Announcing the Little Forest Block of the Month Quilt Along

Surprise! I’m so excited to be announcing the Little Forest Block of the Month Quilt Along!

I’ve teamed up with Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine to bring you the ultimate modern block of the month sew along featuring trees.

No two quilt blocks are the same! And each features a different quilting technique to keep you fired up to stay the course and complete your quilt!

I’m sharing more with you today about how this design came to be, what you can expect by joining in, tips on how to make the most out of your experience, and where to find the Little Tree block of the month quilt patterns.

This one’s for you, fellow nature lover, who adores trees in all their different glorious shapes and sizes.

Let’s dive in 😊

This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.

HOW THE LITTLE FOREST BLOCK OF THE MONTH QUILT CAME TO BE

To say it’s been difficult to keep this secret under wraps would be a huge understatement! I’ve been wanting to shout this from the rooftops for months now. When Love Patchwork and Quilting approached me about designing a block of the month quilt, I was honoured. The brief was to create a design that incorporated up to 12 different blocks that were true skill builders to help you level up your quilting game.

I was on it!

You know how much I love challenging myself in my own quilty practice and I was excited to think of something that would be modern, colourful, unique, and, most importantly, entice you to want to take on the quilting challenge 😉

There were a few designs that I pitched to LPQ and I was beyond thrilled when they selected the Little Forest quilt.

I have a true love for nature, trees in particular, and I’d been wanting to explore trees and quilting. Most of the trees that are featured in the quilt are inspired by ones that I grew up surrounded by. Others, I just adore and had to include them 😉

Since I took the skill builder aspect to heart, I didn’t shy away from incorporating more complex quilt piecing. Fear not, nothing is too complicated. They’re challenging just enough to help you learn, practice and expand your quilting skill set. You’re going to feel engaged and present as you piece these blocks, and that’s a good thing!

HOW DOES THE LITTLE FOREST BLOCK OF THE MONTH WORK?

Starting with Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine Issue 111, each month you’ll find a new Little Forest quilt block pattern and any templates (if applicable) included in the issue.

You’ll have the entire month to work on your block and share it on Instagram with the #LittleForestBOM hashtag.

Each month you’ll tackle a new quilting technique, combination of techniques, or apply the technique in a new way to help challenge your quilting mindset and capabilities. It’s by stepping outside your comfort zone that you’ll discover new approaches to consider. Here’s an overview of some of the quilting techniques you’ll try:

• Needle turn appliqué
• Raw Edge Appliqué
• Foundation paper piecing
• Strip piecing
• Small piecing
• Piecing curves
• Half rectangle triangles (HRT)
• Snowballing a quilt block
• Flying geese block
• Piecing triangles
• Working with paper templates

The patterns walk you through step-by-step with handy visuals so you can see what your block should look like at each step of the quilt block piecing journey.  

TOP TIP – KEEP A QUILTING JOURNAL

To help keep things from feeling too overwhelmed, I’ve balanced out the blocks with some simpler designs. Use the piecing of these blocks as a chance to see how the more difficult blocks have impacted your piecing capabilities. I encourage you to keep a journal of how you’re feeling throughout this block of the month sew-along. Before you start, take note of the skills you want to learn and rate how confident you feel in each. As you work on each monthly block, take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts, feelings, and insights.

Here are some prompts to help get you started:

• What did you enjoy?
• What didn’t you enjoy?
• What surprised you?
• What challenged you?
• What would you do differently next time?

Being aware and mindful of how your quilting practice is evolving will make it even more meaningful. I’ve found that staying present and journaling have been great ways to track my progress, see my evolution, and keep myself motivated.

I’ve created a free Quilt Journal so you can easily try it out for yourself!

LITTLE FOREST BLOCK OF THE MONTH LOVE PATCHWORK & QUILTING MAGAZINE SCHEDULE

Here’s how the schedule for the Little Forest quilt block patterns will be released in Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine:

• May 12, 2022 – Little Forest BOM Kicks Off
• May 2022 – Block 1 – Little Forest
• June 2022 – Block 2 – Twin Peaks
• July 2022 – Block 3 – Cherry Tree
• August 2022 – Block 4 – Bonsai
• September 2022 – Block 5 – Maple Tree
• September 2022 – Block 6 – Fraser Fir
• October 2022 – Block 7 – Striped Pine
• November 2022 – Block 8 – Stacked Pine
• December 2022 – Block 9
• January 2023 – Block 10
• February 2023 – Block 11
• March 2023 – Block 12
• March 2023 – Finished Quilt

MATERIALS AND FABRICS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THE LITTLE FOREST BOM QUILT

Here’s an overview of everything I’m using to make my Little Forest BOM quilt:

• Little Forest Quilt Block Patterns – Little Forest Quilt Pattern available here
• Ruby and Bee Solids in the colours:
  • Perfect Pink
  • Peachy Keen
  • Pumpkin
  • Mandarin
  • Claret
  • Avocado
  • Limeade
  • Evergreen
  • Kelp
  • Pasture
  • Mushroom
• Linen White for the background, although this Ruby and Bee solid would work perfectly too!
• Sewing machine
• Sewing machine needles
• 50wt thread for piecing
• Square ruler
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting mat
• Iron
• Wool pressing mat – use code SHANNONFRASER15 to save 15% on your small, medium, or large wool pressing mat at thefeltstore.ca or thefeltstore.com.
• Pins
• Pincushion
• Small snips
• Design wall – tutorial to make your own here

MONTHLY GIVEAWAYS

Did I mention there will be monthly giveaways to up the quilty fun?!

Each month you’ll have the chance to win a prize by posting your progress shots and finished blocks on Instagram using the #LittleForestBOM hashtag and tagging @shannonfraserdesigns and @lovequiltingmag along with the sponsor of the month. The monthly blog posts will include the specific details to enter!

LITTLE FOREST QUILT BOM BLOCK 1 – LITTLE FOREST QUILT BLOCK

The first block to be released in the Little Forest Quilt is the Little Forest block.

I’m not sure what it is about trees and forests that I find so appealing, but I’m the annoying passenger that’s constantly pointing out pretty trees during road trips! They just take my breath away and love the beauty and air cleaning capabilities they offer.

The Little Forest Block is my modern take on a forest. I grew up surrounded by maple trees (hello, maple syrup!), so it’s fitting that their round canopies would take center stage in this quilt block. Read more about this block and my top piecing tips here.

I can’t believe the day is finally here for me to announce the Little Forest Block of the Month quilt along. I hope you’ll join me and Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine in stitching up the modern tree blocks! It’s where your love for nature, quilting, and creative challenges meet for the ultimate modern quilters quilt along 😊

Get started today with the Little Forest BOM Quilt Pattern.

Happy quilting!

xo

Shannon

PS don’t forget to grab your free Little Forest BOM Quilt Journal.

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