Confession time: I've had a "Christmas tree" panto sketch in my design software for well over a year now, but it just wasn't working. Cut to a few weeks ago: I became inspired by the new pattern, Tree Rows, designed by Emily Dennis of Quilty Love.

I love the SUPER simplified patchwork of the trees, and that made me take a fresh look at the panto design I'd been working on. I removed a bauble, deleted a few branches, and made the boughs curvy. Suddenly, it was a panto I wanted to use on this very quilt pattern.



As a panto designer, I'm very much drawn to graphically interesting quilting and the texture it produces. I adore the pillowy softness that comes from the transitions between trees; it feels a bit unexpected for a tree panto. In fact, I don't think the overall texture reads immediately as "tree", and maybe that's what I like most about it.



When tiled across a quilt, the shapes interlock in a soft, flowing way.

This design would, of course, be appropriate for Christmas ...