Iris Ann’s Baby Quilt Finish OMG

For our July OMG project, we made a baby quilt for a coworker whose niece is expecting her first baby in September.  The baby is a girl and they are expecting to name her Iris Ann.  To say we are thrilled and happy to be making a baby quilt for Iris Ann following the specifics set forth by her mom is an understatement.  We will share this finish on Patty’s Elm Street Quilts linky party just as soon as it opens.

Iris Ann’s Beginning

Sue and I debated the dynamics of Iris’ quilt for a good month or longer.  Was this block composed of 60-degree triangles or were the blocks made from half rectangle triangles (HRTs)?  We had to decide and stick with the decision – HRTs it is.

Modern_triangles

The color palette that the new mom-to-be decided on is white, cream, black, pink, and two shades of grey.  I have wanted to make a quilt using this block for ages.  Plus, I have some new Bloc-Loc rulers that are begging to be used.  Along with the rulers came some cutting recommendations which we faithfully adhered to.

HRT Bloc-Loc

Iris Ann HRTs

As per usual, Sue and I see the HRTs going in different directions.  I envision using the “B” ruler while Sue visualizes the “A” ruler . . . and we thought we went with “A”.  Here’s our initial layout on the left from EQ8 with just a tad more pink fabrics used as a nod to Iris Ann.  It turns out that it makes a difference which way you draw the lines and sew them.  Hmm.  Layout option #2 using ruler “B” in the end.

We had all of the fabrics in our stash except for the perfect pink.  Riley Blake Confetti Cottons in Baby Pink came to the rescue.  The hardest part of making an HRT is matching up the fabric like this diagram shows below.

HRT fabric lineup

I did draw a line on the lightest fabric of the pairs and then laid them as shown above for sewing.  Our test blocks were made with black, pink, and light gray.  That’s when we noticed the change in layout was needed.  Ooose, as Dominic would say.

Iris Ann Design Wall

It didn’t take long and all the blocks were together on the design wall.  Matching the EQ8 layout – take #2 – might have even happened, for the most part.

Iris design wall

I couldn’t help but switch one or two blocks around as I started to pick up each row for sewing.  Others got by me and I didn’t notice that the same colors were together until I was pressing after a row was added.  Oh well, it’s a design choice now as we have a quilt top!

Iris quilt top

It’s really modern-looking, isn’t it?!!

Iris Ann Finishing Details

Before I could get to quilting, I had to add an embroidery embellishment to the Minky backing.  Iris Ann spelled out with a script-like font in a bright pink thread.

Iris embroidery

Next, we layered up the quilt top with the gray Minky as the backing and a cotton batting in between.  The walking-foot did its job with straight-line and a medium gray thread.  I had issues with the first two passes because the thread kept breaking.  That called for an urgent emergency run to the LQS to find some new gray thread that worked just fine.

Finally, it was a wrap. It is ready for my coworker.  Unfortunately, we aren’t in the office at the same time so I’ll have to leave it for her to mail off. 

Iris Minky

We were able to take a photo with it hanging on our new clothesline . . . on the porch.  It was nice of the grass to green up for us!  HAHA!  The sky looks so nice and blue and the colors are fairly true in this last photo.

Iris Ann finished

Join us each Tuesday for our hosted linky party called To-Do Tuesday.  Our other Linky Parties can be found by clicking the link above or along the sidebar on our website for more quilting fun – check out what our friends are up to.  Like/follow us on our Facebook page and you can share your photos of what you’re working on.  We would love to see them!

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29 Responses

  1. Preeti says:

    It is a gorgeous finish. YAY!!! I am a big fan of straight line quilting – so that is a win win 🙂 The minky backing makes it cuddle-worthy. Pretty and Comfy = Best of both worlds!!!

  2. helen says:

    what a beautifully restful quilt. I am sure the new mum will love it.

  3. Dawn says:

    Wow! This is a great finish! Love the HRTs! The colors are perfect to welcome a new baby girl!

  4. Pam Marbourg says:

    Thank you for your kind words on my blog post. Blogger is not directing comments to my email ARRRGGHH!

    I am glad you liked my salt pan man and my honey bee bear block. This is a monumental project I have taken on.

    I love your pink and gray and black-a stunning and simple combination
    Thanks for hosting.

  5. patty says:

    Beautiful! Congrats on your finish and thanks for being part of One Monthly Goal.

