Rainbow Baby Quilt – A Patchwork Prism Quilt

Today, I get to share with you my most recent quilt finish!! Quilts take so long, and I am just so excited when I get to see my vision come to life.

This quilt is a Patchwork Prism Quilt made out of only Anna Maria Horner fabric. I decided to join some fellow quilters on Instagram in an Anna Maria Horner sew-along at the beginning of September. The rules for the sew along were very relaxed. We just needed to finish a quilt (or quilt top) by the end of October that was made entirely in Anna Maria Horner fabric.

Since she is one of my favorite fabric designers, I was excited to join in. I found this as a great opportunity to actually finish a baby quilt for the baby we are expecting. The Patchwork Prism pattern that I took inspiration from is by Anna Maria Horner and is available for free here. Instead of using the templates in the pattern, I used my Accuquilt die cutter. I also added an extra row around the edges to make it the size I wanted, which is 42 square inches.

The Rainbow Baby

The quilt pattern is just perfect for the rainbow baby we are expecting! A rainbow baby is a baby born after a loss of a previous child. The beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages or pain of the storm; however, it focuses on the beauty and promise that God provides in the form of a rainbow after the storm. After having four normal, healthy pregnancies, I lost 2 pregnancies in 2016. One was a missed miscarriage and the other was a partial molar pregnancy. This was a part of my story that I never imagined. After the year was over, I really did not think I was ready for pregnancy again and was very happy (and busy) with my four other children. Much to my surprise, I found out I was expecting again in early May 2017! With all the excitement also came a lot of anxiety about the pregnancy. I had no idea the emotions that would come up! I was right back in the same situation where I had previously experienced so much heartache. I emotionally did not feel ready for the task. At first, I dealt with it by just not telling anyone. This did not work out very long, though, because I began showing so early!

When ignoring the obvious no longer worked for coping with anxiety, I decided to choose JOY. A fellow blogger that I follow, Rachel at Stitched in Color, wrote this blogpost at the end of May that spoke mountains to me and really changed my perspective from that point on. In her blogpost, she wrote about how she was able to go on and have another child after losing a young baby. She knew it was alright to seek happiness again. Rachel wrote about how it is our love, and not our sorrow, that blesses others. I realized in that moment that I could in no way be a blessing to this baby growing in my womb without first choosing happiness. My past did not have to predict my future, but I could enjoy the moment  (and pregnancy!) I have right now. Allowing fear in would provide no help.

I can’t wait to show you all a picture of the quilt with a little baby playing on top of it! I now have about 2 months before her arrival and am enjoying getting to make her lots of cute little things and do all the things that normal nesting mommies do. I just have an entirely new perspective this time around. I still have to fight feelings of anxiety, but I am so glad that I made the choice from so early on in the pregnancy to not give in to fear. I can take care of myself, pray, and expect the best. My worry will in no way help me or those around me.

The Rainbow Quilt

Now, back to the quilt. I am so excited to actually have a quilt that is finished. Summers are so hot in Texas that I start a ton of quilts, but I usually have no desire to finish them because of the heat. With that first taste of cold weather, though, I somehow regain my energy to finish some of the quilt projects I have been working on.

For the back of the quilt, I used Anna Maria Horner’s Pretty Potent Echinacea Flannel. This print is no longer available in flannel but was recently reprinted on quilting cotton in other colorways.

I just love how the binding turned out on this quilt! I used this fabric from her Fibs and Fables collection for the binding. It was as if Anna Maria made this fabric just for binding this quilt. I love how her collections all go together so well! My favorite tutorial for binding a quilt is from Jenny Doan at Missouri Star Quilt Company. After attaching the binding to the front, I hand stitch it to the back because I just love how nice it looks finished. I also get to watch a good movie and maybe some football while I do it, so it is a very relaxing process that I look forward to.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope I have inspired or encouraged you in some way! You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook.

Disclosures: The pattern to this quilt is a free pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. There is no cost to you.  Any and all opinions expressed are my own.