Finished Little Forest Block of the Month 2024 Quilt

My Little Forest Block of the Month quilt and I have been on quite the journey together. Even though we stitched through the 2024 Quilt Along side by side, this beauty ended up lingering in my WIP pile far longer than I expected. Life, overlapping projects, and a serious case of crackly fingers slowed me down more than I’d like to admit. But that’s quilting, isn’t it? Projects ebb and flow, and timelines rarely go as planned. What matters is that we keep showing up. And today, I finally get to share this finished Little Forest quilt — glowing proudly in my sewing room before she’s tucked into the Quilt Cabinet for safekeeping.

The Little Forest BOM Quilt Pattern is available for instant download!

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to shop through them, at no extra cost to you. I only share fabrics and tools I genuinely love and would happily use myself.

Little Forest Quilt Fabric Colourway & Palette Inspiration

Working with darker fabrics is always a bit of an adventure in my house thanks to my fluffy sewing companion and his very clingy white fur. But this fabric pull quickly became one of my favourites. The deep blue background was unexpectedly calming — I worried it might feel moody in a heavy way, but instead it created a soothing, almost meditative atmosphere while I stitched.

Why I Chose This Soothing Dark Colourway

You know how much I love bold colour (just look at the brights in the original Little Forest quilt 😉). I couldn’t resist sneaking in some deep rusty corals, but the ombré blues and soft peaches brought a sense of ease and slowness that I really needed. Leading a quilt along comes with extra responsibilities, and this palette felt like a gentle exhale.

Of course, those pops of colour were a delight when I got to them — especially in the Maple Tree and Larch blocks. They added a spark of excitement to the piecing process. On the flip side, the Zen‑like blues in the Cherry Tree and Poplar quilt blocks were incredibly relaxing to work with. It’s funny how colour alone can shift your emotional experience from energized to peaceful in a single sewing session.

If you’re curious about recreating this palette, here are the AGF Pure Solids I used:

Designing the Little Forest Block of the Month Quilt

The Little Forest BOM Quilt will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first block of the month quilt I ever designed. I’d participated in a few before, but designing one wasn’t something I’d seriously considered — until Love Patchwork & Quilting Magazine reached out and asked me to create one.

Designing these modern tree blocks was a joy, but stitching them alongside you during the Quilt Along was the real highlight. Seeing your colour choices, hearing about the techniques you loved (or didn’t!), and watching your skills grow made the experience so meaningful.

Skill‑Building Blocks & Techniques

This quilt was intentionally designed as a skill builder. I wanted it to give you space to try new techniques, decide what resonates, and refine your quilting practice. For example, I adore the crisp precision of foundation paper piecing — and the Fraser Fir and Larch blocks wouldn’t be the same without it — but FPP still isn’t my favourite technique. And that’s perfectly okay. That’s why I encourage you to track your progress and reflections in the Little Forest Journal. It’s such a fun way to see how your creative preferences evolve.

Skills Used in This Quilt

The Little Forest Quilt includes:

• Foundation paper piecing
• Curved piecing
• Half rectangle triangles
• Needle-turn appliqué
• Raw-edge appliqué
• Precision piecing
• Quilt assembly techniques

These are the same skills covered inside the Little Forest Quilt Course.

One of the things I love most about Little Forest is that no two quilts look alike. The blocks stay the same, but colour and fabric choices completely transform the final result.

Quilting Details: Thread Choices, Texture & Techniques

One benefit of letting this quilt sit for a while is that I had plenty of time to think through the quilting design. Since my original Little Forest quilt featured straight‑line quilting, I wanted something softer and more organic for this version.

Organic Quilting Inspired by Winter Snowfall

Winter is one of my favourite seasons, and with this darker colourway, I kept imagining snow drifting across a forest. That inspired me to use gentle, wavy lines — simple to stitch, wonderfully meditative, and beautifully suited to the mood of the quilt. Watching that light blue thread sweep across the surface felt like watching snowfall in slow motion.

Backing Thread

I considered using the same blue thread on the back, but it didn’t feel quite right. Instead, I chose a coordinating light salmon that tied in perfectly with Boho Birds Snapdragon print. It added just the right amount of warmth.

Quilty Mishap

Have you ever thought your batting was close enough, only to get halfway through your quilting and realize that it wasn’t actually close enough?!

Bleurgh.

I was trying to use batting remnants, and when I held it up, it looked like it was just a little shy of fitting the quilt top, but in the end I had to trim at least 2 inches off either side of the quilt to make it all work.

Not ideal, but also not the end of the world. No one would know if I didn’t say anything, but you know I like to share all the quilty trials and tribulations I go through so you can avoid them – ha!

Suffice to say, I was annoyed with myself, but took it as a reminder that there’s a reason we give ourselves a good amount of batting excess when basting and quilting 😉

Binding the Little Forest Quilt: A Slow Stitching Favourite

Binding used to intimidate me, but now it’s one of my favourite parts of the quilting process. I love:

• the crisp detail it adds
• stitching the strips together
• settling onto the sofa for some hand‑stitching
• the texture of big‑stitch quilting
• the chance to slow down and appreciate the fabrics up close

There’s so much to savour in this final step. For this quilt, I especially love the geometric detail the binding print brings to the overall design.

Big‑Stitch Binding & Final Touches

I was on the quilty fence when it came time to selecting my binding thread – ha! I even shared it in my weekly newsletter that I was in thread paralysis trying to decide between three different colours: dark blue, light blue (from this set), and ecru.

All of them would have worked, but since I’d already done dark blue thread for that drama effect (you can see that in this Shattered Star quilt and this Mouse Trap quilt), I then turned my attention to the light blue (which is an absolute fave of mine!) as I liked the idea of it coordinating with the quilting thread on the front, but it didn’t immediately captivate me. So, I was leaning towards the ecru, but was worried it would blend in too much.

Decisions, decisions.

Ultimately, I decided to do something I don’t think I’ve ever done and feature two threads! I ended up alternating between the light blue and ecru for a subtle but fun detail.

Have you ever done that?

I got lots of questions about how I finish my binding with big-stitch hand quilting. If you haven’t tried it, check out the full step-by-step tutorial here.

Supplies You’ll Need to Make the Little Forest Quilt

Here’s a round-up of all the notions and materials you’ll need to make your own Little Forest quilt:

• Little Forest Quilt Pattern
• Fabric – I’ve featured AGF Signature Pure Solids in: Cerulean, Ginger, Glacier, Honeymoon, Nova, Pearl, Poppy, Queen Bee, Shrimpy, Snapdragon, Spiced, and Thistle
• Backing
• Binding
• Batting
• Sewing Machine – read why I love it here
• Piecing Thread
• Quilting Thread – top and back
• Rulers: large, square, and small
• Rotary Cutter
• Cutting Mat
• Small scissors
• Pin cushion
• Pins
• 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.
• Tailor’s Clapper
• Spray Bottle
• Erasable Marking Tool
• Tailor’s Scissors
• Needle for binding
• Pearl Cotton Thread for binding – I ended up featuring the light blue from this set and ecru
• Thimble
• Seam ripper ’cause mistakes happen – ha!

Find all my most used notions here.

Reflections on Finishing My 2024 Little Forest Quilt

Thank you for cheering me on as I slowly chip away at my lingering quilt projects. Finishing this Little Forest quilt feels like a small but meaningful victory toward my 2026 goals, and I hope it inspires you to revisit a project or two of your own. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching a long‑awaited quilt finally come to life. Here’s to steady progress, joyful stitching, and celebrating every finish along the way.

Happy stitching!

xo

Shannon

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