How Fabric Choice Completely Changed My Little Forest Quilt

How This Unplanned Little Forest Quilt Came to Life

Some quilts begin with a plan… and others begin with a spark of curiosity. This Linen, Yellow, and Purple Little Forest Quilt definitely falls into the second category. What started as a behind-the-scenes project for filming the Little Forest Course quickly turned into a joyful, unplanned companion quilt for the 2024 Quilt Along. Needing a second version gave me the perfect excuse to dive into my Fabric Cabinet and explore a completely different colour story—and I’m so glad I did.

This colourway is warm, textured, and completely different from my Blue Little Forest Quilt, which made the entire process feel fresh, playful, and creatively energizing.

What I didn’t expect was how different this quilt would feel from my original blue Little Forest quilt.

Same pattern. Same blocks. Completely different personality.

That’s one of the things I love most about quilting. Fabric choices have the power to transform a design in ways that continually surprise me.

If you’re exploring colour ideas for your own Little Forest Quilt, wondering how different fabric choices can change a pattern, or simply love a good quilting story, this post is full of inspiration, fabric insights, and a peek into the creative detours that make quilting so fun.

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.

Fabric Pull: Linen Texture, Rich Purples & Sunny Yellows

This quilt was never part of the original plan. It came to life because I wanted to film every step of the Blue Little Forest Quilt for the Little Forest Course, but the video layout didn’t translate well to Instagram Reels. That meant I needed a second quilt to share during the 2024 Quilt Along — and suddenly, this unexpected colourway was born.

Working from Your Fabric Cabinet

Since this quilt wasn’t planned, I challenged myself to work entirely from my Fabric Cabinet. If you’ve been here awhile, you know how much I adore texture, and sneaking linen into my quilts is one of my favourite ways to add depth. From there, I pulled a range of purples that felt rich, warm, and inviting. To balance them, I reached for sunny yellows — including the sweetest yellow polka dot print I’ve been hoarding for ages.

Because this quilt wasn’t planned, there was no carefully curated fabric order waiting at my doorstep. Instead, I opened the Fabric Cabinet and started pulling fabrics that felt right together. Some were leftovers from previous projects. Others had been waiting patiently for the perfect quilt. It reminded me that some of my favourite fabric pulls happen when I work with what I already have rather than searching for something new.

Want Help Organizing Your Own Fabric Stash?

One of the reasons I was able to pull together this unplanned quilt so quickly was because I already knew what I had in my Fabric Cabinet. Instead of heading to the fabric store, I could “shop my stash” and build a colour palette from fabrics I already loved.

If you’re working on creating a fabric organization system of your own, these resources may help:

You can’t go wrong with a print you love

I can’t tell you how much joy those polka dots brought me. Every time I stitched a tree trunk, I smiled. It’s a good reminder that you truly can’t go wrong when you work with prints you love.

What surprised me most was how dramatically different the Little Forest blocks looked in this palette compared to the Blue version. Total opposites — and that contrast kept the process exciting, even though I was making two of each block during the QAL. It also gave me a chance to show you just how transformative fabric selection can be. Colour alone can shift the entire mood of a quilt.

Fabric pull breakdown

Since I was working from my fabric stash, some of these textiles are no longer available, but I’m listing them out so you can see that pulling from various fabric collections and manufacturers is fun and creates a glorious fabric pull for your quilty adventures.

Quilt Backing — The Great Fabric Shortage Saga

This project slowed down for one reason: the backing. I originally planned to use a beige linen, but when I laid everything out… I was short. Classic quilty problem.

I considered buying more fabric, but one of my goals this year is to avoid defaulting to “just buy more” every time I hit a snag. I wanted to make it work with what I had. That meant I needed time — and a plan — to create a composed backing.

For months, I debated:

• Should I go improv?
• Should I go super scrappy?
• Should I add a darker grey linen to ground everything?

Sometimes having too many options leads straight to decision paralysis.

I spent far more time thinking about the backing than actually sewing it.

Decision Paralysis & How I Got Unstuck

Eventually, I just wanted her done. That’s when I decided on a scrappy, geometric backing that tied in the colours from the front. And honestly? It came together quickly. A reminder I’ll carry into future projects: the solution is often simpler than the overthinking.

