Oh pandemic of 2020… I started this quilt together with my daughter during the first lockdown in the Netherlands which lasted from March to May. I did show some of the process before, including how it started and how I assembled all the trees into a quilt top.
Basically, in an effort to stay sane with two kids at home 24/7 and hardly any time or energy left to do stuff for myself, my daughter and I started making improv trees using scrap fabrics that she picked from my scrap bins when my other daughter was sleeping. She enjoyed spending time in my sewing room with me and I could get some sewing done. Win win.
I turned all those super scrappy tree blocks into a randomly arranged forest representing the pandemic and uncertainty we are still in.
After completing the front my daughter wanted to make more trees for a while, and a house, so I just used those for the back of the quilt. Which looks quite nice, but since the quilt is a wall hanging this side will not be on display very often.
I took a long time deciding how to quilt it. I considered simple straight line quilting from top to bottom, or wavy horizontal quilting, but that just didn’t really feel right or like it would add much to the design. Suddenly I realized I could create a denser forest by quilting tree shapes over the fabric trees. I really like how that turned out, even though I vouched doing a design that requires less starts and stops and burying of threads next time. The batting is Quilters Dream Poly Select which I like for wall hangings.
For the binding I chose a tiny white polkadot on petrol that I think works well with both the quilt and the colours that we’ve already used to decorate our daughter’s room. As usual I hand sewed the binding because I really love how that looks. On a quilt this size it doesn’t even take that long.
The hanging sleeve was made from the same fabric and since I had never added a sleeve I looked around for some tips and tricks on how to do it and ended up following a tutorial from Suzy Quilts. I also added a label and then the quilt was finally completed right in the middle of the second lockdown in the Netherlands. What could be more fitting?
Now all that is left is hanging the quilt in my daughter’s room. Due to the lockdown all home improvement stores are closed at the moment, so I’ll need to dig around to see if we have any wooden rods and screw eyes laying around that would be suitable.
I wish everyone a very good (hopefully physically distanced) Christmas tomorrow. I am hopeful that 2021 will bring better times. In March I was very sceptical that we’d have even one vaccine ready by the end of 2020, how glad am I to have been proven wrong on this count. Stay safe and sew!
Very well done. This will be a beautiful memento of a very strange time. Making it must have helped keep you and your daughter sane. Most of my sewing efforts for 2020 went into making face masks for myself, family and friends. I look forward to the time when we won’t be required to wear them. Best wishes to you for a happy Christmas and a much brighter and more ‘normal’ 2021.
Thank you! I’ve also made quite some masks this year but sewing those didn’t really satisfy my creative part.
absolutely lovely. thanks for sharing. and wishing you and yours the best of the season.
Thank you!
Even in the darkest times, creativity can’t be shut down, and this is a perfect example. Even if we aren’t *quite* out of the woods yet, we can see sunlight beyond the edge of the trees. You and your daughter will both have good memories of creating this together. Have a good Christmas, you and your family, and I hope to see more of your work next year!
Yes, there is certainly some hope for better times. I also hope I’ll have more time for blogging in 2021. Now I have to choose between sewing and blogging and somehow sewing usually wins….
It’s a beautiful quilt with a lovely story to it. It will become a family heirloom. Thanks for sharing the details if your process.
Thank you!
The title of this quilt is so appropriate! And it accomplished so much, giving you and your daughter a fun creative project to do together. She’ll remember that every time she looks at it.
The quilted trees were a great addition.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I managed to hang the quilt yesterday and we are both so excited to see it hanging in her room.
First I’d just like to recognize you as another amazing Mom, Mum, Mother, goddess, taking care of your kids during the pandemic! The quilt is so amazing also!!! That is a very good forest, I would wander through it! I love the label and what a wonderful memory for your daughter! Love the fabric you selected for the binding!
Haha, it doesn’t always feel like I am doing well. I certainly won’t miss this pandemic when it’s over. My daughter loves her quilt and I am happy that we were able to make this together though. Thank you!