Quilted Christmas tree panels
No space for a Christmas tree? Make these quilted Christmas tree panels that you can hang instead.
In this free quilt project, I’ll show you how to make quilted panels that can be hung on the wall, and even decorated, to substitute (or supplement!) a tree.
There are three different length quilted panels, which can be hung as a group of five, three or even as just one panel on its own.
Leftover fabrics are ideal for this project. The green parts of the quilt need to be more or less of the same colour intensity, while the stars need some contrast to show the pattern off. Once your Christmas tree quilt is finished you can add some appliqué stars or other motifs of your choice.
Measurements:
The Christmas tree quilt panels’ measurements can be found in the image below. Each quilt panel is made up of 13 strips with a star block at the top.
To make things easier, we’ve included the ScanNCut cutting patterns for the star blocks. If you’re using scissors to cut the quilt panels' star blocks, we’ve also added the cutting templates.
Materials needed
- Christmas fabric: a mix of green prints:
- 26 strips of 1½ x 7½“
- 26 strips of 2½ x 7½“ and
- 13 strips of 3½ x 9½“
- A fat quarter each of: light gold print, darker gold print, light silver print, darker silver print (or silver and white print), blue, and silver print
- A fat eighth each of two kinds of white with gold print (one with more coverage than the other)
- 0.5m of solid gold fabric
- 1.7m (114cm wide) thin lining fabric: you can use thin cotton, lawn or even voile – must be thin with no stretch. This fabric will not be visible
- 1.7m backing fabric
- 1.5m (90cm wide) thin polyester batting or heavy (but soft and pliable) interfacing
- For decorations: accent colours of your choice to cut stars and baubles – fabric scraps
- Beige or light grey thread for piecing the blocks
- Green or dark grey thread for piecing the strips
- Thread for quilting and appliqué: we used green on the green panels, blue metallic on the blue parts and light gold metallic on the gold parts.
- Double sided fusible appliqué backing like the ScanNCut CASTBL1 Iron-on Fabric Appliqué Contact Sheet
- Buttons or press buttons to attach decorations
- Dowels for hanging:
- Four 17cm pieces and
- One 22cm piece.
Equipment needed
If you’re using the ScanNCut to cut the block pieces
- ScanNCut DX machine with rotary blade and rotary blade holder
- Penholder and purple fabric pen tip
- Low tack or a used standard tack mat (otherwise your fabric will be difficult to remove from the mat and may fray)
- Brayers and spatula
If you’re scissor cutting the block pieces
- Template material or light card and glue stick
- Pencil
- Fabric marker
- Paper scissors
- Sharp fabric scissors
For sewing
- Sewing machine (wide table recommended)
- Quarter Inch Piecing Foot with Guide (not the attachment on the walking foot)
- Walking foot
- Dynamic Walking Foot with In the Ditch attachment, or Dual Feed attachment with In the Ditch foot
- Quilter’s ruler
- Ruler with sixteenth of an inch marking
- Rotary cutter and cutting mat
- Iron and ironing surface
- Thin, sharp pins
- Fabric clips
- Fabric marker that will show on batting – a chalk pen works well
- Curved safety pins
- Point turner
- Hand sewing needle
- Stiletto or awl
- Finger pressing tool
General information
- All pieced seams are ¼ “ wide (double check that you are seeing an accurate quarter inch seam before starting!).
- Sew straight stitch on 2.5 setting unless instructed otherwise.
- On the triangle template pieces for the star blocks, the dog ears have been removed, so you can match the sides and corners exactly when placing them to sew.
Download printable templates here
How to
Step 1
Using a Brother ScanNCut to cut your pieces for the Christmas tree quilt star blocks
Download all the cutting files and send them to your ScanNCut via Wifi or a USB. The templates for each block are on separate cutting mats. The number of pieces needed are already copied and grouped together for you. Each template is marked with the seam allowance for easy reference.
I recommend that you cut one block at a time and if you cannot sew them straight away, pin or clip the pieces together and save them in a labelled zip-lock bag.
When cutting: open the appropriate cutting file on your ScanNCut machine. Following the colour key for that block, identify the pieces on the mat and prepare an appropriate size piece of fabric to cover the area on the mat. Lay the fabric on the mat in the approximate position, with right sides facing down and adhere by rolling with the Brayer roller. Thanks to the rotary blade, your mat does not have to be exceptionally sticky but if you find fabric moving, please add some painter’s tape.
