First Flimsy of August!

 My title makes it sound like I plan on many more flimsies this August, doesn't it? Well, we shall see. That is always the goal, don't you know. *wink*

So, yes, I do have a flimsy and I am so happy to see it done. I have wanted to make this quilt for such a long time. What a good feeling it is to have finally done it! 

This is Scrappy Irish Chain, a big, cheerful quilt measuring roughly 90" square. It makes this queen size bed look very small, doesn't it? Several years ago, I saw the pattern on Pinterest, discovered that it was a free download, so I have had this on the list for awhile. I read that the pattern came out in 2014, and I have to think I must have seen it very soon after. Stay with me; I share all the pattern info below. 

And now it is done. Yay!

I really went deep-stash diving for all the scraps required for this quilt. It has been rather like a reunion for me as I revisited some bits that were from early memorable projects. 

For the solids, I also used from the stash. The yellow has been waiting in a large tub of solids given to me by fellow Frankfort Girl, Sheryll. That tub of solids has a bit of a story, which is a tangent I will address in a bit. Stay tuned. 

For the white, I am guessing that it was in with my grandmother's fabrics, but I cannot be sure. She did like to use white-on-white for her backgrounds, and this was a large enough piece. I do not recall buying it, but that is no surprise. My stash is generously populated with fabrics I don't remember buying! Regardless, I am saying it was from Grandma's things, and that's all I have to say about that. *wink*

So, I began. The first block took me forever. I sewed individual 2.5-inch squares together, row by row. Not only was it time consuming, it wasted a lot of thread. After a couple done this way, I knew I needed to find a better system.

I got the bright idea to lay out all 81 squares on the table beside my sewing machine, and then use that tried-and-true Eleanor Burns method of chain piecing. What a stroke of genius! It really cut down on both my time and my thread waste. Next, I saved even more time by pressing less frequently. I became a well-oiled assembly operator. About the time I was making my last block, I was really quite efficient. Hah! Isn't that the way of it?

Above, the horizontal rows are all sewn and seams pressed open. From this step, I pinned every-other row, matching each intersection, stitched and pressed open. Finally, I pinned the remaining seams, stitched and pressed. Cutting down the pressing after every little step saved a ton of time. I don't know why I was being so anal about pressing so often. Maybe I thought I'd have better success with accuracy? I don't know...

Here's a picture of the back of the flimsy. I have to say that I only actually worked at easing the fit in one or two places. For so many little parts, it matched up remarkably well. And no, I did not use starch. I know that is standard practice for a lot of quilters, but my spray bottle is empty, and who has time to refill??? (good grief)

Like I said, the pattern, Scrappy Irish Chain, is a free download from Jessica Fincham. You can find her several ways - Pinterest or her blog or Instagram. From reading her blog, I learned that she is a small shop owner in England, and offers quite an abundance of free patterns and tutorials. And from IG, I realized that I was already following her without even connecting her to the designer of this pattern! How cool?!! I really must like all her stuff, not just this one quilt.

I like how her quilt looks with the pink containing chain. My yellow chain is great, a bit garish and loud by comparison, perhaps. Gosh, her soft and hushed pink is so appealing with its gentle subtlety. I wonder if I would consider making another one? It could be that I am talking myself into it, for sure.

Now, back to that tub of Sheryll's solids. It all belonged to her mother. Knowing she would never use it, Sheryll generously donated it to any takers. (How could I pass up free fabric?) I am pleased to report that this is the third quilt made with Sheryll's solids. I have shared the wealth with Sharon P., who selected a peach/pink for her Scrappy Irish Chain, which she is currently working on. And before that, Sharon pulled a piece of blue for a single Irish Chain (below) which she finished up just a few months back.

On to other projects! For every one I finish, it seems I discover 3 or 4 more to start!  Is it that way for you, too?

 Happy Quilting, Friends!