The Triple Irish Chain has such a satisfying, interlocking rhythm to it, and the secret is not in fancy sewing at all. In this tutorial from Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting, you see how the whole block comes down to one thing: building your four strip bands with the fabrics in exactly the right sequence. Get that order right and the chain appears like magic when the blocks come together.
Here is why this one is worth watching:
- The sequence is the whole secret. Each of the four bands is pieced with its fabrics in a set order, and it is that order, rather than any tricky technique, that makes the chain link up across the quilt.
- One swapped strip breaks the chain. Place a strip out of sequence and you will still get a perfectly neat block, it just will not connect with its neighbours, so it pays to lay your bands out and check before you sew.
- Strip piecing does the heavy lifting. Because you are sewing long bands and cutting them into units, the accuracy builds itself in, and the blocks come together far faster than piecing every little square on its own.
Have you made an Irish Chain before, or is this the block that finally tempts you? I would love to hear whether you find the sequence as satisfying as I do.