Load the mat into the machine and conduct a background scan of the mat. Move the templates on the screen so they are positioned correctly.
Insert the purple sewing pen tip. Press Draw > Start.
The sewing lines and the template name will be drawn.
When the drawing is done, change to the rotary blade. Press Cut > Start.
When cutting is done, remove the fabric pieces from the mat and place in the appropriate zip lock bag.
Using scissors to cut your pieces for the Christmas tree quilt star blocks
Download and print the Pdf files. Make sure to print them at actual size.
Stick the paper print outs onto light card or trace onto template material (thin, translucent plastic) and cut carefully on the lines.
Place each template on the right side of the appropriate fabric, trace around with a sharp pencil or permanent fine tip pen.
Transfer the name of the piece in the seam allowance. Carefully cut the pieces out. Using a quilter’s ruler and a sharp pencil, draw in the ¼“ seam allowances on the fabric pieces – especially on triangle shaped pieces. Simply lay your quilter’s ruler with a ¼“ line on the cut edge of the fabric piece and draw a line.
Step 2: cut fabric for the Radiant Star quilt block
Cut pieces according to the diagram below using your preferred method.
- A, B and C: 4 each from blue
- H: 4 from solid gold
- E: 4 from light gold
- F: 4 from medium gold
- D: 4 from medium silver
- G: 4 from light silver
Step 3: construct the Radiant start quilt block
Sew units as in the diagrams below, following the arrows. Where possible, alternate seam allowances so you can nest seams.Red dots indicate a Y seam position – sew only to the corner on the drawn sewing line and make a tie off with the reinforcement stitch button. Only these seams are pressed open.
The Radiant Star quilt block is to be used with the longest Christmas tree quilt panel.
Step 4: cut the pieces for the two Lone Star Variation quilt blocks
Cut pieces according to the diagram below using your preferred method.
- A and B: 4 each from blue
- C: 8 from solid gold
- D and E: 4 from light gold
- E: 4 from pale gold
- F: 4 from silver and white, denser coverage
- G: 4 from medium silver and white, light coverage
Step 5: make the two Lone Star Variation quilt blocks
Following the diagrams below, construct the sections, join them and add the corner squares and border triangles with Y seams - indicated with the red dots. These seams are pressed open.The Lone Star quilt blocks are to be used with the medium length Christmas tree quilt panels.
Step 6: cut the two Sawtooth Star quilt blocks
Cut pieces according to the diagram below using your preferred method:
- A and C: 4 each from blue
- B: 4 from sliver
- D: 8 from solid gold
- E: 1 from light gold
Step 7: construct the two Sawtooth Star quilt blocks
Construct the block: following the diagrams below, construct the sections, join them in strips and then join the strips to form a block.The Sawtooth Star quilt blocks are to be used with the shortest of the Christmas tree quilt panels.
Step 8: make the Christmas tree quilt panels
Sew the 26 strips of 1½ x 7½“ strips into two panels of 13 strips each, in a random order. Sew a Sawtooth block to the one end of each of them.Repeat with the 26 strips of 2½ x 7½“ and sew a Lone Star Variation block to one short end of each.
Sew the 13 strips of 3½ x 9½“ into a long strip and add the Radiant Star block to one short end.
Press all seams well towards the bottom edge.
Step 9
Cut the batting for the Christmas tree quilt panels according to the diagram below. The sizes can be approximate.
- Small panels (Sawtooth Star): 60 x 30cm each
- Medium panels (Lone Star Variation): 90 x 30cm each
- Large panel (Radiant Star): 1.3m x 30cm
Step 10
Cut the backing and lining for the Christmas tree quilt panels according to the measurements on the diagram below. From the leftover backing, cut five 35 x 5cm strips to use as hanging sleeves. Set aside.
