotches in the tree print which worked perfectly as the background fabric. I started by cutting a rectangle of the general size I was thinking about and then used a straight edge and rotary cutter to slash the fabric where the trees and branches would go. No measuring involved! (at least at this point-)
I went with a fabric from Carolyn Friedlander’s Botanics line for the backing because I liked incorporating the leaf imagery.
For the quilting design, I wanted to evoke a feeling of winter. While I’m not generally a big fan of snow, especially this time of year, I do like watching great big fluffy snowflakes fall into drifts. I decided to use a quilting design of various size bubbles in light blue to give that winter snow storm feeling.
The binding is a slate colored piece from Jan Patek’s Front Porch line. I knew this little quilt wanted a striped binding, and it was fun to find a fabric from such a different line than Cotton and Steel, and make them play together so nicely. I’m considering doing one of these little tree quilts for every season . . .
Quilt Stats
Title: Winter Trees
Size: 15.5″ x 19″
Techniques: Improvisational Piecing
Quilting: Stitch in the ditch along the edges of the tree shapes, free motion quilting in a bubble motif
Fabrics: Sarah Watts (Cotton and Steel- August Collection), Carolyn Friedlander (Botanics), Kona Cotton, Jan Patek (Front Porch)
Batting: Warm and White Cotton Batting
Thread: Connecting Threads Essential Thread in Persian Blue, light blue cotton machine quilting thread
Binding: 2″ wide strips, cut on grain, machine stitched to the quilt front, hand stitched to the back.
What was new:
“Tree” Improv! I have never done improv piecing with the intention of making it look like a particular object.
Quilt 10 / 50
Goal #9 is Finished!
I’m linking this post up with Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts. Please stop by to check out everyone’s awesome work!
This turned out so beautifully! Using a coordinating solid to match the colors in the tree bark really helps the quilt have a lot of cohesiveness and the trees just pop out and shine.
I love it when one small observation leads to a cool quilt! The bright colors in the print keep it looking arty as they suggest the birch. I appreciate the clue to process. I’ve never laid out all the pieces and slices before starting to sew. Looks like a good approach.
Awesome! The fabric does look like bark, and your quilting gives a great winter feeling.
This is fantastic!
This is stunningly beautiful!! I love the colors , and how it all makes me feel when I look at it!! Your quilting is gorgeous too!
This is a great art quilt. I love birch trees and these look just perfect. Well done!
Loving these trees!!!!
Hooray for Improv!!
That’s beautiful!
I love your quilt! It is so stunning!
Lovely!
This catches my eye EVERY TIME I look at the projects on the FAL linky. Really stunning.
I am totally pinning this to my wishlist! What a cool creation!
I LOVE this one. It totally looks like trees in winter.
Wonderful!
Cassandra, I really love this mini quilt and am sharing it on my blog post that will be live tomorrow morning on sisterview.com. (If that’s ok with you) If not, let me know and I will remove it. I just think it is gorgeous!
This is just perfection!
Just seen this on Pinterest. Believe me, after the 2016 Christmas we have had, this is a thing of beauty to me and makes me feel better. Thank you LIZ
Have just come across this on Pinterest. I am not good at quilting and like your approach. However, I have no clue how you did the trees. Did you just surface applique them or is it more complicated than that, ie.,the tree shapes are pieced!!! Would you be prepared to give me some idea please. Thank you. Regards LIZ