It’s here! It’s finally here! I am thrilled to announce the launch of my first paid quilt pattern - Forest Flowers.
Forest Flowers comes in 6 sizes: baby, crib, lap, large throw, twin, and bed. This beautiful foliage design is created by placing colours strategically in the design. Vertical columns of wildflowers emerge amongst a leafy background. If you are new to quilting, don’t worry, this pattern is easier than it looks! If you can make our free Playful Placemats pattern, you can make Forest Flowers!
Pattern Inspiration
Since I started designing quilts, I have been greatly inspired by my natural surroundings here on Vancouver Island. It is a part of why I chose the name Cedar Quilt Co for my business. I am lucky to have a forest right by my house that I get to walk in everyday and I love seeing how it changes with the seasons. In the Spring, tiny little flowers start to pop up from under the old fern fronds and the moss. These pretty little bursts of colour are magical but short lived. I always stop to appreciate them when I see them - the little forest flowers.
Choosing Fabrics
When it comes to choosing fabrics for Forest Flowers, I have some guidance that I hope will be helpful. This pattern is primarily designed with yardage in mind. Fat Eights and Fat Quarters are possible to use for flowers and leaves on the smaller sizes.
Here is the fabric requirements chart:
I recommend choosing two similar shades for your flower colours. This can be any colour, so think of your favourite flowers to help you choose. For example, two shades of yellow for daffodils, or two shades of purple for pansies. My flowers are inspired by Columbine and Forget-me-nots.
Above flower photos are from Gardenia.net. Above quilt photos are by Shelly Moore from Ma Tante Quilting.
To achieve a foliage appearance, choose two shades of green for your leaves. You can also choose other colours here, but be sure that they have a good amount of contrast with your flower colours or else you will not get the vertical stripes of flowers emerging in the final design.
In the center of each flower is a square. I like a yellow or white for this center, but you can choose whatever you think works best here. In the final design, these squares repeat and create a grid-effect as a tertiary design element.
I initially designed Forest Flowers with a darker background because that is the natural backdrop of the woods. Deep greens, browns, reds, and even black make these little bursts of colour really pop! It also has the added benefit of creating an almost stained-glass effect which I love.
Above quilt photo is by Shelly Moore from Ma Tante Quilting.
I knew I wanted to give it a try on a light background too and I love it just as much! The cream colour softens the flowers and leaves and looks so perfectly ‘spring’.
Above quilt photo is by Shelly Moore from Ma Tante Quilting.
All sample quilt fabrics are Art Gallery Pure Solids. Here are the colours I used for the two samples:
Lap Quilt (light background)
- A- Appletini (PE-423)
- B - Dark Citron (PE-414)
- C - Aero Blue (PE-477)
- D - Parisian Blue (PE-415)
- E - Banana Cream (PE-435)
- F (bg) - Creme de la Creme (PE-436)
Large Throw Quilt (dark background)
- A- Zambia Stone (PE-463)
- B - Evergreen (PE-517)
- C - Dried Carrot (PE-457)
- D - Apple Cider (PE-512)
- E - Summer Sun (PE-514)
- F (bg) - Caviar (PE-413)
Here are a few more mockups of Forest Flowers. You can play around with the colour layout for this quilt over on QuiltInk!
The Quilting
I need to take a moment to talk about the stunning quilting on both these samples. These samples were quilted by Shelly from Ma Tante Quilting and she did such an amazing job. I knew I wanted leaves for both the pantographs (the stitching pattern) so we went with “Sprig” for the larger quilt and “Greenery” for the smaller on. “Greenery” was actually designed by Shelly’s mom! So cool! The following photos are by Shelly.
It was a little difficult to pick a thread colour for the darker quilt but Shelly recommended I go with grey. We chose a shade that blends in well with the coloured parts of the quilt and pops a bit more on the dark background. I love the final look!
For the smaller quilt we went with a classic cream to match the background. The meandery vine on this quilt softens the angular lines of the piecing and really makes it extra special.
This pattern is very near and dear to my heart. Not only does it represent my aesthetic and my love for the forests, it also just brings me so much joy! It was one of the very first quilts I designed when I started dipping my toe in the design pool and I was so pleased with it that I knew it had to be my first quilt pattern. I’m thrilled to have Forest Flowers out there in the world and I can’t wait to see what you make with it!