  6. Love, love LOVE this fabulous modern baby quilt. I know what you mean about not having the right pink; I’ve bought two in the past two years specifically for baby quilts for that very reason. I love pink and black together, but adding in the white and grey, is just another level. As is the Minky yay! And embroidering her name! Love how you quilted it, totally works. Oh I feel a squirrel nibbling at my fingers…soon, little guy, soon.

  7. Vicki in MN says:

    Congrats ladies. And done well before the end of the month too!! It’s very modern and soft looking in addition to that minky backing wowzers cuddle time!!

  8. Jayne Willis says:

    I love how this turned out! Again…the colors are a great combination! We were both in the same boat with HRTs except we used different rulers! Great job and I’m sure Iris Ann is going to love it for many years to come!

  9. Roseanne Iris Anne’s quilt is beautiful! It looks so sweet and cuddly and the simple quilting adds a touch of elegance I think!

  10. Cheree Hull says:

    This turned out great! I’ve never made HRT’s (that I can remember?)–interesting how they go together.

  11. Oh this is so so sweet!! And cuddly…. and the colors – oh my – how very very sweet!!! This will be a quilt used and loved and snuggled under!

  12. Cathy says:

    Lovely color scheme, lovely quilt, lovely baby name. Congrats on the finish.

  13. Denise says:

    I love it. Your quilting added such nice texture.

  14. Rochelle Summers says:

    Another wonderful baby quilt. Can’t remember seeing the measurements in any previous post. I just love the colors and the way the quilt came together. How fun to have a partner to work with on these projects. I’m sure Iris Ann’s mother and Iris Ann will love this quilt with the minky on the back.

  15. Cocoa Quilts says:

    Loving your HRT! What a cute finish! Perfect colors too!

  16. chrisknits says:

    It is spectacular!!! I love it!! My HRT will be paired up in same shades and then turned sideways, upright, to mix it up.

  17. Sharon says:

    Super nice, simple design and quilting! Great that the Mini works for a backing. I’ve not tried that yet. Are you quilting at a domestic machine or long arm?

  18. I love everything about this quilt – the process, the choices, the quilting and the baby name on the back! I miss my clothesline and love them for taking pictures. Did you use regular binding at 2 1/2? I have one I will do in sherpa, like minky, and am thinking about the binding as I look at how perfect yours looks.

  19. Iris Ann’s quilt is beautiful, Roseanne! I loved the colors from the start, and now I love the way you quilted it, too. I’m sure baby and parents will be thrilled with their quilt!

  20. Brenda @ Songbird Designs says:

    Beautiful job!! It always feels great to have a finish!! Happy weekend, friends!

  21. A beautiful finish – have liked this project all along and your mini-tutorial on it adds more perspective as well.

  22. karenfae says:

    the quilt looks very soft and cuddly – I have never used the minke you mention but it looks nice. I like the simple quilting

  23. Yay for the finish, and it’s a lovely one! The photo taken against that bright blue sky is so pretty. It looks like a cuddly quilt, so soft and perfect for baby Iris. Well done!

  24. Laura says:

    The baby quilt turned out beautifully and will be a wonderful keepsake for little Iris Ann! 🙂

  25. As you may remember, I’ve only made paper-pieced HRT blocks, but there is a similarity in how strange and counterintuitive the piecing is. I definitely know all about having to pay attention to direction of the diagonal. I enjoyed reading about your process, and I love how this quilt turned out. Have a great day, Mary.

  26. Kate Swallows says:

    Congrats on a very pretty finish! This half rectangles do take close attention when cutting, but even it’s not exactly what was planned it turned out beautifully.

  27. nanamickie says:

    I LOVE this quilt and enjoyed reading your process and seeing how this was completed! It’s really a stunning quilt and you picked the perfect pink. It’s so FEMININE!!! I know Iris Ann and her mommy will be so happy for this lovely quilt!

  28. Kathryn says:

    It is fantastic and I loved reading the whole story about it. Isn’t it funny how things can switch about when we are picking them up to sew together. HRT’s are tricky – so you’d be a total expert on them now with all that practice. Must feel good finishing it and being ready for to be sent. Love the photo on the line with the blue sky and green grass.

  29. quiltinggail says:

    YEAH!!! It’s finished!!! And it looks absolutely fabulous!!! I really like the simple straight line quilting! Sorry to hear you had thread breaking issues … that is NO FUN! But happily the local quilt store was open – just for you!! 🙂
    Happy Quilting! 🙂

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