How to Sew the Trees in the Park Traditional Quilt Block - a Free Tutorial

The Trees in the Park quilt block stands as a testament to the timeless beauty of this craft. This classic design looks amazingly modern and is a quick and delightful project, offering both the joy of a swift creation and the satisfaction of a striking quilt that captures the essence of tradition in a modern embrace. Join me to explore the charm and versatility of the Trees in the Park quilt block, where stitches connect the past and present in a tapestry of creative expression.

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Trees in the Park Quilt Block:

• Light/White: 8 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
• Medium Blue: 2 - 4.5" squares, and 10 - 2.5" squares
• Dark Blue: 2 - 4.5" squares, and 10 - 2.5" squares

Sewing Directions:

Four Patch Unit:

Step 1:

Using two Medium Blue 2.5" squares and two Dark Blue 2.5" squares, sew together a Four Patch unit like the one shown below. You can find my tutorial for making a basic Four Patch block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-four-patch-quilt-block.

Flying Geese Units:

Step 2:

Using a Light/White 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle, a Medium Blue 2.5" square, and a Dark Blue 2.5" square piece together a Flying Geese unit. For a detailed tutorial of my no-trim method for making perfect Flying Geese blocks check out https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block. The picture below shows the first four steps.

Step 3:

Repeat Step 2 on an adjacent corner using the Dark Blue 2.5" square to complete the unit. 

Step 4:

Repeat for a total of four Flying Geese units. Note the color placement of these four units.

Step 5:

Now you can repeat Steps 2 through 4 only switching the Medium Blue and Dark Blue fabrics.

Step 6:

Here's a picture showing all eight Flying Geese units.

Middle Units:

Step 7:

Lay out the Step 4 units, sew together and press the seam allowance as shown in the picture below. Repeat for a total of two units.

Step 8:

Now lay out the Step 5 units, sew together and press the seam allowance as shown in the picture below. Repeat for a total of two units.

Putting It All Together:

Step 9:

Lay out the center Four Patch unit, the Middle units, the two Medium Blue 4.5" squares, and the two Dark Blue 4.5" squares as shown in the picture below.

From here the block goes together like a basic Nine Patch block.

Step 10:

First, you will sew the units into three rows as shown below.

Step 11:

Now you can press the seam allowances away from the Middle units as shown in the picture below.

Step 12:

Sew the three rows together to complete the block. All that's left is...

Step 13:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block. 

Note: If you are going to make multiple blocks for a quilt, you can change the direction of pressing the seam allowances. I would suggest pressing half the blocks with the seam allowances on Step 11 and 13 going toward the Middle units/toward the center of the block.

Layout Ideas:

Here's an example of the basic 4 x 4 layout:

And here's the same layout only every other block is rotated. What a difference!

This idea has colored sashing and cornerstones added to the basic 4 x 4 layout.

In this example, every other block is a large Hourglass block.

Of course I had to try out a scrappy layout! Here every other block is rotated so that you get light and dark areas.

The one is an example of an on-point layout with background fabric used in the setting triangles.

Same on-point layout but using scrappy blocks and every other block being rotated.

This example shows what a Christmas coloring might look like. It is on-point with narrow sashing and cornerstones. This would work for other holiday colors too!

Conclusion:

The Trees in the Park block was fun and fast to sew. I also had fun making the different layout ideas! I probably should have used a more solid medium blue so that the tree shapes showed up better. Hindsight is always 20/20 - lol!

If you liked this post and want to see more quilting tutorials, simply click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and also receive a free PDF downloadable pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. Looking for star quilt blocks? Check out this roundup post: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/30-of-the-best-star-quilt-block-patterns

P.P.S. Need a quilt pattern in a hurry? Check out my easy downloadable PDF patterns at https://fabric406.etsy.com