Once the backing was pieced, basting and quilting happened in no time.

Quilting Choices for This Version of the Little Forest Quilt

When I first started this quilt, I had every intention of quilting it differently from my blue Little Forest version so I could show another quilting option. But as the quilt top came together, I kept coming back to organic wavy lines.

Part of me thought it would be just as interesting to see what happens when you keep the quilting consistent but completely change the fabrics. It’s a reminder that colour alone can transform the personality of a quilt. The same quilting design gives these two Little Forest quilts entirely different feels.

Besides, there’s something wonderfully soothing about stitching organic wavy lines. Once I settled into the rhythm, it became wonderfully meditative—a few quiet hours simply following the gentle curves across the quilt.

I did make one change this time around, though. For this linen version, I quilted with 28 wt Aurifil thread on the front and 50 wt Aurifil in the bobbin, both in the same gorgeous yellow. The heavier thread adds a little extra texture and definition to the quilting without overwhelming the piecing, while the finer bobbin thread keeps the back beautifully balanced. On a quilt with so much linen, that extra bit of tactile texture felt like the perfect finishing touch.

Binding with Polka Dots — The Perfect Finishing Touch

I thought I had just enough of the yellow polka dot print to finish the binding… until I rounded the final corner and realized I was short—ha! Rather than reaching for new fabric, I dug through my fabric “garbage” (the trimmings from squaring up the quilt) and found just enough leftover fabric from the improv backing to finish the job. The final stretch of binding introduces a few extra purples and linen, making it a little nod to the quilt back. I love that this quilt carries a tiny reminder that creativity often comes from making the most of what you have.

Binding Thread

For the binding, I couldn’t resist adding another playful detail. Just like my blue Little Forest quilt, I alternated between two thread colours while stitching down the binding. This time, though, I leaned into the contrast with a sunny yellow and a bold purply-pink thread.

The effect is much more noticeable than on the blue version, where the thread colours blended quietly into the quilt. Here, the alternating stitches create little pops of colour around the edge, adding another layer of texture and gently drawing your eye around the quilt. And if I’m being honest… I simply couldn’t decide which thread colour I liked better—ha! Sometimes the best solution is to use both.

She may have taken her time coming to life, but finishing this quilt feels like another step toward my 2026 Goals. I hope this finish encourages you to keep making progress on your own WIPs. Every stitch counts.

Materials Used

• Pattern: Little Forest Quilt
• Fabric: A mix of linen and quilting cotton remnants from my stash
• Background: Natural linen
• Machine quilting: Organic wavy lines
• Thread (top): 28 wt Aurifil
• Thread (bobbin): 50 wt Aurifil (matching colour)
• Binding: Machine attached to the front and finished by hand with pearl cotton using big stitch quilting
• Backing: Improvised pieced backing made from leftover fabrics from the quilt top

Although I used the same organic wavy line quilting as my blue Little Forest quilt, I switched to 28 wt Aurifil thread on the quilt top (paired with 50 wt in the bobbin) to create even more texture and let the quilting become a stronger design feature.

Same Pattern. Completely Different Personality.

Seeing these quilts side by side is one of my favourite reminders that a quilt pattern is only the beginning of the story. The blocks may be the same, but colour, texture, and fabric choices have the power to completely transform the finished quilt.

Thank you for following along on this unexpected Little Forest adventure. This Linen, Yellow, and Purple version reminded me how much magic can come from working with what you have, trusting your instincts, and letting colour lead the way. If you’re stitching your own Little Forest Quilt — or planning to — I hope this inspires you to play with texture, explore new palettes, and embrace the joy in the process.

One of the things I love about teaching the Little Forest Quilt is seeing how differently each person’s forest comes to life. This linen, yellow, and purple version looks nothing like my blue quilt, yet both started from the exact same pattern.

That’s part of the magic.

If you’d like to create your own forest while exploring techniques like curved piecing, appliqué, foundation paper piecing, and half-rectangle triangles, the Little Forest Course will guide you through the process step by step.

Here’s to slow stitching, creative detours, and celebrating every finish along the way.

Happy stitching!

xo

Shannon

P.S. Want more quilting inspiration? Join Studio Notes for behind-the-scenes projects, creative encouragement, helpful tutorials, and early access to new patterns and courses. I’d love to have you there.

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