Looking for the Pine Sky pattern? Grab it HERE.
For years I’ve been wanting to make a quilt to represent the tall pines that surrounded me throughout my childhood in northern Minnesota. I always love being among those tall pines. Now that I live further south from those thick forests, I often miss the comfortable feeling of pine trees as far as the eye can see.
Have you ever walked into a thick forest and felt the feeling of being completely surrounded with no escape and a loss of direction? Every way you look is the same and every tree looks the same. It can feel a bit suffocating or on the contrary, very comforting. For me, it is a bit of both. I love being engulfed by the tall pines but am also aware of the darkness in the forest. The darkness eases when I look up and see the sky, full of lightness. It’s a sweet offering from above. This is the pine sky. The burst of openness welcomes you from the ground, circled by the tallest branches and tips of the trees.
The place that best captures pine sky for me is a family tree farm. As a kid, I spent what felt like hours with my dad, planting new trees in straight rows as mosquitos swarmed around me. I can’t say it was always enjoyable, but it’s something I still remember in great detail. I have heard my dad reminisce about the days of planting trees with his own father too. The tree farm now hosts pines that tower over my head. It’s a place I go to walk and get lost, to cut Christmas trees for my parent’s living room, to pick mushrooms, blueberries, and wildflowers. It’s a place full of pine trees, memories, and the light shining brightly through the trees.
Pattern Notes
This pattern, at first glance, can seem intimidating or difficult. I reassure you that it is not difficult, and in fact, it comes together quite quickly. It is made of 9 blocks. Eight of these blocks are constructed in almost the exact same way using a simple and very old technique – the log cabin block. The log cabin block dates back to at least the 1860s. This block starts with a square in the middle followed by strips sewn around the sides. The block grows in size with each strip. It’s simple and traditional, yet a design that catches the eye.
The most striking aspect of the pattern is the star created by the blank space. I would love to claim that it was all a part of my original plan, but it was actually a happy accident (cue Bob Ross). When creating the pattern, I focused on the design of the pine tree branches all coming toward the middle of the quilt with empty space. It wasn’t until much later in the design process I realized the black space created a star. For me, I adore patterns like this. The overall design hints at minimalism, yet it’s also intriguing.
I made my original Pine Sky quilt in blue and green to represent pine trees against the sky, however, the possibilities of fabric with this pattern are endless. For my second version, I made the 6-color option with a dark background and naturally dyed fabrics. I chose a subtle, modified rainbow theme for these natural colors. The hues of the natural dyes pop out against the dark background making the star even more pronounced.
The fabric bundles of these fabrics are currently out of stock, but you can view all naturally dyed bundles currently available in the SHOP. Other color palette ideas I have enjoyed with this quilt are ombres, a subtle color change between background and accent colors, and variations of a rainbow.
Photo Gallery
These are just the two Pine Sky quilts I have made. View the #pineskyquilt hashtag on Instagram for more inspiration.
