Irish Chain Table Topper

Inspired by Cottage Comfort from designer Lynn Schmitt-Cibulka of A Different Box of Crayons

Quiltmaker: Laura Boehnke

• 1/2 yard pink tone-on-tone (blocks A and B, inner border)
• 3/4 yard cream print (Block A)
• 1/2 yard dark purple print (Block B)
• 1/3 yard pink-and-tan stripe (Block B)
• 1/8 yard pink print (Block B)
• 1/4 yard gold dot (Block B)
• 1/8 yard pink floral (Block B) (A different floral may require more fabric to allow fussy cutting.)
• 7/8 yard green tone-on-tone (inner and outer borders, binding)
• 1/2 yard brown floral (middle border)
• 3-1/8 yards backing fabric
• 55" square batting

Finished quilt: 48-1/2" square

Finished blocks: 12" square

Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order. To fussy-cut the pink floral, center your ruler over the area you want to showcase in your blocks.

From pink tone-on-tone, cut:

• 2--2x42" strips
• 9--3-1/2" squares
• 12--2x3-1/2" rectangles
• 40--2" squares

From cream print, cut:

• 2--2x42" strips
• 20--3-1/2x5" rectangles
• 40--2x3-1/2" rectangles

From dark purple print, cut:

• 32--2x3-1/2" squares

From pink-and-tan stripe, cut:

• 16--3-1/2x5" rectangles

From pink print, cut:

• 8--3-7/8" squares

From gold dot, cut:

• 8--3-7/8" squares

From pink floral, fussy-cut:

• 4--3-1/2" squares

From green tone-on-tone, cut:

• 5--2-1/2x42" binding strips
• 5--2x42" strips for outer border
• 12--2x9-1/2" rectangles

From brown floral, cut:

• 4--3-1/2x39-1/2" strips for middle border

When assembling blocks, press seams as specified in the instructions so blocks will nest in the finished quilt top. The other option is to press all seams open.

1. Sew together a pink tone-on-tone 2x42" strip and a cream print 2x42" strip to make a strip set (Diagram 1). Press seam toward pink tone-on-tone. Repeat to make two strip

sets total. Cut strip sets into 40-2"-wide segments total.

2. Sew together two segments to make a Four-Patch unit (Diagram 2). Press seam in one direction. The Four-Patch unit should be 3-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 20 Four-Patch units total.

3. Lay out one Four-Patch unit, two cream print 2x3-1/2" rectangles, and one pink tone-on-tone 2" square in two rows (Diagram 3). Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams toward cream print rectangles. Join rows to make a block corner; press seam toward top row of block corner. The block corner should be 5" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 20 block corners total.

4. Referring to Diagram 4, lay out four block corners, four cream print 3-1/2x5" rectangles, and one pink tone-on-tone 3-1/2" square in three rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams toward block corners and pink tone-on-tone square. Join rows to make a Block A. Press seams toward center row. The block should be 12-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make five A blocks total.

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each dark purple print 2" square and each gold dot 3-7/8" square.

2. Align a marked dark purple print 2" square with one corner of a pink-and-tan stripe 3-1/2x5" rectangle (Diagram 5; note direction of marked line). Stitch on drawn line. Trim excess fabric, leaving 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle, pressing seam toward purple print. In the same manner, sew a marked purple print square to adjacent edge of rectangle to make a stripe unit. The stripe unit should be 3-1/2x5" including seam allowances. Repeat to make 16 stripe units total.

3. Layer a marked gold dot 3-7/8" square atop a pink print 3-7/8" square. Sew together with two seams, stitching 1/4" on each side of drawn line (Diagram 6). Cut pair apart on drawn line to make two triangle units. Open triangle units; press seams toward pink print to make two triangle-squares. Each triangle-square should be 3-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 16 triangle-squares total.

4. Sew together one triangle-square, two dark purple print 2x3-1/2" rectangles, and one pink tone-on-tone print 2" square in two rows (Diagram 7; note placement of gold dot in triangle-square). Press seams toward dark purple print rectangles. Join rows to make a block corner. Press seam toward top row of block corner. The block corner should be 5" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 16 block corners total.

5. Referring to Diagram 8, lay out four stripe units, four block corners, and one pink floral 3-1/2" square in three rows. Sew together pieces in each row; press seams toward stripe units. Join rows to make Block B. Press seams away from center row. Block B should be 12-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four B blocks total.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out A and B blocks in three rows.

2. Sew together blocks in each row. Press seams in one direction, alternating direction with each row. Join rows to make quilt center. Press seams in one direction. The quilt center should be 36-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, sew together two pink tone-on-tone 2x3-1/2" rectangles, three green tone-on-tone 2x9-1/2" rectangles, and two pink tone-on-tone 2" squares to make a short inner border strip. Press seams open. The short inner border strip should be 2x36-1/2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second short inner border strip.

2. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, join three green tone-on-tone 2x9-1/2" rectangles and four pink tone-on-tone 2x3-1/2" rectangles to make a long inner border strip. Press seams open. The strip should be 2x39-1/2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second long inner border strip.

3. Sew short inner border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add long inner border strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward inner border. The quilt center should now be 39-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1. Sew brown floral middle border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Press seams toward middle border.

2. Sew pink tone-on-tone 3-1/2" squares to ends of remaining brown floral middle border strips to make pieced middle border strips. Press seams toward brown floral strips. Add pieced middle border strips to remaining edges of quilt center. Press seams toward middle border. The quilt center should now be 45-1/2" square including seam allowances.

3. Cut and piece green tone-on-tone 2x42" strips to make:

• 2--2x48-1/2" outer border strips
• 2--2x45-1/2" outer border strips

4. Sew short outer border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add long outer border strips to remaining edges to complete quilt top. Press all seams toward outer border.

1. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste. Quilt as desired.

2. Bind with green tone-on-tone binding strips.