What to do with leftover fabric: Sew a tree! [TUTORIAL] by Paul Leger August 10, 2022 written by Paul Leger August 10, 2022 302 The needles of the day are the SCHMETZ #1839 Microtex Needles Carded – Assorted Sizes. These needles are popular with quilters because of their precision when working on miniature quilts and while using microfibers such as, but not limited to, silks, foils, and artificial leathers. These needles have a very thin acute point that creates beautiful topstitching. I also love using the Microtex 60/8 and 70/10 needles when I’m sewing with threads that are 80 or 100 weight. The fine needles and fine treads are made for each other. SCHMETZ Microtex needles assorted pack On Monday I demonstrated how to make a quick and easy improv tree block. Yesterday I showed you a technique to make a block easy to replicate to make several blocks of the same size. Today’s technique involves making a pieced tree block using leftover pieces of fabric or fabric strips. After I cut the 10” x 10” blocks, I still had the small fabric pieces left from where the fabrics were folded. Using leftover pieces of fabric to create a tree block From the widest piece of each fabric color, cut a triangle. With the remaining pieces, cut strips that measure anywhere from 1” to 1½”. Don’t worry if the strips are a bit wider at one end than the other. Cut leftover fabrics into strips and triangles to create trees. The technique to make these tree blocks is very similar to the method used to make a log cabin block. The only difference is strips are sewn to two of the three triangle’s sides only. To start, sew a strip onto one side of the triangle. Press, then trim. Sew a strip to the triangle, then press and trim. For the next step, sew another strip on the other side of each triangle. Then go back and forth to each side adding more strips. Remember to press and trim as strips are added. I stopped adding strips when the base of my trees approached 6”. Note: Since this block is another form of improvisational piecing, it doesn’t matter if the strips are not the same width. Just take the next one on the pile and sew. Add strips until the desired tree sizes are reached. Once the trees reach the desired size, pin the trees in place on a piece of 10” x 10” background fabric. Pin the tree block to a 10” x 10” piece of background fabric. Align the ruler along the edge of the tree. Place a ruler along the edge of the tree. With the ruler in place, cut. Repeat this step on the other side of the tree. Cut along both sides of the tree. Sew the background to the tree using the same method I demonstrated on Monday. Remember to press the blocks after you sew all the pieces together. Sew the background to the tree and press. Remember to stock up on SCHMETZ needles such as SCHMETZ #1839 Microtex Needles Carded – Assorted Sizes. There’s a needle type for all sewing projects! SCHMETZ needles Join me again tomorrow as I talk about trimming the blocks and adding a tree trunk. Fun times! This is part 3 of 5 in this series Go back to part 2: Marking your fabric to cut duplicate blocks – no pattern required Go to part 4: Finishing a quilt block to size: Here’s what it takes Print this page or save as a PDF 0qs428free Christmas quilting patternsfree Christmas tree quilting patternsfree quilting patternsfree quilting tutorialsnotionsOLFAolisoOliso Pro Mini Project Ironrotary cutterschmetzSCHMETZ needlesUNIQUE QuiltingWool Pressing Mat FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsappTelegramEmail Paul Leger I took my first quilting course in September 1994 in Barrie, Ontario, near the armed forces base where I was stationed. After moving to Ottawa in 1996, I joined my first guild. I took more courses and began to buy quilting books and lots of fabrics. Quilting has become my passion. I have made over 150 more quilts since then, and have never looked back. I now share my knowledge of quilting by teaching and doing presentations, and blogging! previous post Marking your fabric to cut duplicate blocks – no pattern required next post Finishing a quilt block to size: Here’s what it takes YOU MAY ALSO LIKE... T-shirt quilts – 4 ideas for layouts that... Stay warm with a quilt made with Fairfield... Pinning a quilt – It’s the little things... T-shirt quilts – Quilting rulers that make the... Making a quilt starts with choosing the right... The trick to quilting for texture | Double... Create texture with thread painting and invisible thread... How to applique houses and landscapes with HeatnBond HeatnBond EZ Print Lite makes printing out applique... Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
