Tree of Wisdom | 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.