A Behind-the-Scenes Look at My Latest Quilt Pattern

Hey there, fellow quilters! I’m so excited to finally spill the beans on my latest creation—Big Tractor! This quilt pattern has been such a delightful adventure to design, and I’m here to give you a backstage pass to its journey.

Name: Big Tractor
Tentative Release Date: January 2026
Size: 55” x 65”

If you'd like to add a ground line to my new Rhino Romp pattern, there's now a Rhino Romp Ground Checklist to aid in determining which template pieces you'll need to switch out to your ground fabric.

I'd highly recommend that before starting you take the time to mark all of the noted pieces with a very distinctive color/symbol (such as a red star) so you don't overlook any while sewing.  But that’s because I hate picking out stitches!

Have fun!

The creative process is a journey and fortunately my path crossed with Jennifer Martin not long ago. When she shared her amazing T-Rex Roar quilt with me I wished I had thought to add this fabulous detail to the original pattern. With her permission, I've created a T-Rex Roar Modified Eye Template (template 138), so you can also up your game on this behemoth! Simply download the PDF link above for your copy.

I recently had someone reach out to see if I had a list of which pieces needed to be switched out to make a ground line similar to my testers' quilts shown above (from left to right: Terry Rowland, Barbara Gifford, and Mary Fredrichs).

At the time, I didn't, but if you've hung around here at all, you know I like lists—especially checklists!

So, to make your life easier, there's now a T-Rex Roar Ground Checklist to aid in determining which template pieces you'll need to switch out to your ground fabric.

This may go without saying, but before starting I’d take the time to mark all of the noted pieces with a very distinctive color (such as red) so I didn’t overlook any while sewing.  But that’s because I hate picking out stitches!

Happy quilting!

Three Seams!

(Well, three seams and pulling the papers, but you're soooo close!)

We're at the Final Assembly

You'll want to join the panels using the Full Quilt Assembly diagram in the pattern. Just make certain to match all of the critical seam alignments (the same way you matched when joining templates) and you should be good to go!

Fair warning...it's ideal to leave your paper pieces in place for the full assembly. In addition to giving you a 1/4" seam allowance, they help stabilize the panels so they don't stretch.

Just note, it's not unusual for some of the paper templates to fall out. If they do, be overly careful to not stretch the fabric as you pin and sew.

The Final Step

I've heard some people grumble about the process of pulling papers. Admittedly it makes a mess, but I find great satisfaction with this step because it means I'm super close to being done!

I also pull my basting stitches as I pull papers, so I don't have to go back over the quilt. If you opted for another technique to hold the large single pieces in place, you shouldn't have to worry about this step.

A Last Piece of Advice

One of our guest longarmers mentioned this the other day, but I think it needs reiterated. You'll want to go over your finished back one last time to look for pesky little pieces of paper that hide in the seams. This one is on the large side so it wasn't easily overlooked, but I definitely recommend lifting all of your seams for one last spot check. Those little pieces can be sneaky and cause concerns when you're quilting!

And, Done!

That's it!

Thanks for your commitment to the Trophy Buck Quilt Along. You should be able to release your quilt out into the wild soon—or at least send it to your longarmer if you don’t plan to quilt it on your domestic. Hope you’ve had fun along the way and enjoyed our time together.

Also, don't forget to celebrate this huge finish by treating yourself to a piece of chocolate (or another indulgence) and do a happy dance!

Special Thanks

I'd like to give one last shout out to the Quilting Connection, It's Sew Tempting, and Mad About Patchwork for curating some wonderful kits for the quilt along.

The Longarm League has also provided some enriching support to the quilt along with guest blogs. And, don't forget their 20% off offer of edge-to-edge quilting your treasure! The Longarm League Trophy Buck information page includes the participating longarmers, a map so you can see who is near you ,and a bit about each of the quilters (Nicholas, Danelle, Teara, Debbie S. and Debbie T.).

Final Giveaway

Be certain to check out last week's post which included the details for entering to win this amazing collection of paper piecing goodies and a $25 gift card to It's Sew Tempting. Drawing to be held on November 23 at 5 p.m. Central.

Weekly Challenge

Share your finished top using the hashtag #trophybuckquiltalong.