More Irish-chain-inspired fun this week!

Last week’s sketch was inspired by a traditional Irish chain quilt design. This week’s is too, with a few modifications. First, instead of a nine-patch, I’ve used a twenty-five-patch. (If you’re wondering why I jumped past the sixteen-patch, it’s because using patches with an odd number of squares lets me keep the four corner squares in the same colour in a two-colour design (otherwise two would be in one colour and two would be in the other colour).) I included some curves (like last week) but added in some more, with overlaps to create new secondary shapes.

This two-colour version should make it pretty clear how the two different blocks are tiled. A bit like an Irish chain design, a bit unlike it too.

I added in a third colour, and cycled through all the different combinations with this colour placement… some are more interesting than others!

   

   

   

Then I decided that the acid yellow would work better as a highlight, so I pulled in a hot pink as the third ‘main’ colour and used the acid yellow as pops of brightness.

   

There are sooooo many options for colour placement. I tried out a maximalist version…

…and subtracted some stuff to explore a more minimalist approach.

(I like that version very much, but it kinda obscures the Irish chain origins.)

When subtracting, I tend to take from the outside first, which is what I did in these next few versions. Removing any unconnected or unfinished shapes from the outer edges of the design leaves a bit of a border – some breathing space, but also a way to isolate certain shapes or paths to direct the eye around the design.

   

I think a lot of the impact of this week’s sketch is down to those pops of yellow, but perhaps you could get the same (or similar) effect in another palette. It would take a bit of playing around, I think.

These designs could be made into a quilt using a standard twenty-five patch block of squares, along with another block of overlapping curves. That second block would undoubtedly require templates… I think probably there’d be a way to create blocks with concentric (double drunkard’s path) curves and then subcut them and piece them together to create the final block. Jenny Haynes (Papper, Sax, Sten) does a lot of that kind of thing in her own work (see, for example, her Pond Skater and Havsglas quilts) and workshops, so check her out if you haven’t already!

This is probably not one I’d make myself, but perhaps it will give you some ideas or inspiration?