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Shannon Fraser Designs

Spreading quilty joy one stitch at a time!

Cherry Tree – Block 3 of the Little Forest BOM

July 7, 2022 by Shannon 14 Comments

Little Forest BOM is back with block 3 called Cherry Tree! This one is a true skill builder and will have you trying out foundation paper piecing and sewing curves. This is such a fun block to pull together and makes such a visual statement! Read more up on the blog. #littleforestbom #skillbuilder #modernquilt #quiltalong #quilting101

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.

Cherry Tree quilt block part of the Little Forest Block of the Month quilt along - perfect for helping you learn and try all the quilting techniques! Read the blog for more details #littleforestbom #modernquilters #sewalong

*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 😊

Little Forest BOM Quilt Along is back wit Block 3 - Cherry Tree. This one is inspired by my travels in Japan and getting to experience Cherry Blossom season! Read more about this modern quilt block up on the blog. #cherrytreequilt #littleforestbom #modernquilt #quiltalong

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.

Cherry Tree is the 3rd block to be released as part of the Little Forest Block of the Month quilt along! Read all the details of the quilting techniques you'll learn in this modern skill builder. #littleforestbom #curvequilt #fpp #foundationpaperpiecing

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*
Ruby and Bee solids I featured in the Cherry Tree block part of the Little Forest BOM. These quilting cottons are dreamy to work with! #rubyandbeesolids #sewsolids #littleforestbom

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!

Little Forest BOM QAL Block 3 Giveaway is a set of heat erasable fabric marking pens featuring  white, red and blue ink to cover all your fabric marking needs! #littleforestbom #shannonfraserdesigns #modernquilt #quiltalong

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.

Cherry Tree is the 3rd block to be released as part of the Little Forest Block of the Month quilt along! Read all the details of the quilting techniques you'll learn in this modern skill builder. #littleforestbom #curvequilt #fpp #foundationpaperpiecing

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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Filed Under: Quilt Along Tagged With: Little Forest BOM

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda says

    July 8, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    Where are the patterns for each block?
    Thank you.
    Linda

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      July 8, 2022 at 3:34 pm

      You can find all of the Little Forest Blocks in Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine starting with Issue 111 that was released in May. most stores in North America are just receiving that Issue in case you want physical copies. Otherwise you can sign up for a subscription via the link above my signature 🙂

      Reply
  2. Diane says

    September 2, 2022 at 8:09 am

    Are the fabric kits available again yet? If yes, where can I purchase? They were all sold out and on back-order. Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Diane says

    September 2, 2022 at 8:01 pm

    Are the fabric kits available again yet? If yes, where can I purchase? They were all sold out and on back-order. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      September 6, 2022 at 6:36 am

      Hi Diane, The kits had been restocked and I just checked again and they’ve all sold out again. Let me see if they plan on bringing any kits back in!

      Reply
      • Diane says

        September 6, 2022 at 7:19 am

        Thank you ! I would appreciate a heads-up on that.

        Reply
        • Shannon says

          September 6, 2022 at 10:12 am

          I just heard back that they’re waiting on Kelp to be restocked. I’ve asked them to send me a note when they have the kits listed again 😁

          Reply
  4. Diane says

    September 6, 2022 at 10:29 am

    Thank you for all your efforts – above and beyond !

    Reply
  5. Diane says

    September 21, 2022 at 9:08 am

    Hi Shannon,
    Any news on the fabric kit restocking? Will I be alerted when it is? If not, how can I find out? Thanks

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      September 28, 2022 at 7:23 am

      Hi Diane, I just checked the listing at Birdie & Dot Fabrics and it looks to still be out of stock. The last time I checked, they were still waiting on Kelp to arrive. You can find the listing here: https://birdieanddotfabrics.ca/products/little-forest-block-of-the-month-fabric-kit
      I believe there are some shipping delays!

      Reply
  6. Diane Jordan says

    September 28, 2022 at 8:17 am

    Thank you for the update. I will monitor the site periodically. Shipping delays have become a way if life nowadays.
    Thank you again.
    Diane

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      October 12, 2022 at 12:33 pm

      Great news, Diane! The quilt kits are back in stock: https://birdieanddotfabrics.ca/products/little-forest-block-of-the-month-fabric-kit

      Reply
  7. Diane Jordan says

    October 12, 2022 at 2:38 pm

    WooHoo! Thank you for the heads-up!
    I ordered my kit today. Can’t wait to start this project.
    Thank you again.
    Diane

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      October 12, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      So happy you got your hands on a set!! Have fun diving into the Little Forest Blocks!! And do tag me so I can see them pop up! 😁

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Shannon. A modern quilt pattern designer based in Montreal. My quilting journey started by stumbling upon a half square triangle tutorial and I've been hooked since. I'm now spreading that quilty joy to you! Read More…

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