2016 Paintbrush Studio New Block Blog Hop : Irish Rose Chain Block Tutorial

Published March 30, 2016 | By Michelle Folkerts

Hi, Today is my stop on the 2016 Paintbrush Studio New Block Blog Hop. Paintbrush Studio is generously sponsoring a New Block Blog Hop featuring their new line of solids, Painter’s Palette. The blog hop hosts, Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter, have curated the “Ocean Sunrise Palette”, and Paintbrush Studio is supplying each of us a fat quarter bundle to make our blocks.

We were to design a quilt block that finishes at 12 inches using at least 3 of the colors from our Ocean Sunrise bundle. I am working on using all 6 colors in my block.

Ocean Sunrise Palette

The block I designed takes some inspiration from an alternate version of my last year’s entry in the 2015 New Block Blog Hop which was called Blue Island Tribal. I designed 3 versions of my block with one having an appliqued flower. I instantly thought some sort of flower with the peach, coral and bordeaux colors. I would hate for lovely fabric to go to waste, so why not add some of the midnight and daydream in the mix as a tiled chain effect. This is how my block Irish Rose Chain was created.

This is my first colored pencil/graph paper concept of my design.

My block will be made in three parts.

The center of the block is built around a Square in a Square block. I used Bonnie Hunter’s Square in a Square tutorial to figure out what size to cut my pieces. She has a nice chart with multiple size cutting directions.

There are 16 Half Square Triangles in my block that finish at 1 inch so for accuracy I decided to foundation piece my HSTs and you can print your own foundation sheets for free to make multiple half square triangles at once. I went to the Quilting And Whatnot.ca website and printed out the 1 inch finished hst paper sheets. They are available in a pdf form for easy printing.

The second part will be to create the four sections that make the outer rings.

The last part of the block will be to create the four outer nine patch block.

I made a test block from my fabric stash to test out the original plan for my block which is shown below. I originally made the very center of the block with 4 HSTs and the center of the block was constructed in four sections. The directions did work and I was able to create my block but there were far too many little pieces and seams. I decided that my block could be created in nine sections instead of sixteen sections. The four tiny HSTs have become a less complicated square in a square block.

Cutting Instructions for the Irish Rose Chain block:

White Fat Quarter

Cut (4) 1.5 ” x 21″ strips

(1) 2.5″ x 21″ strip cut into half, half used in nine patch construction.

(1) 3″ x 21″ strip

These white strips will be cut down into the following smaller pieces:

(4) 1.5 ” x 6.5″ white rectangles

(8) 1.5″ white squares

(4) 1.5 ” x 3.5″ white rectangles used in nine patch construction

(1) 1.5″ x 21″ white strip cut in half for nine patch construction, both halves will be used .

(1) 1 7/8 inch white square used in the center of the square in a square block. This is cut from second half of 2.5 ” strip.

(1) approximate 3″ x 4″ white rectangle used in half square triangles

(1) approximate 3″ x 11″ white rectangle used in half square triangles

Midnight Fat Quarter

Cut (1) 1.5″ x 21″ strip, cut into half and use in nine patch construction. Other half is extra.

Daydream Fat Quarter (lighter blue)

Cut (1) 1.5″ x 21″ strip, cut into half and use in nine patch construction. Other half is extra.

Peach Fat Quarter (center of flower)

Cut (1) 1.5″ x 21″ strip.

(1) 2 1/4 ” by 21″ strip

These will be cut down into smaller pieces.

Cut (4) 1.5″ x 2.5″ peach rectangles

(2) 2 1/8″ peach squares cut diagonally. These triangles are used in the square in a square block.

Coral Fat Quarter (second petals of flower)

Cut (1) 1.5″ x 21″ strip

(1) 3 ” x 21″ strip

These will be cut down into smaller pieces.

Cut (4) 1.5″ x 4.5″ coral rectangles

(1) approximate 3″ x 4″ coral rectangle used in half square triangles

Bordeaux Fat Quarter (outer petals of flower)

Cut (2) 1.5″ x 21″ strips

(1) 3″ x 21″ strip

These will be cut down into smaller pieces.

