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Home » HA Kidd » H.A. Kidd sewing notions » What to do with leftover fabric: Sew a tree! [TUTORIAL]

What to do with leftover fabric: Sew a tree! [TUTORIAL]

by Paul Leger

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.

A package of assorted SCHMETZ microtext needles; SCHMETZ #1839 Microtex Needles Carded - Assorted Sizes - 5 count

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.

2 strips of white fabric with blue snowflakes and 2 strips of dark green fabric lay on top of a gray cutting mat with red grid lines; Heirloom Double Sided Cutting Mat - 24″ x 36″ (61 x 91.4cm)

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.

Two types of fabric, green and white snowflake, cut into strips and triangles lay next to a quilting ruler and rotary cutter on a gray cutting mat with red grid lines; OLFA Splash Handle Rotary Cutter 45mm - Navy Blue, OLFA 6″ x 12″ Frosted Acrylic Ruler, Heirloom Double Sided Cutting Mat - 24″ x 36″ (61 x 91.4cm)

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.

A strip of fabric is sewn to a triangle piece of fabric, pressed, and trimmed; another strip is sewn to another triangle piece of fabric, pressed but not trimmed. Fabric is white with blue snowflakes and dark green; Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

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.

Strips added to 2 triangles until the base is approximately 6”; laid out on a gray cutting mat with red grid lines; Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

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.

A triangle shape block made with green and white snowflake fabric is pinned to a piece of 10” x 10” background fabric on a gray cutting mat with red gridlines; Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

Pin the tree block to a 10” x 10” piece of background fabric.

Align the ruler along the edge of the tree.

A ruler is placed along the edge of the tree block on a gray cutting mat with red gridlines; Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat, OLFA 6″ x 12″ Frosted Acrylic Ruler

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.

The background fabrics are cut along both sides of the tree-shaped block on a gray cutting mat with red gridlines; Heirloom 24″ x 36″ Double Sided Cutting Mat

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.

The background fabric pieces are sewn to the tree and pressed with an iron on a gray wool pressing mat; Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron with Solemate - Orchid, UNIQUE Quilting Wool Pressing Mat - 14″ x 14″ - Grey

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!

4 packages of SCHMETZ needles; SCHMETZ #1739 Quilting Needles Carded - Assorted Sizes, SCHMETZ #1856 Piecing and Quilting Needles Pack Carded – Assorted, SCHMETZ #1709 Universal Needles Carded - 80/12, SCHMETZ #1839 Microtex Needles Carded - Assorted Sizes

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

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