Machine Quilting: Irish Chain

Soooo, do you have your copy of Seems Like Scrappy yet? If you preordered a copy from me, my copies are still in transit and should be here soon. As soon as they arrive, I will get them sent out and on their way to you!

If you'd still like to preorder a signed copy of Seems Like Scrappy, head on over to my online shop and get your copy for 25% off the regular price. The sale only lasts until the books arrive at my doorstep, so act fast!

Alrighty, in other news I have been quilting like crazy. There's not too much I can show on here yet as some progress has been slow, but I have some quilts I need to catch up on as far as sharing goes, so once I get back into a regular pace I will have more to share.

Today I'm showing this wonderful Irish Chain made by Amy.

 She made this quilt as a wedding gift so she wanted the quilting to be effective but not too girly. Traditionally a pattern like this calls for feathered wreaths in the light areas and lines or curves quilted in the chains, but Amy thought that would be a bit too feminine. She also added a pieced border onto the outside of the quilt and wanted it to be quilted to stand out, yet work with the rest of the quilt. Challenge accepted!

 Amy wanted the quilting a little loose on this quilt - basically she didn't want it too dense. With all of her requests in mind, I got to planning. I was looking at Celtic Knot designs for the background areas, but nothing "fit" the shape I was looking for. Then I remembered these fun stars. The couple that will be receiving this quilt are both in the armed forces, so I thought the stars would be perfect.

 To keep the quilting functional and loose, I quilted the dark chains with curved lines and carried that design into the border. Rather than adding another design, I also quilted most of a star in the pieced border to continue the pattern I established. It's very subtle, but the thought of adding another design would have felt like an afterthought.

 It's a little hard to see because of the lighting, but there are two stars quilted into this corner of the quilt (in the border). The rest of the border was filled with the curved lines to carry out the pattern and it looked wonderful.

 Overall, the quilt ended up looking clean and methodical and almost vintage. I told Amy I couldn't wait to see this quilt finished and washed because I have a feeling it will already look like an heirloom.

Here's a view of the back of the quilt. I love how simple the quilting is, but it fits the feel and purpose of this quilt.

The couple should be getting married soon and I think this is a wonderful wedding present, don't you agree? I have so much fun working on scrappy quilts like these. Each and every view brings new fabrics into perspective and I never get tired of looking at various prints.

In order to quilt the borders, I used a rather unique approach to the design I want to share with you all. I have a whole other post just for that and I hope it will help you plan you quilting or understand the long arm process better.

Thank you Amy!