My quilt bucket list is long and on it are many quilts, in no particular order, that I would one day like to make. That one day finally came for a traditional Irish Chain Quilt, and a red and white Irish Chain Quilt at that.
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| Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration: 20 New Designs with Historic Roots  |
I have long bookmarked an Irish Chain Quilt in the book Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration: 20 New Designs with Historic Roots by Denyse Schmidt. This is such a great book! It is full of graphic - and beautifully photographed - modern quilts with a distinct nod to the traditional. I followed the instructions for the Irish Chain Quilt verbatim which included piecing sets of skinny strips from the full width of the fabric. This is definitely not my favorite way to piece a quilt top but I accepted the challenge and won. All's well that ends well. Admittedly it was a quick and efficient way to piece the quilt top.
Once the quilt top was completed I pushed ahead and basted the quilt in preparation for quilting. While I don't usually mark my quilt tops for quilting I did mark all the quilting lines for this quilt. The distance between patchwork units was just too great to trust myself to "eyeball" a straight line. I used a Clover Water Soluble Marker and a ruler to mark all lines prior to basting. The quilting ... took ages, but as always these closely spaced lines - just 3/4" apart - add so much texture to the quilt.
Once quilted I trimmed off the excess batting and dunked the quilt in a tub of cool water to remove the marked lines. The lines disappeared instantly! Concerned about possible color run from the red fabric I did add multiple Color Catcher sheets to the water. Thankfully the fabric was color fast and did not bleed (and no, I don't pre-wash fabric). I then tumbled dried the quilt on a gentle setting, giving the quilt a soft and slightly crinkled look and feel. All of the photos are of the washed and tumble dried quilt.
For the back of the quilt I have used go-to backing fabric: Newsprint in White from the Story Collection by Carrie Bloomston. The binding fabric is the same as the background fabric used for the quilt top: Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Natural. The binding was attached to the quilt after the quilt was washed and dried.
For the back of the quilt I have used go-to backing fabric: Newsprint in White from the Story Collection by Carrie Bloomston. The binding fabric is the same as the background fabric used for the quilt top: Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Natural. The binding was attached to the quilt after the quilt was washed and dried.
QUILT STATS
Red and White Irish Chain Quilt
From the book: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration by Denyse Schmidt
Finished quilt measures 55 inches x 55 inches.
Solid fabric used:
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Natural
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Tomato
Thread:
Aurifil 50wt (orange spool) for piecing.
Aurifil 28wt (grey spool) for quilting.
Low Loft Cotton Batting:
Warm & White batting from The Warm Company;
a low loft batting perfect for use with low volume and bright white fabrics.
Solid fabric used:
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Natural
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Tomato
Thread:
Aurifil 50wt (orange spool) for piecing.
Aurifil 28wt (grey spool) for quilting.
Low Loft Cotton Batting:
Warm & White batting from The Warm Company;
a low loft batting perfect for use with low volume and bright white fabrics.
This quilt is available for purchase from my Etsy Store.
See all the listing details here:
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| Click on any image for a larger view. |
I am so pleased with how this quilt turned out and I am happy to have it ticked off my quilt bucket list. Mind you, I don't think that this is my last Irish Chain Quilt, nor my last red/white quilt, or even my last quilt from the book by Denyse Schmidt.
As always, thank you for stopping by,
Rita
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Absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt's stunning, Rita!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that's just beautiful! I love the minimal design, it really shows up the amazing craftsmanship on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat!? You put binding on AFTER you washed and dried? I haven't heard of that before. Please explain why so I can learn
ReplyDeleteThere's just something about a red and white quilt, and the close quilting makes me want to touch it. Question, though: Why did you wait until after it was washed and dried to put the binding on? That's not usually how you roll.
ReplyDeleteI love this quilt so much ... but the same question is nagging me too ... why did you put the binding on after washing and drying? Does it help to make the binding lay more flat? Thanks for sharing :)
DeleteHi Alice and Serena - thank you for stopping by! I attached the binding after washing so that I could square up a quilt that had been washed and tumble dried ~ removing any uneven shrinkage, if there was any. As it turns out the quilt came out of the dryer without significant shrinkage (not that I measured the quilt before and after) and squaring up the quilt was relatively simple. I hope that makes sense. Rita
DeleteThis is so good Rita. I like how you've quilted it (even more than the original...shhh!) and appreciate all the details on how you went about it. I wouldn't have been able to part with this one. VERY well done!
ReplyDeleteFabulous. You always know how to take a quilt pattern and make it your own.
ReplyDeleteThis is a remarkable quilt, Rita! So well done!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful, Rita. I am glad that you have crossed off a quilt from your bucket list. I hope this one is staying with you!
ReplyDeleteLovely! I also found it very interesting that you put binding on after washing. Thanks for the explanation. To remove lines from those Clover pens, I keep a spray bottle with water in it in my sewing room and just mist the surface of the quilt--works great! I air dry at that point then continue on as normal.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. Adore it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best! No wonder it sold so fast.
ReplyDeleteRita, I looked at every photo very carefully by clicking on each and having a close look.
ReplyDeleteThis is just lovely. You are so inspiring.
I love WHITE and the red and the greyish.
Super pretty
I love it, Rita!! I bought the book just for that quilt; it's on my bucket list also :-) I'm not sure I could part with it if I made it, though.
ReplyDeletehappy sewing ~ Tracy