The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik and their industry sponsors.
This Blog Hop includes fabric giveaways! You will find TWO ways to win at the bottom of this post!
For May, the Island Batik Ambassadors are participating in the Irish Chain Blog Hop using the Irish Chain Accuquilt GO! Die. We were challenged with making a lap size (or larger) quilt using the Irish Chain die with our assigned fabric collection. Accuquilt generously provided us with both the Irish Chain Die and a cutting mat to go with it.
My assigned collection is Earthly Enchantment. Earthly Enchantment was designed by Tiffany Hayes of Needle in a Hayes Stack. I love the colors in this collection! The warmth of the earth tones blends perfectly with the purples and deep reds.
I had a difficult time deciding on a design. Using EQ8, I tried about 10 different options until I found one that "clicked" for me. I finally decided to alternate the Irish Chain block with a Cross block! (The Cross block comes from my Hugs & Kisses table runner pattern). Cutting the fabric for the Irish Chain blocks was a breeze using the Accuquilt die! Here are the cut Irish Chain pieces for the quilt:
Piecing is a such pleasure when all the pieces are cut perfectly! The die makes it so easy to plan your colors as well. The background pieces are next to each other on the die, as are the squares, so it makes laying out the fabric on the die very easy. Here is an Irish Chain block laid out and ready to sew!
Here is the completed block. Because the die cuts such accurate pieces, my blocks didn't even need to be squared up!
Then it was time for the Cross blocks. The Cross block is made a bit larger, then cut down to size. Here is a Cross block ready to be pieced:
Here is the block being squared up:
Here is a finished block after squaring:
For this project, I used my favorite piecing duo...Aurifil 50 wt cotton thread (#2600 Dove Gray) along with a Schmetz Mirotex needle (size 12):
And to get those perfectly pressed seams, I used my Oliso TG1600 Pro Plus iron:
Once the quilt top was completed, I loaded it on my Bernina longarm and quilted it!
For the quilting I used the Valentine Feather pantograph by Dave Hudson from Urban Elementz. I love the simplicity of this feather design, it's my go-to panto when I can't decide on a design:
For the batting, I used my favorite, Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 Cotton Blend Batting. This is my go-to batting because it has just the perfect amount of loft, minimal shrinkage and gives the quilt a lovely drape.
Next came the binding:
And the finished quilt! I named it Criss Cross for obvious reasons!
1. Island Batik is giving away TWO fat quarter bundles this week! Enter below to win either a Bright Tidings or Earthly Enchantment fat quarter bundle!
2. I'm giving away a strip pack from the Earthly Enchantment fabric collection! Enter your email address below to win! The winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter. I will contact the winner via email to confirm the shipping address. The fabric will be shipped free of charge to the winner within 3 days of my receiving the winner's shipping address. Raffle runs from 5/6/25 to 5/31/25.
Luxurious fabrics for a wonderful design! Your tutorial was excellent on the process.
If I am in a big hurry maybe a D9P. If I have more time Charms on point. My favorite block is Granny squares but a Hidden Wells for a jelly roll goes together very fast. The 3 yard quilts are always great. Your quilt turned out wonderful.
Thank you for sharing the process of making your beautiful quilt! The fabric and the pattern work beautifully together to create a rich, complex-looking quilt. Stunning!
Your quilt is so beautiful. The Criss Cross block really adds a special touch to the Irish Chain block. Thanks for sharing and for your wonderful giveaway.
I really like the design of your quilt.
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
8 comments
Luxurious fabrics for a wonderful design! Your tutorial was excellent on the process.
If I am in a big hurry maybe a D9P. If I have more time Charms on point. My favorite block is Granny squares but a Hidden Wells for a jelly roll goes together very fast. The 3 yard quilts are always great. Your quilt turned out wonderful.
Thank you for sharing the process of making your beautiful quilt! The fabric and the pattern work beautifully together to create a rich, complex-looking quilt. Stunning!
Your quilt is so beautiful. The Criss Cross block really adds a special touch to the Irish Chain block. Thanks for sharing and for your wonderful giveaway.
I really like the design of your quilt.