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Making an improv tree block starts with the right tools [free quilting tutorial]

by Paul Leger

Over the past two weeks, I saw many posts on social media about Christmas in July and local quilt shops showing new 2022 Christmas fabrics. This gave me the idea to make a simple, easy-to-make Christmas-themed tree quilt. I’m making tree blocks in three different ways. By the time this quilt is finished, I’ll have another quilt ready for the birth of my friend’s next child.

A quilt made using trees as the main motif

Tree quilt

This quilt measures 34½” x 44½”.

Here are some of the awesome tools I’m using to create this week’s quilt.

·         SCHMETZ needles

·         OLFA 45mm Splash Rotary Cutter in navy blue

·         OLFA 12½″ Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler

·         OLFA 6″ x 12″ Frosted Acrylic Ruler

·         Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

·         Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron with Solemate – Orchid

·         UNIQUE Quilting Wool Pressing Mat – 14″ x 14″ – Gray

OLFA rulers, rotary cutter, Oliso iron, 4 packages of SCHMETZ needles on gray wool pressing mat and on a gray cutting mat with red grid lines; SCHMETZ needles, SCHMETZ #1739 Quilting Needles Carded - Assorted Sizes, SCHMETZ #1856 Piecing and Quilting Needles Pack Carded – Assorted, OLFA Splash Handle Rotary Cutter 45mm - Navy Blue, OLFA 12½″ Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler, OLFA 6″ x 12″ Frosted Acrylic Ruler, Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat, Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron with Solemate - Orchid, UNIQUE Quilting Wool Pressing Mat - 14″ x 14″ - Grey

Tools used for this week’s quilt

Here are other essential materials for this week’s project.

  • 1yd [0.92m] fabric for the first tree
  • 1yd [0.92m] fabric for the second tree
  • 1½” [1.27cm] fabric strip for tree trunks
  • ⅔yd [0.61m] fabric for lattice
  • ⅓yd [0.31m] fabric for binding
  • 1½yds [1.4m] fabric for backing

Before I get to today’s block, I want to talk about sewing needles. What needle should we use for sewing or quilting? The safest bet is to get a variety pack such as the SCHMETZ #1739 Quilting Needles Carded – Assorted Sizes or the SCHMETZ #1856 Piecing and Quilting Needles Pack Carded – Assorted.

As there are no industry standards when it comes to thread weight (wt), needle size is important. Most quilters sew with 50wt threads; therefore size 80/12 or 90/14 needles work best. Why? The small channel on the front of the needle and the needle’s eye are the correct sizes for the 50wt threads.

If the same thread brand and size are always used, then only one size needle is required. But for a quilter like myself, on some projects I switch thread brands, causing me to use multiple-size needles. I often use three to five different brands for one project.

Here are three other reasons why I like assorted packs.

  1. There are two to three needle sizes per card making them great to bring to a workshop or retreat.
  2. The size included in the assorted packs is the most commonly used by quilters.
  3. It’s easier to bring one multi-pack than bring several packs of several sizes.

Two assorted packs of SCHMETZ sewing needles; SCHMETZ needles, SCHMETZ #1739 Quilting Needles Carded - Assorted Sizes, SCHMETZ #1856 Piecing & Quilting Needles Pack Carded – Assorted

SCHMETZ needles assorted pack

Now the fun begins.

From each of the two fabrics you selected to make the trees, use the OLFA 12½″ x 12½” square ruler to cut eight 10” x 10” blocks. Once the blocks are cut, pair them, putting the wrong side of one with the right side of the other.

This is the fun part. Place the OLFA 6” x 12” ruler diagonally on a fabric pair.

The OLFA 6” x 12” ruler is placed diagonally from left to right on the fabric pair laid out on a gray cutting mat with red grid lines

Place the OLFA 6” x 12” ruler diagonally on a fabric pair.

Note: Don’t start a diagonal line from a corner. It’s better to start at least 1” from the corner.

As you can see in the above photo, the ruler more or less goes to the center.

Once the ruler is where I want it to be, I cut through both layers of fabrics and separate both pairs. I then place the ruler diagonally going in the other direction and cut as shown below.

A quilting ruler is placed diagonally going from right to left and a triangle shape is cut out of the square fabric; a rotary cutter is set to the left of the fabric and ruler; the background is a gray cutting mat with red grid lines

Make a second cut by placing the ruler diagonally in the other direction.

There are now two tree shape triangles and two sets of background. Use the fabrics you last cut, and with a ¼” seam, sew the tree shapes to the opposite color for both sets.

My iron and ironing board are not in my studio, and I’m ok with this as it gets me off my chair and makes me move. When I know I’ll be pressing a lot in a short period, I set up a small pressing station next to my sewing machine with the UNIQUE quilting wool pressing mat. With my Oliso Pro Mini Project Iron, I’m all set to press. For this project, I press toward the darker fabrics.

Fabrics are pressed toward the darker of the two fabrics with and white and pink iron on a gray wool pressing mat; Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron with Solemate - Orchid, UNIQUE Quilting Wool Pressing Mat - 14″ x 14″ - Grey

Press toward the darker fabric.

If the two pieces don’t perfectly align after sewing and pressing, simply trim.

Two pieces of fabrics one white with blue snowflakes sewed together are trimmed to ensure they form a straight edge with a quilting ruler on a gray cutting mat with red grid lines; OLFA 12½″ Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler, Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

To ensure there is a straight edge, trim.

After trimming the edge, sew on the other piece of background fabric to the tree fabric.

Now the first of two tree blocks is complete.

Two completed tree blocks; one with a light-colored fabric as the tree and a dark green fabric as the background, and the other block with a dark green tree and a light-colored fabric as the background. Both blocks are laid out on a gray cutting mat with red grid lines; Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

Two completed tree blocks.

Normally the next step is to square off the blocks. But, for today they’re staying as they are. I’ll talk about trimming in Thursday’s post.

I enjoyed all the tools I used today, especially setting up my mini sewing station using the UNIQUE quilting wool pressing mat and the Oliso Pro Mini Project Iron. I can’t suggest strongly enough how important it is to have these items in your sewing tools collection. Trust me, they won’t go to waste.

An Oliso Pro Mini Project Iron on a gray UNIQUE quilting wool pressing mat

UNIQUE quilting wool pressing mat and an Oliso Pro Mini Project Iron

Tomorrow’s post will be as easy as today’s as I’ll demonstrate another way to make the tree blocks. Make sure to come back to see how I do it.

This is part 1 of 5 in this series

Go to part 2: Marking your fabric to cut duplicate blocks – no pattern required

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