Free pattern: Irish Spring Surprise

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It’s your lucky day!  We’re excited to feature our March free pattern: Irish Spring Surprise. This stunning pattern incorporates the traditional Trapunto technique, adding beautiful dimension to your quilt. Trapunto involves hand-stitching motifs and stuffing them with cotton or batting. In this pattern, Trapunto was used for flower petals and quilting motifs, creating a truly enchanting result.

Quilt dimensions

Finished size: 66″ x 66″

Finished blocks: 12″

Quilting and finishing tips

To add dimension to the quilt, refer to the “Trapunto” technique sidebar on page five of the free pattern PDF. Using the water-soluble marker, mark the Honey Bee Mine Quilting on the A’s as shown. Mark the I Heart Daisies Quilting in the block as shown. Mark the Spring Surprise Quilting on the light teal patches where the blocks meet as shown.

Trapunto the petals (D’s), flower centers (E’s) and marked motifs.

Layer and baste together the backing, batting and quilt top.

Quilt the marked motifs. Quilt the flower centers (D’s) and petals (E’s) in the ditch. Echo quilt around the petals. Quilt curved lines in and around the green, medium teal and dark teal patches of the Four Patches and units as shown on page five of the free pattern PDF.

Refer to the detailed photos on page six in the free pattern PDF. To give the trapunto more dimension, quilt a stipple around the motifs on the light teal and in the dark teal areas in the border.

Bind the quilt

Need some inspiration for quilting designs? Two great options for this type of pattern are Swirls and Daisy and Leaf Loop de Loop.

Irish Spring Surprise quilt pattern was designed and machine quilted by Peg Spradlin.

Additional APQS blog resources

For more information about Trapunto, read How to Trapunto using your quilting machine.

For more information about cutting, read the 10 tips for quick cutting.