Flutterfly for a baby girl

My friend and coworker Erin recently had her first child, a baby girl named Annie.  Erin and I have worked together for 8 or 9 years.  She's always been an admirer of my quilts and I know that handcrafts in general are meaningful to her; she appreciates the time, effort, and skill that goes into them.  I've made a baby quilt for every child born to a coworker since I started working there, so Erin knew that there would be a quilt for her baby girl.

I normally choose a baby quilt completely on my own, but since Erin knew I'd be making one and I knew it would be really meaningful for her, I asked for her input.  She told me they were going with a nature theme.  She gave me some inspiration images and told me they were focusing on pink, green, and cream.

It didn't take me long to settle on the pattern Flutterfly by Laura of Slice of Pi Quilts.  I've had my eye on this pattern for a while.  I've made Laura's Exploding Heart quilt before, and Flutterfly is similar in construction. I was worried it would be too big for a baby quilt, so I made it with smaller units.  Laura is open that Flutterfly (and Exploding Heart) can be cut with Accuquilt's quarter square triangle die.  Instead of using the size in the pattern, I used the die for units finishing an inch smaller. I planned to add in the borders at the top and the bottom, but ultimately left them off.  The pattern is well written and is great for chain piecing.

The fabrics in the top are all Island Batik.  I used as many different pink fabrics as I could find in my various Island Batik scrap bins.  I picked 2 green fabrics for the butterfly body, and the background is Milkshake, which has a nice creamy look to it.

I recently visited a fairly new local-ish quilt shop for the first time, SewEndipitous in Rock Hill, SC.  While there, I looked for a fabric to use as the back.  I picked a Lewis & Irene fabric with hummingbirds and hibiscus flowers.  I wanted something that wasn't directional and would go well with a bright pink binding.  I really like it, and it turns out that the dad-to-be's grandmother was a huge fan of hummingbirds.  When Erin got the quilt, she was thrilled to find "Nana Birds" on the back.  A serendipitous choice, for sure!

 

Erin absolutely loves the quilt, and I hope baby Annie gets years of fun and comfort from it.