Fabric Art Using Yarn ~ Spring Tree

Yarn & Fabric Scraps

My scrap yarn bin is very full again! I just cleaned out my yarn storage & WIP bags, so I found lots of leftovers.

This is also a great project to help use up batting scraps. I just use a zigzag stitch to sew up the seams.

I’m making my version of a cherry blossom tree. This tree is the first one that comes to my mind when I thing of spring. So many pink blooms!

I’m using a light sky blue for the background to get a good contrast with the blooms on the tree. I chose to use the brown on the right because it’s a little darker & not a solid color.

You can see that better in this picture. This did not come out of my yarn scraps, but it is a larger skein leftover from a project, so it still counts! ; )

To make sure I cut my fabric out the right size, I used my first tree as a template.

I don’t need as many branches for this tree, because most of them will be covered with blooms.

Once I have it laid out, it’s time to stitch it up!

Stitching it Down

Again, I’m using the stretch stitch {03}, which looks like a slanted zigzag stitch. This gives me more attachment points without completely covering the yarn, like a regular zigzag stitch would.  I’m using my darning foot, which I’ve modified for FMQ, but keeping the feed dogs up. This helps me see where I’m going & still have a little more control when maneuvering. Since the foot is modified, it doesn’t press into the fabric & glides over things more easily.

Here’s my tree base all stitched down…

Some pieces to fill in the gaps, so I decided to make some of them look like knots. The first one I did, I tied the knot too tight & it didn’t show up too well. Look at the top middle to see it.

I decided to leave the knot looser so it would show up better.

Skipping the knot when stitching also helped it show up better. Now you can see the knots!

Time to add the pink!

Adding Blooms

I cut up little bits of yarn confetti to make the blooms. At first, I tried to stitch down a little patch of them with FMQ, but that did not work out so great.

Then I remembered a little trick I saw at QuiltCon! I went ahead & cut up all my yarn confetti over the tree branches.

Then I broke out my secret weapon – Sulky!

I layered it over the yarn confetti & pinned it down. Then I went to town with some free motion quilting!

The base of the tree was looking a little plain, so I did some stitching in pink. This is like fallen blooms.

I went over that with green for some green for grass.

After a quick trim, I washed off the Sulky & laid it out to dry.

Fabric Art

Here’s my spring tree all dried & fluffed…

It looks great next to my winter tree…