In the Irish Chain Tradition / Beauties Pageant 248

Irish Twist in Strawberry Lemonade by Sherri and Chelsi

I have had Saint Patrick’s Day on my mind lately. In part, that is because March 17 is on the horizon and I live outside of Boston, where the holiday is a big thing. I’ve also started a second listen to the Last Seen podcast, which documents the theft of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 

If you’re unfamiliar with that story, in the wee hours of March 18, 1990, and in the wake of Saint Patrick’s Day festivities, two men posing as Boston Police made their way into the museum, tied up the night guards, and stole 13 irreplaceable—and still unrecovered—works of art. It’s a fascinating story, in part because the burglary was so brazen and so easily accomplished. (You can read more about the theft here.)

And the third reason I’ve been thinking about all things Irish lately is that I’ve been wanting to make another Irish Twist quilt. This design, following in the long Irish chain tradition, spotlights the space in between the chains to make a uniquely modern quilt.

I’ve had an Irish Twist project in Aneela Hoey’s Sherbet Pips collection cut and ready to be sewn for months now, but there are so many awesome collections out this spring. I couldn’t help but mock up Irish Twist in a few of Moda’s latest lines.

I think my favorite is the version in Strawberry Lemonade (by Sherri and Chelsi), at the top of the post. Those colors and prints are so spring-y; they have me wishing away these last few weeks of winter. Old Glory (by Lella Boutique), directly below, is the most "me" of the collections. I love red and blue together, but I think I’d put those prints to work in something with a Fourth of July feel.

The third mockup surprises me the most. I tend to be rather blue-averse (when asked for my color preference the last time I bought a car, I asked for the color not-blue!). But Water, a collaborative collection from Ruby Star Society, goes all in with blue, and I like it!

These three mockups were made possible by EQ8, and experimenting with them scratched a creative itch for me. What do you do when you want to play with fabric but don’t have the time in your quilty schedule to take on a new project?

Irish Twist in Old Glory by Lella Boutique

Irish Twist in Water by Ruby Star Society

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