The Tree of Wisdom – OBW #74 | If These Threads Could Talk

The fabrics shown in this post were given to me by Northcott Fabrics.

I just couldn’t help my myself. I love trees, and these are my colors!

When I saw this panel I just had to make a One Block Wonder (OBW). The Tree of Wisdom fabric line was designed by Kerry Darlington for Northcott Fabrics. Tree of Wisdom can be found at your local quilt shop and at Keepsake Quilting.

When I approach making a OBW using panels, the first thing I want to know is how wide the panel is. This panel is 24″ including the borders. I did not want to include the borders, I prefer the panel to merge with the hexies as seamless as possible.

The strip width you choose to determines the finished hexagon size:

3.75” strip width = 6.0” Finished Hexie

3.50” strip width = 5.5” Finished Hexie

3.25” strip width = 5.0” Finished Hexie

3.00” strip width = 4.5” Finished Hexie

2.75” strip width = 4.0” Finished Hexie

2.50” strip width = 3.5” Finished Hexie

2.25” strip width = 3.0” Finished Hexie

2.0” strip width = 2.5” Finished Hexie

When I measured the panel without the borders it was 20″. Therefore I cut my aligned strips 3.25″ wide for 5″ finished hexagons.

I start designing around the panel until I get a design I like. Because I know my finished hexies will be 5″ wide, I know there will be 4 hexies across the top and the bottom of the panel. That is why the second photo is offset, so I know which row of hexies will be on the right side of the panel.

I stitch my hexies into four goups: the left, right, top & bottom. I never trim my panel until I’m ready to attach the hexie sections.

I started with the top of the panel. I did not want to trim off my points, so I turned the edges under 1/4″ and pressed well, top stitching the hexies to the panel.

I match up the dog ears at the top and stitch the right side leaving a partial seam. This allows me to match up the dog ears of the right section with the bottom section of hexies. I decided not to trim these hexies either, so I Pressed under the edges to prepare for top stitching.

I have now completed the partial seam on the right of the panel and can now match up the dog ears on the left side of the panel at both the top and the bottom.

As you can see, I need to camouflage where the bottom hexies hit the bottom of the panel.

Can you tell where the bottom hexies hit the panel? To find out how I do this, download here:

using-panels-for-a-obw-copy-1 Download

Thank you Northcott fabrics and Kerry Darlington for this beautiful fabric.

#northcott #treeofwisdom #aurilthread #therstripstick #reliableirons #quiltersdreambatting

21 thoughts on “The Tree of Wisdom – OBW #74”

ndewire November 13, 2020 at 7:06 AM

Hi, I love the concept of using panels and have the Tree of wisdom panels, but getting them lined up seems quite tricky. Did you just use 6 pins around the edge? I wonder about pinning at the corner of borders and four more spaced out but the design is so soft, it’s difficult to pick out where to best pin. This is so beautiful!

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorNovember 13, 2020 at 7:15 AM

There are tutorials on my site. This panel is not too wide, I pinned in all the corners and the center sides. Always pin where two colors intersect. Sometimes you may have to go farther in to find a good place to pin. On bigger panels i have pined using more that 6 pins. Under the tab S180 Tool Instructions and Helpful Stuff are documents for using panels.

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1. ndewire November 13, 2020 at 12:59 PM
  
  Thank you so much!
  
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Meggie October 17, 2020 at 1:08 PM

It’s beautiful…did you add borders!

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorOctober 17, 2020 at 1:09 PM

Hi Maggie, no I didn’t add borders.

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Patti October 5, 2020 at 10:15 PM

Hi, I have been looking for this panel to make a quilt for my cousin. Please tell me where you bought it. Is it possbile to find more? Please let me know. I live in Alberta, Canada.

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorOctober 5, 2020 at 11:31 PM

I made Tree of Wisdom a while ago. I googled it but I think it may be gone now. It was made by Northcott Fabrics. It his out of stock in Keepsake Quilting and EQuilter.

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Peggy Harper August 30, 2020 at 9:56 AM

The one thing that is not discussed on all of the one quilts is how would you quilt it? What did you do for yours?

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorAugust 30, 2020 at 9:58 AM

I meander mine.

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Maggie September 16, 2020 at 4:51 PM

So o lovely…quite the master piece…might try and attempt to do this…what color thread did you use to join the rows!

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1. ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorSeptember 16, 2020 at 4:53 PM
  
  Thank you Maggie, it depends. If I have a matching color I use it, but generally I would use a gray thread as it blends well.
  
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kodorsey March 29, 2020 at 1:15 PM

These are my colors also. I want to make a king size quilt. Do you think I could use the companion fabric or buy more panels? I’m thinking more panels as the repeat is much smaller on the companion fabric.

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorMarch 29, 2020 at 1:31 PM

Hi, mine measures 44” x 58”. I did not included the panel borders because they made dark pinwheel hexie’s. You could either use more panels or companion fabric or both.

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Sue March 14, 2020 at 9:55 PM

I am just starting this panel. I hope my design turns out half as nice as yours. This is perfect for my genealogy room.

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorMarch 15, 2020 at 6:45 AM

Thank you Sue. I’m sure you will do well. I love trees. Good luck and have fun!

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Sue J March 14, 2020 at 6:50 PM

How many panels did your quilt require? One?

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ifthesethreadscouldtalk Post authorMarch 14, 2020 at 6:54 PM

When making a One Block Wonder you need either 6 repeats of fabric or 6 panels. When you want a panel on the top to design around, you would need 7 panels. 6 for the blocks and one to design around.

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