The Oak Tree is commonly seen as a symbol of strength and longevity and how apt that the Queen has planted an Oak Tree in Buckingham Palace Gardens after the birth of each of her four children and is encouraging the Commonwealth Countries to plant trees for our future – it is currently estimated that over 1,500 have been planted in her name in the last two years.

There is a Chinese proverb that says “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”

So go on, don’t delay start stitching your Oak Tree today or better still plant a real one for future generations.

When you print out your motifs make sure your printer is set to print same size and not ‘fit to media’ as this will distort the final size of the block. Now we have finalised our quilt layout the blocks will be 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 ins, cut them 10 ins square to protect the edges. Sharpen your iron-on transfer pencil and draw over the design, place it design side down to the calico and iron. Iron some interfacing to the back and stitch away. Alternatively use a light box or tape your design to a window and trace with a fine pencil onto the fabric, if you use this technique use the non reversed version of the pattern.