Pinwheel Irish Chain - March Island Batik Challenge

Note, the fabrics for this project were given to me by Island Batik as part of their ambassador program.

The March Island Batik ambassador challenge is "Vintage Reimagined." I waffled around for a while with what to make, mostly because I wasn't sure if my ideas were reimagined enough to fit the theme. In the end, I decided to go with two of my favourite traditional quilt designs - a pinwheel block and a single Irish Chain.

I used Island Batik's solid white for the background, in part because a white background is one of the things I think of when I think 'modern quilt' and in part because I knew the bright, clean white would show off the other fabrics so well. Here is my finished Pinwheel Irish Chain quilt top, which measures 50" x 74".

Edited to say, I'm working on the pattern for this quilt, so if you'd like to make your own version, sign up for my newsletter so you'll be notified when the pattern is available 😊

I had hoped to get pretty outdoor pictures, but the wind has come up and will be up for the next few days. Quilt tops and wind do not make a good combination for photography! On the plus side, the sun is up longer now, allowing me to get natural light for these pictures after work today 😊

The nine patch blocks and the sashing cornerstones that form the Irish Chain design are made with blues from the Foundations line. I love the depth of colour in these fabrics!

I used six different blues and strip pieced the nine patch blocks. When it came time to lay everything out, I tried to keep the six fabrics separated, but I did notice that I ended up with one spot where two of the grey-blue squares are touching. Oh well, I'm not about to take it all apart now to fix it!

The pinwheels are all made of Paisley Dot Brights and I love how cheerful they feel. Aren't they perfect for spring?

This challenge comes at the same time as Sarah's Hands to Help Comfort Quilt Challenge, so this quilt top is my contribution to her fabulous comfort quilt drive. There's a Canadian charity included this year, Victoria's Quilt's Canada, which provides quilts to people with cancer, and that is where I'll be sending it. They specifically ask for quilt tops only and they say their greatest need is for adult sized ones that are approximately 50" x 70".

I've always loved the Irish Chain design, pinwheels and blue, of course, so this feels like a collection of my favourite things. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure one of the first quilt magazines I ever bought was chosen for an all blue pinwheel Irish Chain baby quilt, though I never did make it. I guess this is my version, with plenty of cheerful colour added to the blues 😊

I loved making this quilt top and I hope it brings comfort to someone in their fight against cancer. Thank you to Island Batik for providing the gorgeous fabrics and to Sarah for connecting me to Victoria's Quilts Canada 😊