Hartman Triplet Quilts: Otters

quilts

Three pieced otters float on a variegated blue background evoking water. Borders above and below them are pieced fish in purple, orange, and yellow. A set of appliqued 3D fish and turtles swim around them.

Years created: 2019
Piecing technique: machine
Quilting technique: hand
Summary: One of three quilts I made for triplets born in 2019. Each repeats a single animal three times. This uses an otter block pattern by Elizabeth Hartman on a bubbly-ish water background with other water creatures.

The other two triplet quilts are: foxes and hedgehogs.

The actual otter block comes from the Elizabeth Hartman’s North Stars pattern. I thought it would be perfect to depict the otters floating on their backs among other water creatures – fish, and then turtles. I mixed appliqué and piecing for the fish and appliquéd and embroidered the turtles for texture. I used clothing fabric scraps for the otter bodies, which made them a little more textured to the touch as well.

A closeup showing the bubble-like white dots on the background A closeup showing the applique fish and turtle. You can see the embroidery making a shell on the turtle A work-in-progress photo of the turtle. I’m stitching along the top of its shell in one direction. A light green quilt backing with lines broken up by shapes of otters. A closeup of the backing fabric showing cute owls