Fire up your iron, the sixth block of the 2024 Little Forest BOM is here! This month you’ll be focusing on piecing the Poplar quilt block.
Nice work on piecing your Lodgepole quilt block. I challenged you to combine small and foundation paper piecing, and I also removed some of the wiggle room to have you focus more on your piecing accuracy!
So far in this modern skill builder, you’ve been small piecing, snowballing, FPPing, sewing curves, and needle turn appliquéing like a champ. Just look at all the techniques you’ve covered already:
- The importance of tracking your progress through the Little Forest BOM Journal.
- Small piecing in the Bonsai Quilt Block, which will set the foundation of your quilting skills.
- How to stitch and flip (aka snowballing) in the Stacked Pine Quilt Block, which is an introduction to piecing on the bias!
- How to achieve nice crisp points with Foundation Paper Piecing and how to piece curves in the Cherry Tree block.
- How to layer motifs with needle turn appliqué in the Little Forest block.
- Small piecing and FPP without as much wiggle room in the Lodgepole block.
This month, I encourage you to keep all the tips and techniques you’ve tackled in the quilt along up to this point.
Why?
Because things are about to get a little more challenging. Read on to find out exactly how!
The Little Forest BOM Quilt Pattern is available for instant download!
Want to make the complete Little Forest quilt?
This block is one of twelve included in the Little Forest Quilt Course. Each block introduces a different modern quilting technique, helping you build your skills one step at a time through detailed video lessons and guided instruction.
Whether you’re learning curves, foundation paper piecing, appliqué, half rectangle triangles, or precision piecing, you’ll finish with both new quilting confidence and a beautiful quilt inspired by the forest.
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.
Story Behind the Poplar Quilt Block
One of the things I love to do while my hubz and I are out driving is to look at the trees passing by. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve said “Oh, look at that pretty tree!” – ha!
What captivates me the most is when I spot trees of different sizes and shapes that stand out from the typical pine and maple trees.
So, it’s probably not surprising that this lovely sculptural tree stopped me in my tracks! It goes by several names, including poplar, aspen, and cottonwood. Its typical oval shape inspired me to incorporate oval curves in this modern skill builder 😉
Quilting Technique Featured
I know you already pieced curves in the Cherry Tree quilt block, but the Poplar block is going to take that challenge to the next level.
The reason is the sharpness of the curve.
- The larger the curve, the easier it is to piece together.
- The smaller the curve, the more challenging it is to piece together.
So, that inner canopy is going to require patience, prep, and precision.
Materials & Notions
Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand to stitch up the Poplar quilt block:
- Poplar quilt block pattern – part of the Little Forest BOM pattern
- Fabrics in colours:
- Piecing thread
- Sewing machine
- Cutting mat
- Rotary cutter with these blades
- Rotary cutter for paper templates
- Scissors for paper cutting
- Ruler – long
- Ruler – short
- Small scissors
- Pin cushion
- Pins
- Iron
- Wool pressing mat – Use code SHANNONFRASER15 to save 15% on your wool pressing mat(s) at The Felt Store Canada or The Felt Store USA. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts.
- Spray bottle
- Erasable marking tool
Top Tips
Pins are your friend with this one!
That goes double for the inner canopy.
Take your time with this step. The prep is important to make it easier for you at the sewing machine. The inner canopy is a tight fit, so be patient, don’t pull or tug, and let your machine do the work!
If you’re working with linen, be extra mindful that linen likes to stretch out.
Caution
Make sure you double-check before cutting out your inner canopies.
Why?
Because I’ve made this mistake on more than one occasion – ha! And I’d prefer you avoid this costly mistake. Not only will you need to recut that piece, but it also means re-piecing your large canopy.
So, before you trace the template, make sure you have it positioned properly. You need to mirror the image, not twin 😉
June Little Forest BOM Giveaway
As much as I love piecing curves without pins, sometimes they really do help give you the best piecing results. This is why I reached out to Riane from Material Goods to give you the chance to win this adorable pincushion.
To enter the giveaway, you must:
- Be following @materialgoods_ and @shannonfraserdesigns on Instagram.
- Post a photo on Instagram of your Poplar block between June 15, 2024, and July 14, 2024, at 11:59 pm Eastern.
- Instagram account must be public.
- Tag @materialgoods_ and @shannonfraserdesigns
- Include the hashtags #LittleForestBOM #LittleForestQuilt
This month’s giveaway is open internationally.
The winner is to be announced in the July 15, 2024, Little Forest BOM Newsletter!
One last friendly reminder to take your time piecing the Poplar quilt block! Patience will go a long way with this one! I look forward to seeing yours pop up on the ‘gram or in our Facebook group.
If you haven’t already, be sure to get your Little Forest BOM Quilt Pattern 😊
Don’t forget to check in with your journal. It will feel good to track how you feel, and you’ll love being able to look back and see how you felt along the way.
Happy stitching!
xo
Shannon
PS Don’t forget to share your Poplar quilt block on the ‘gram to be entered into the giveaway!
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Struggling with the Poplar block- today I will try it again. The background when finished is all wonky and not on grain.So I went back to some garment sewing basics and stay stitched the curves before cutting them out. definitely improved, also shrank the background fabric in very hot water and ironed it dry and also cut it out the opposite way the cutting diagram suggests, thinking warp and weft threads may stretch differently. Also starched the background fabric with light spray starch. With half done better results.
This one is definitely the most challenging of the Little Forest blocks, Gloria. My best tip is to make sure you’re lining up the centers. That’s where I start pinning and then adjust the fabric accordingly. The background fabric is intentionally left larger to give you trimming wiggle room in case things get wonky. Let me know if that helps!