Cherry Tree – Block 3 of the Little Forest BOM

The Little Forest Block of the Month quilt-along with Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine is still going strong!

And I’ve been so impressed with your confidence in diving in and trying new quilting techniques! This is a skill builder after all, and the point is to step outside our quilty comfort zone and expand our capabilities.

So far, you’ve tackled:

• Needle turn appliqué featured in the Little Forest block
• Half Rectangle Triangles (or HRT) in the Twin Peaks block

Now you’re going to step it up a quilty notch and tackle two quilting techniques to complete this adorable Cherry Tree quilt block.

*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.

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE CHERRY TREE QUILT BLOCK

Have you ever experienced Cherry Blossom season?

It’s a glorious season I’d never heard of until I lived in Japan and had the pleasure of experiencing it firsthand.

Driving around the city with the trees covered in the prettiest soft pink and sweetly smelling blooms was simply glorious. It was hands down my favourite season in Japan.

The arrival of these blooms not only signaled the official arrival of spring but it also confirmed the long-awaited end of a cold winter (my olive oil froze in my place, I was very eager for winter to end 😉). The delicate flowers are deceptively fragrant, reminiscent of lily of the valleys in their mighty scent for their small size. I love how the blooms cascade down from the branches, giving them a hint of a weeping willow effect.

One of my most cherished memories during my time spent in Japan was a picnic my friends and I met up for in the park during Cherry Blossom season. It was just magical. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon in a park surrounded by Cherry Blossoms, chatting with friends and sampling some tasty Japanese treats. I don’t even need my pictures to remember the scene.

While designing the Little Forest BOM Quilt, I couldn’t resist including a Cherry Tree in quilt block format.

I hope you love this one as much as I do 😊

QUILT TECHNIQUE FEATURED IN THE CHERRY TREE QUILT BLOCK

The Cherry Tree quilt block packs a 1-2 quilty punch on the technique front!

This is a skill builder challenge after all, right?!

There’s nothing you can’t handle in this one, but sometimes combining techniques in one go can seem daunting until you actually start diving in.

Here’s how the block breaks down.

You’ll start by tackling some foundation paper piecing. If you’re new to FPP, then you’re in luck as I have not 1 but 2 tutorials already up on the blog covering the technique. It takes a minute to wrap your head around attaching the fabric to the back side of your template and stitching on the right side. But once you tackle one or two seams, you’ll totally get into a groove.

• Paper Piecing a Quilting Technique
• Ultimate Foundation Paper Piecing Tutorial

FPP is genius at helping you achieve nice crisp angles, which is a key feature of the Cherry Tree quilt block design. To balance out those lines, you’ll soften everything up with a curved canopy. The juxtaposition between the two shapes is simply striking!

To keep things simple and straightforward, I’ve included instructions in the pattern for piecing your curves with pins. Feel free to go pin free if that feels better to you.

TIPS FOR QUILTY SUCCESS

My best tip for quilty success is to take it one step at a time.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, just focus first on tackling the branches. From there, focus on nailing the curve. I opted to keep my FPP papers in while piecing the curve just to give me more structure. Once you have your foundation pieces completed, you’ll see how easy the Cherry Tree quilt block comes together!

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

Here’s an overview of everything I used to stitch my Twin Peaks quilt block:

• Cherry Tree Pattern – Available exclusively in Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine Issue 113*
• Ruby and Bee Solids in the colours:
  • Perfect Pink
  • 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*
• Glue (optional)*
• Cardstock (optional)
• Iron*
• Pressing table or wool pressing mat*
• Pins*
• Pincushion
• Small snips*
• Design wall – tutorial to make your own here
• Tailor Shears*

MONTHLY GIVEAWAY

A new month means a new giveaway! This month, I’m sharing a set of Heat Erasable Fabric Marking Pens. It includes beige, red, and blue pens to cover all your fabric marking needs!

Participating in the monthly Little Forest BOM giveaway is super easy!

All you need to do is:

• Follow @shannonfraserdesigns @lovequiltingmag
• Post your finished block on Instagram by August 3, 2022, at 11:59 pm EST tagging @shannonfraserdesigns @lovequiltingmag
• Include the hashtag #LittleForestBOM
• Instagram account must be public

The giveaway is open internationally. The winner will be selected at random on August 4, 2022.

The Cherry Tree quilt block is such a fun one to piece up! Just remember – take your time and go one step at a time!

Grab the latest issue of LPQ Magazine – physical subscription* or digital subscription* to get started today!

Happy quilting!

xo

Shannon

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