Step 11
On each piece of batting, measure and draw out the following measurements exactly, making sure the corners are square:
- Small panels: 7¾ x 20¾”
- Medium panels: 7¾ x 33¾”
- Long centre panel: 9¾ x 48¾”
Step 12
For each Christmas tree quilt panel, lay the lining, then the batting and then the pieced and well pressed top right side facing up. Fit the tops within the drawn lines and pin well from the centre out. The edges of the quilt panels will not touch the lines – space them so that there is the same amount all the way around between the edges of the top and the lines (the difference will be a few mm).
Baste the top to the batting and lining: set the stitch length at 4 and thread the machine with green thread. Attach the walking foot or DFF attachment and sew a few lines of basting from the top of the green section through the green strips to the bottom, and a few lines from centre to sides.
Change to the In-the-ditch foot or attachment and white or pale yellow thread, sew through the centres and along the horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines of the star blocks.
Press lightly.
Step 13
Change to a thread that will contrast the lining fabric and a quarter inch foot. Place the Christmas tree quilt panel into your Brother sewing machine with the foot’s guide on the line you drew on the batting and the needle on the inside of the line. Sew along the edge of the quilted panel, catching only approximately one eighth of an inch (around 3mm) of the quilted top. Sew along all four sides.This correction is made so that the seam you sew around is slightly more than the usual ¼”. It prevents the points of the stars being ‘swallowed’ by the fold when you turn the Christmas tree quilt panels out.
Step 14
Trim all around the Christmas tree quilt panel on the drawn line.
Step 15
Trim the Christmas tree quilt backing pieces to these exact measurements:
- Small panels: 7½” x 20½”
- Medium panels: 7½” x 33½”
- Long centre panel: 9½” x 48½”
Place a correspondingly sized piece of backing fabric on each Christmas tree quilt panel with the right sides facing.
Match and pin the corners of one long side. Stretch the backing slightly to fit on the panel side, easing the panel as you go. Pin this one side well. You will notice that the backing is slightly smaller than the panel. This is to prevent the backing from showing at the front.
With the lining facing up, sew approximately 2mm inside the contrasting stitching you made in step 13. Repeat on the other long side, then the top and last the bottom short edge - remember to leave a gap in the bottom edge to turn the panel through.
Pinning and sewing each side separately makes it easier to ease, pin and sew neatly. Start sewing at the edge of the fabric and sew all the way to the other edge, ie. past the corners.
Tip: use your Brother in-the-ditch sewing presser foot: set the guide on the contrasting line, and move your needle position a few mm to the left or right, as applicable.
Step 16: reinforce the corners
Start sewing 1cm before the corner of each Christmas tree quilt panel, pivot in the corner and sew 1cm. Tie off at the start and end. The diagram below shows the guidelines sewn in contrasting thread (white), the lines sewn individually (black) and the stitching to reinforce the corners (red).Snip the corners and turn the panel out. Shape the corners with a point turner and hand sew the opening closed.
Step 17
On each Christmas tree quilt panel edge, pull the front and backing apart to open the seam. Press the backing fabric flat towards the back, opening and flattening the seam. Use a finger pressing tool or the tip of your iron.Press the panel from the backing side – you will see the backing stretch slightly and the edges of the panel roll to the back ever so slightly, showing no backing at the front. Check that this is even all around.
Step 18
Pin and sew on the front edge all around each Christmas tree quilt panel, changing thread colour to match the different fabrics.Remove the tacking stitches.
Add quilting to your Christmas tree quilt panels as desired. I sewed intersecting 45° lines on the green sections and in the ditch on the stars. Then I added some echo quilting on some of the star pieces.
Step 19
Use the leftover 5cm wide pieces of backing to make hanging sleeves so you can hang your Christmas tree quilt panels.
Cut each strip to the same width as the panel it will go on. Cut in half crosswise. Fold the raw edges 1cm to the wrong side and sew down. Place them on the wrong side of the panel, 1cm down from the top edge and with an opening between them. Hand sew the top edge in place. Move the bottom edge of the sleeve 1cm up and pin in place. Hand sew this edge too.
Step 20
Decorate the panels! You can sew fabric shapes like stars or baubles (cut them on the ScanNCut!) or sew little rings in various places where you can attach decorations.
Step 21
Insert the dowels and hang your Christmas tree quilt panels where they’ll be seen by all. Now it’s time to sit back with a brew (or something stronger!) and admire your handiwork.
We hope you have a wonderfully crafty Christmas!
