Luck of the Irish Chains!!!

This is the Irish Chain Quilt that started all of this Happy Quilting!!  I realized I share this story all the time in trunk shows, but I don't know if I have shared it in full here.  So here it goes :)  

My mother learned to quilt so that she could make me a quilt for my wedding. She decided to start with  Elanor Burns, Irish Chain in a Day,  since honestly, that is where everyone seemed to start at that time ;)  

My Double Irish Chain I made that is my version of 
the wedding quilt my Mom made for me. 

 A few years later, when we were getting ready to travel across the country for schooling, my mom taught me quilting basics.  I wanted to have a "hobby" to keep me busy when the kids were asleep and my husband was studying.  

My first book (that is sadly out of print) that was
one of the biggest highlights of my quilting journey!!  

That led to making up  quilts for friends who were expecting.  I had no idea at the time that when I opened good old Excel, (yes, I was an accountant before I was a mom ;) that I was "designing" quilts.  I was just playing with shapes and colors and seeing what I came up with.

Single Scrappy Irish Chain - A fun and free tutorial here on the blog

Then in 2010 I joined an online quilt along.  I was sharing my weekly progress on  the cute little "family blog"  that my husband had created.  After a few weeks, he let me know that rather than hijacking the family blog with quilt pictures, that I should just start my own blog.   Man oh man, he had no idea what that little statement was getting us into ;)  

Super Scrappy Triple Irish Chain -
A block Tutorial that I had bee mates use to make this quilt:)

 

So I started my Happy Quilting blog . . . which led to sharing tutorials, which led to being publishing in a magazine, which then led to be publshied in a compilation book, which then led to can you believe it . . .  writting my own books and patterns!!  And ya, this is why my first book was all about Irish Chain Quilts because that is where it all started.

Dizzy Days Irish Chain - A great scrap buster pattern
 that I have made again and again over the years. 

And the best part of the story, when I was at Quilt Market to introduce my new book, I was doing a book signing and who but who walked up and said "I love Irish Chain Quilts!".  Yup, Elanor Burns!!  I flipped open the book and showed her my cute little family sitting on her Double Irish Chain Quilt in a  Day and explained how it was my mother's first quilt, and then she taught me, and now here I am, sharing my first book on Irish Chain Quilts at Quilt Market!!  And then I cried, and Elanor Cried, and we Hugged, and it was one of the best moments of my life :)  

Braided Irish Chain - Probably my most popular quilt pattern and last year
Jenny Doan shared a You Tube tutorial for it, so exciting!!!  

So ya, Irish Chain Quilts have a very special place in my heart!!  Hence why I keep making more tutorials and patterns of them ;)  And even if it doesn't have Irish Chain in the title of the quilt like all of these shared, you will find "chains" in so many of my designs. It is just always a great designing feature that never gets old.   And ya, I've got more in the works!!  So here is to the Lucky Day of the Irish and making my favorite Quilts ;)  

So whether you are thinking about starting your first Irish Chain Quilt or your 50th, I wish you all a very  Happy Irish Quilting Day!!!