Chain sewing is efficient piecing by pairing necessary squares and continuous feeding through the sewing machine.
PIECING
Tis quilt, featuring the double Irish chain, is made from two basic blocks. In this pattern, Block A comprises 25-square patches and Block B features appliqué of the Dutch Irish Welcome hex sign with four cream strips and four red corner squares.
Strip piecing is always an option when piecing patches of one size. Cut fabric into strips and take care when sewing strips: alternate sewing direction on strip sides. This ensures smooth seams.
Assembly
For scallop borders, keep green strips straight edged until after quilting. See scallop guidelines on page xx for more information. 1. Sew blocks, alternating A and B into rows of five blocks. 2. Sew rows together, following orientation of illustration. 3. Join border strips for two 6½” x 82½” strips. Attach to top and bottom of quilt top. 4. Join border strips for two 6½” x 94½” strips. Attach to each side of quilt.
Block A
1. Sew 3¾” yellow, cream, and red squares together following the block illustration, row by row. 2. Trim to 16½” square. Repeat for a total of 15 blocks.
Block B
1. Sew a 3¾” x 10½” cream strip to each side of the centre appliqué block. 2. Sew a 3¾” red square to each end of a 3¾” x 10½” cream strip. Repeat for remaining 30 cream strips. 3. Sew a red/cream/red strip to the top and bottom of the centre appliqué block. 4. Trim to 16½” square. Repeat for a total of 15 blocks.