Tree Tops

Designer: Jocelyn Ueng of It's Sew Emma

• 1 yard cream print (blocks)
• 1⁄2 yard green print (blocks)
• 1⁄2 yard red print (blocks, binding)
• 18×21" piece (fat quarter) each of dark green print and green stripe (blocks)
• 1⁄2 yard red-and-green stripe (border)
• 1-1⁄2 yards backing fabric
• 30×52" batting

Finished quilt: 21-1⁄2×43-1⁄2"

Finished blocks: 12×20", 6×20"

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order.

From cream print, cut: 

• 12--6-1⁄2" squares
• 4--2-1⁄2×5-1⁄2" rectangles
• 24--3-1⁄2" squares
• 8--1-1⁄2×3" rectangles

From green print, cut: 

• 6--6-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" rectangles

From red print, cut: 

• 5--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips
• 2--2-1⁄2" squares
• 4--1-1⁄2" squares

From each dark green print and green stripe, cut:

• 6--3-1⁄2×6-1⁄2" rectangles

From red-and-green stripe, cut: 

• 6--2×42" strips for border

1.    Use a pencil to draw a diagonal line on wrong side of each cream print 6-1⁄2" square. (To prevent fabric from stretching as you draw the lines, place 220-grit sandpaper under each square.)

2.    Align a marked cream print square with one end of a green print 6-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" rectangle (Diagram 1; note direction of drawn line). Sew on marked line; trim seam allowances to 1⁄4". Press open attached triangle.

3.    Align a marked cream print square with opposite end of Step 2 rectangle (Diagram 1; again note direction of marked line). Stitch, trim, and press as before to make a large Flying Geese unit (Diagram 2). The unit should be 12-1⁄2×6-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

4.    Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make six large Flying Geese units total.

5.    Referring to Diagram 3, sew together two cream print 2-1⁄2×5-1⁄2" rectangles and one red print 2-1⁄2" square to make a large trunk unit. Press seams toward red print square. The large trunk unit should be 12-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second large trunk unit.

6.    Referring to Diagram 4, sew together three large Flying Geese units and a large trunk unit to make a large tree block. Press seams toward top of block. The block should be 12-1⁄2×20-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second large tree block.

1.    Use a pencil to draw a diagonal line on wrong side of each cream print 3-1⁄2" square.

2.    Referring to Assemble Large Tree Blocks, steps 2 and 3, use 12 marked cream print squares and six dark green print 3-1⁄2×6-1⁄2" rectangles to make six small dark green Flying Geese units. Each unit should be 6-1⁄2×3-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

3.    Repeat Step 2 using remaining marked cream print squares and green stripe 3-1⁄2×6-1⁄2" rectangles to make six small green stripe Flying Geese units.

4.    Referring to Assemble Large Tree Blocks, Step 5, use cream print 1-1⁄2×3" rectangles and red print 1-1⁄2" squares to make four small trunk units. Each unit should be 6-1⁄2×1-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

5.    Referring to Diagram 5, sew together three small dark green Flying Geese units, three small green stripe Flying Geese units, and two small trunk units to make a small tree block. Press seams toward top of block. The block should be 6-1⁄2×20-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second small tree block.

1.    Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out large tree blocks and small tree blocks in two horizontal rows.

2.    Sew together block pairs. Press seams toward large tree blocks. Join pairs to make quilt center. Press seams toward top of quilt center. The quilt center should be 18-1⁄2×40-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

To make mitered corners in the border as shown in the featured wall hanging, complete the following steps.

1.    Cut and piece red-and-green stripe 2×42" strips to make:

• 2--2×54" border strips
• 2--2×32" border strips

2.    Aligning midpoints, sew short border strips to short edges of quilt center, beginning and ending seams 1⁄4" from corners (Diagram 6). In the same manner, sew long border strips to remaining edges.

3.    Referring to Diagram 7, lap one border strip over the other. Using the edge of an acrylic ruler, mark a diagonal line from border seam corner to intersection of strips' raw edges. Then place bottom border strip on top and repeat marking process.

4.    With right sides together, match marked seam lines and pin together (Diagram 8). Beginning with a backstitch at inside corner, sew together strips, stitching exactly on marked lines. Check right side to see that corner lies flat. Trim excess fabric, leaving a 1⁄4" seam allowance. Press seam open to miter a border corner (Diagram 9).

5.    Repeat steps 3 and 4 with remaining border corners to complete quilt top.

1.    Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste.

2.    Quilt as desired. Machine quilter Nancy Parkinson quilted a large stipple across the quilt top.

3.    Bind with red print binding strips.