Baby Irish Chain Quilt

I love Irish Chain quilts, and I can't quite believe it took me this long to realize that they can be made simply from alternating nine-patch and background squares!

For my first experiment with this traditional pattern, I chose some of Anna Maria Horner's True Colors line, with a few other prints thrown in, too.  Just the ticket for a vibrant summer baby quilt. 

I found this tutorial from kelbysews to be SO HELPFUL when deciding how to tackle construction, and the cutting and chain piecing strategies she describes really do make piecing the nine patches fast. 

I always love picking out backing and binding, and this case was no exception.  The creamy background on AMH's Pretty Potent flannel perfectly matched my off-white background (Kona Bone, *I think*).  The black and cream bias plaid print from Mama Said Sew by Sweetwater is really nice for a balanced binding, not too light, not to dark, but still interesting on its own.

Don't quilts belong in gardens? This one measures up at about 42" x 54".

Simple straight double quilting lines along the major squares seams add structure while keeping the general feel of the quilt soft. And that flannel... I just want more.