The Paddy Quilt – a wee classic Irish Chain baby quilt
Do you have a season of baby showers? Do you have a go-to, tried and true baby shower gift? In this world of fast and quick, an Irish Chain baby quilt, a timeless classic heirloom, is my favorite gift. I love gifting handmade things. A baby quilt, small and mighty, can be sewn together in a couple of afternoons or a weekend. The Paddy Quilt, a small Irish Chain baby quilt pattern, sewn and quilted over the course of several nap time sewing sessions requiring nothing more than the fabric already on hand.
Imagine it is mid-April, games scheduled every Saturday for the next eight weeks,. I love to watch my kids play the sports they love. The weekday practices, the laundry to keep those uniforms looking sharp, and the countless moments of divided attention – one eye on the little siblings and one eye on the game makes for a busy season. Amongst the cleats, sweaty gear, the after game snack wrappers, arrives a sweet invite in delicate peach and green.
A baby shower, two weeks away, is just the reason needed to sew a sweet wee Paddy quilt. This quilt pattern, made repeatedly over the years, never fails me as the perfect baby gift. A little modern, a little timeless, a lot of sentiment, the Paddy quilt is simple to piece and fits perfectly on a one yard piece of backing fabric! I rarely have yardage greater than one yard cuts, and rarely have extra time in the busy sports seasons. I’d rather shop my fabric stash.
Quilt Stats
The Paddy Quilt, a true baby quilt, finishes at 32” x 41”. According to our Quilt Size Guide, a standard baby quilt is 30” x 40”, whereas a standard crib size quilt is 36” x 52”. The biggest difference between the
two sizes is a baby quilt will fit onto a one yard piece of backing fabric and a crib size quilt requires 2 ½ yards of backing fabric that must be pieced together.
Fabric
- 1 yard of background fabric
- ½ yard of Irish Chain fabric
- 1 yard of backing fabric
- ½ yard of binding fabric
A traditional Irish Chain is two contrasting colors in two quilt blocks – a nine-patch block to create a chain of tiny squares around a background block. There are no set in stone rules about what colors make an Irish Chain quilt. I adore the scrappy nature and frugality of using what I have as much as I love buying a curated bundle. The Paddy Quilt can be made with fat quarters and fat eighths. Leftover binding strips for the Irish Chain is my favorite way to add scrappy variety to the quilt, while a low volume background keeps the quilt from feeling chaotic.
Strip Piecing the Strip Sets
The Paddy Quilt is made from a total of 3 yards of fabric total! Due to the nature of the small pieces in this quilt, starch all fabric and press well before cutting.
The key to sewing a quilt in short sewing sessions is efficiency found with strip piecing. The key to accurate block sizes is also in strip piecing.
Sew strips together using a scant ¼″ seam allowance. Strip piecing the blocks, pressing the strip seams toward the darker fabric, and then cut the strips into smaller subunits makes for consistently sized blocks.
Irish Chain blocks
Otherwise referred to as nine patch blocks. Sew the subunits into nine patch blocks. Nesting the seams will help keep the intersections in each block sharp and aligned. Place two strip sets right sides together and nestle the seams sewn in opposite directions together. The seams should fit nicely together or nested together.
Sew into rows
Alternate nine patch blocks with background blocks to create each row.
Sew row sections
Alternate the rows, starting one row with a nine patch block and then the next row with a background block. Nesting the seams of each block, just as you did with the strip sets.
Pinning is key for getting the blocks in every row to align. Instead of pinning straight across, angle your pin diagonally so the pin goes through each seam of the top block and bottom block you are aligning. Pinning diagonally holds the blocks together better as you feed them through the sewing machine.
I really struggle sewing long seams. I learned several years ago, I have a far easier time if I sew the blocks into sections and then sew those sections together. I think it’s because there is less tugging and pulling when the weight of the blocks and rows are more evenly distributed over the sections.
Press all seams well.
Baste
Layer the backing fabric, wrong side up, then place a layer of batting, and finally the quilt top right side up creating a quilt sandwich. I am a thread baster. Quickly run a thick thread along the vertical lines of the quilt, starting at the middle, working my way to the outside, holds all the layers together for quilting. I love to use old thread, odd colors from other projects, or dmc embroidery thread – any thread will do. I believe the thread holds the layers together better than pins because the thread is a little rough and grabs the fibers of the fabric when rolling the quilt and moving it all directions during the quilting process. Below is the back side of the quilt so you can see the very large running stitch of rainbow thread.
Quilt as desired
A quick timeless heirloom is perfect for straight line machine quilting, either on each side of the seam or diagonally through each block. I also love the look of big stitch hand quilting to keep this baby quilt soft.
Binding
The binding is the star of the show with this wee quilt. A binding that frames your quilt, coordinates with the Irish Chains, and softens with a subtle glow is perfect for this pattern.
Label and gift tag
Document your quilt. Don’t forget to take pictures for you. Stitch a tag into the binding.
There is no need to worry a new weary mama with care instructions. Use the gift tags with care instructions found at the end of the pattern. Write a sweet sentiment, fold and roll the quilt, place the gift tag and tie with a bow.
And don’t forget to share your beautiful quilt with me! Tag me @bigmamaquilts and #bigmamaquiltspatterns so I can see your one-of-a-kind wee Paddy Quilt.
May strong arms hold you
Caring hearts tend you
And may love await you at every step.
- An Irish prayer for a new babe
Happy quilting!