(4) 1.5″ x 2.5″ bordeaux rectangles

(4) 1.5″ x 6.5″ bordeaux rectangles

(1) approximate 3″ x 11″ bordeaux rectangle used in half square triangles

…………………………………………………

Piecing the Irish Rose Chain block:

I started my block by foundation piecing all my half square triangles. You will need 2 paper squares to create the 4 coral HSTs. You will need 6 paper squares to create the 12 bordeaux HSTs needed. Layer the 3 x 4 inch white and coral fabrics together and pin the 2 foundation squares to them, sewing on the dotted lines. Layer the 3 x 11 inch white and bordeaux fabrics together and pin the 6 foundation squares to them, also sewing on the dotted lines. You cut your pieces apart on the solid lines. I finger pressed the papers back on themselves at seam to help perforate the paper for easily removal. Be careful not to tug on the stitching. I finger pressed my half squares open before I pressed with my iron. I did not have to do much squaring up and basically only had to trim off the wings. (This is not the “norm” for me, but I was extra careful how I handled the bias edge of the triangles. )

Creating the Center

Let’s now make our center square in a square block. We will need the 1 7/8″ white square and the (4) coral triangles cut from 2 1/8 inch squares. I finger pressed in half both ways the white square, and finger pressed the coral triangles in half. You will first match up two of the triangles to the opposite sides of the square using the pressed center marks. Sew at a scant 1/4 inch and press seams open and triangles back. You may trim up the over hanging corners of the triangles to the side of the square but I did leave mine until the end. Attach the other 2 triangles to the other sides of the square matching at the pressed marks. Finger press all seams open and then press flat with iron, while taking care not to stretch out of shape. The square in a square should be squared down to 2.5 inches finished.

We will build on out from the square in a square. Find your (4) 1.5 x 2.5″ peach rectangles, (4) coral HSTs and (2) 1.5 x 4.5″ coral rectangles. We will be sewing 2 of the 1.5 x 2.5″ peach rectangles to the sides of the square in a square block. Press seams open. Sew (2) coral HSTs to (1) 1.5 x 2.5″ peach rectangle in the direction shown in photo. Press seams open. Create a second one with the other coral HSTs and peach rectangle. These will be sewn to the center square in a square pieced set. Seams pressed open. You will next sew a 1.5 x 4.5 ” coral rectangle to each side of the block. Seams pressed open.

This is how your pieced section should now look.

We are going to finish piecing the center block. You will need to find (2) 1.5″ x 4.5″ coral rectangles and (4) bordeaux HSTs. You will be sewing a bordeaux HST to each end of the coral rectangle in the direction shown in photo. Press seams open and make two. We will add these new pieced segments to each side of the center block. Press seams open and this part of the block is complete.

Creating the Outer Petals of the flower

We will be creating 4 of the outer flower petal blocks. You will need (4) 1.5 x 6.5″ white rectangles, (4) 1.5 x 6.5″ bordeaux rectangles, (8) 1.5 ” white squares, (4) 1.5 x 2.5″ bordeaux rectangles and (8) bordeaux HSTs. You will start with the 1.5 x 2.5″ bordeaux rectangles adding a bordeaux HST to each end and pressing seams open. A 1.5″ white square is sewn to the end of the newly created segment and press seams open. You will sew a 1.5 x 6.5″ white rectangle to the top of section with the white matching the white side of the HST. Add the 1.5 x 6.5″ bordeaux rectangle to the side matching the bordeaux side of HSTs. Press all seams open and make all four petal blocks the same way.

Creating Nine Patch blocks :

To make the four Nine Patch blocks, we will be using (1) 1.5 x 21″ white strip which you will cut (4) 1.5 x 3.5″ white rectangles. (1) 1.5 x 21″ white strip is cut in half and (1) 2.5″ white strip cut in half. We will be using a half of each 1.5″ strip of Midnight and Daydream. Combine 1/2 strip of 1.5″ Midnight strip with 1/2 of 2.5″ white strip. Press seams open. Make a 3 strip set sewn from white, daydream, white 1.5 inch strips. Press all seams open.

You will cut (4) 1.5″ pieces from the Midnight/White strip set and (4) 1.5″ pieces of the white/daydream/white strip set. You will sew a midnight/white set to a white/daydream/white set and press seams open. Make (2) with the midnight square on the left side and (2) with the midnight square on the right side. You will add a 1.5 x 3.5″ white rectangle to the white/daydream/white side and press seams open.

Whole Block Assembly:

Let’s finish piecing this block. You will start from the middle out. Take the flower center and sew two outer flower petal sections to the center matching the 6.5″ bordeaux side of the outer petal to the center bordeaux HSTs. Press seams open. For the top and bottom, sew a nine patch to each side of the outer petal blocks with the midnight squares facing furthest out on all blocks. Join all three rows together matching intersections and pressing seams open.

Yeah, you now have a completed Irish Rose Chain block! Thanks for sewing along with me.

I entered a photo of my completed block into the Photoscape photo editing program and you can tile your photo and see what a possible quilt would look like made from that block. It was a little hard for me to get a good straight on overhead photo of my block in good lighting to get a perfect match of my seams in my tiled photo. The one side is just a tad off but you can tell that the midnight squares will match up to make a large center square.

I hope that you will consider sewing up a version of my Irish Rose Chain block. I would love to see whatever you come up with. A variety of colors and prints added could really change the look to the flower shape.

Please check out the rest of today’s lovely blocks.