Patchwork Squares Quilt Pattern - The (Scrappy) Nautical Baby Version

Pete’s sister and her family just came to visit, which meant we got to meet our newest nephew! 🥰 A new nephew means a new baby quilt…which is what I’m sharing about today!

My previous baby quilts

This is our 5th nephew, and baby #4 for Pete’s sister, so as you probably guessed, this is the fourth baby quilt I’ve made for them! 

It all started 8 years ago with this nephews older brother. made him a patchwork triangles quilt using Cotton & Steel whale fabric (I believe it was the SS Bluebird collection, but it’s long out of print).

Then the next nephew came along, and I did another whale-themed quilt…this time a Church Window quilt using a whale print from Birch Fabrics as the focal point.

You might remember the quilt for brother #3, which I made just a couple years ago. For that one, I wondered...what if I combined elements of the first two quilts? I used the different whale prints from each quilt and added some other fabrics to create the Nautical First Gift quilt.

Then a few months ago, Nephew #4 came along…and it was time start another nautical baby quilt!

My nautical Patchwork Squares baby quilt

I decided to use my (free!) Patchwork Squares quilt pattern this time. (Download it via the button below!) I wanted it to have a really scrappy, homemade, patchwork feel…and it’s hard to top Patchwork Squares for those kinds of vibes! (Plus, it’s one of my favorite fast quilt patterns, which makes it great for whipping up gifts.) 

It’s been a few years since I made one (the Palette Picks version back in 2023), so I was excited to dive back into the pattern!

FABRICS

As I mentioned, with Baby #3, I combined quilts from the previous baby quilts…and I decided to do the same with this one! I used scraps from all three of the previous brothers’ quilts. You’ll see whales and ships and stripes and other recognizable prints, all coming together to make something that’s familiar and new at the same time!

The Patchwork Squares pattern includes options for both 3.5” and 5” squares. I went with the 3.5”, which is my preferred size, because it looks great with large and small prints, and I used both here.

Between the scraps and the pattern, I really leaned into a nostalgic, hand-me-down feel for this quilt. And you know, at first I felt a little bad about that. I don’t want baby #4 to ever feel like his quilt was an afterthought or that he was just getting leftovers, and I couldn’t stop worrying about it as I pieced the quilt top…until working on the backing changed my mind!

BACKING, QUILTING, AND BINDING

For the quilt backing, I decided to do something I never do: I made a scrappy backing! Again, it really plays into that nostalgic, homemade feel…and as I pieced it together, I realized it was completely different from what I normally do. 

I'd been worrying that this quilt would feel like an afterthought (even though it wasn't), but piecing the backing helped me realize just how intentional I was being this quilt, and how much love and effort was going into it. I stopped feeling guilty and started appreciating how cool this whole process was! Now I love how connected this quilt feels to the other three, while still having a look all of its own. That’s the magic of scraps!

I kept up the scrappiness even on the inside, making frankenbatting from scrap batting. (I used the zig zag stitch method to piece my batting.)

Then I quilted this one myself (with cream thread), using a pretty simple straight line quilting technique. I echoed the piecing, quilting ¼” out on both sides of each seam (both vertical and horizontal). It doesn’t look too fussy or distracting, so it keeps the focus on the fabrics.

Finally, I finished things off with a scrappy binding…the cherry on top for this hand-me-down-inspired quilt!

Baby #4 is already seven months old, so he got his baby quilt a little later than the rest…but that just means he can already show how much he likes it! 😊

Make your own Patchwork Squares quilt

Unfortunately we don’t have kits for this one, since it’s a scrappy and nostalgic sew. But Patchwork Squares looks good in any of our fat quarter bundles.

For example, here’s how it might look with the Skyscape Watercolor Wovens bundle:

Of course, Patchwork Squares is great for using up your own scrap stash too! If you’re not sure where to start, our Summer Scrap Bash has loads of info on pulling and using scrap fabric!

However you make yours, I hope you’ll share it with me! Tag me @loandbeholdstitchery with hashtag #loandbeholdpatterns so I can see what you create.

Happy quilting!

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