My Tree Quilt

This week my kids watched a bunch of TV, ate picnics outside (because the table was covered in fabric!) and my house looks like a tornado hit it, but I made a quilt in one week!  I had planned to enter this quilt into the State Fair and realized Tuesday that the due date was this Saturday not next Saturday!  I didn't think it was possible, but I finished it and turned it in with 15 minutes to spare.  :)  

I am loving it.  I think tree quilts are my thing.  I think it is the only type of quilt I have made multiple times.  The original Tree Quilt, the Baby Tree Quilt, the Commissioned Tree Quilt and now My Tree Quilt. 

 I quilted it by writing the names of different trees across the quilt.  More closeups later.  The backing was some vintage cloth from my friend's grandmother's stash.  In fact, I didn't have to buy anything for this quilt, which was good because I didn't have time to run into town.  :)  The cut down tree was the idea of my friend Eva-Marie.  I love it!

I also turned in my circle of geese block for the Quilt Block competition.  I reduced the pattern by 75% so that it met the 9.5 inch size requirement.  I love this pattern!   Wanting to make a circle of geese block was what motivated me to learn how to paper piece last year.

Now I am going to take a deep breath, relax and clean the house.  ;)

18 - Circle of Geese

Today we are going to make what I consider one of the prettiest paper pieced blocks of all times - Circle of Geese.  I Love It!  I want to make a whole quilt of them.  Sigh...melt...  I am so proud of my rainbow Circle of Geese.  Wouldn't one of these look great framed?  Anyway...

Oh, how I love you...

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Edited (5/15):  The Skill Builder Sampler will is available for purchase in book form!  It has been renamed "You Can Quilt!  Building Skills for Beginners" but covers the same skills with the easy, medium and challenging blocks and is a million times better than the original quilt along.  It is perfect for the beginning quilter or the experienced quilter who wants to branch out and learn new skills.  Find more information and order a signed copy in my Etsy shop or order on Amazon.  

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The Circle of Geese block was designed by Beth Maddocks at Piece by Number.  We will be using her pattern, but referring to the step by step Circle of Geese tutorial written by Cara from Me? A Mom?  and found on Bec's Chasing Cottons blog.  It is a great tutorial.  I am only going to add a few tips.

1. Download the template before you try printing it.  I couldn't get the size right when I tried to print it from online - why is that?  Also there are two different templates - clockwise and counter clockwise - choose one direction and print out 5 of them. (one to use as a pattern for cutting out fabric)
2. If you want your geese to be in some sort of order, lay out the paper templates so the geese are going in a circle and write the name/color of the fabric on the goose so you won't get turned around half way through piecing.  Then double and triple check.  :)
3. I pieced the first section to make sure I knew what I was doing.   Then I pieced the next three at the same time.  That is I sewed piece 3 to piece 4 on all of the papers, trimmed and ironed them all and then moved on to sew piece 5 onto them all.  I think sewing them in a batch like this is much quicker.  Less getting up and down to iron and trim, plus you get faster at lining up and sewing the pieces when you do the same piece 3 times in a row.  
4. I like to trim with scissors.  I think it is faster, if not as neat and tidy, but that is just my personal preference.

Can you believe we are at the half way mark in the sampler?  I can't.  Stay tuned for the Big Half Way Mark Giveaway later today.