New pattern: Spruce Lane table topper

The day after Thanksgiving when the men in my family go ice fishing up north, my daughter and I typically decorate the house for Christmas. We take breaks to watch movies and eat leftovers, but for the most part, Taunja goes into tree trimming mode, and poor Haley is the overburdened assistant.

As much as I love our holiday house, on December 26, I am ready to put everything away, including the Christmas quilts. Since we live in Minnesota, we still have four months of winter past the holidays. Four long months of frosty windows, bitter north winds and snow covered sidewalks. During that time, I like to decorate with winter accents. My new table topper pattern, Spruce Lane, was designed with that idea in mind.

Spruce Lane features four evergreen trees surrounded by patchwork stars. I chose a cool palette of green, black, grey and white which reflects our late winter season and also has a modern farmhouse vibe. The table topper finishes at 30” square and is constructed using basic piecing methods.

I’m really pleased with the machine quilting on this project, which was done by Woods Edge Quilting. The panto is called Apollo, but for me it calls to mind swirling winter winds that might toss newly fallen snow.

My Spruce Lane sample features fabrics from several collections. Some were in my stash and a couple were purchased for this project. I’ve listed the yardage requirements and my fabric choices below.

Four-patches: Scraps to yield (20) squares 1 3/4” x 1 3/4”
I used scraps from previous projects: a Moda Essential Dot and a small check from Jen Kingwell’s Low Volume Wovens.

Green A (outer border and trees): 1/3 yard
I used Spruce Pine Tree from Red Barn Christmas by Sweetwater (55531-22.) *NOTE: My Green A fabric was directional (the text ran parallel to selvage). I purchased one yard of Green A so that I could run the text print around the perimeter of the quilt. If your fabric is not directional, then 1/3 yard is all that you need.

Green B (star centers and trees): 1/4 yard
I used a green twig and berry print from Sweetwater’s older Christmas collection, Overnight Delivery (5705 12).

Black: 1/4 yard
I used a black print from Figs & Shirtings by Fig Tree (#20397 11).

Gray: 1/3 yard
I used Black Herringbone from Red Barn Christmas by Sweetwater (55538-23).

Neutral: 3/4 yard
I used a white print with tiny gray dots and plus symbols from the Apricot & Ash collection by Corey Yoder.  I don’t know the name of this print, but the SKU is (29106 22).

Binding: 3/8 yard
I used the black Crisscross print from Midnight Magic 2 by April Rosenthal (24107-17).

I want to give a shout out to my friend, Sylvia, who has been my pattern tester on Spruce Lane, as well as several other patterns. In addition to being an exceptional quilter, tester, and pattern proofer, she is a wonderful friend. Thank you, Sylvia!

Spruce Lane is available as a PDF pattern on my Etsy Shop. I think you will really enjoy this fun little project!

As we move into this busy time of changing seasons and holiday gatherings, I hope you all find time to care for yourself and enjoy your quilting hobby. When things get stressful, get carried away quilting!

~Taunja