How to Make a Single Irish Chain Block

This year, for the quilt guild I am apart of, I am providing instructions for how to make a different quilt block each month. For the month of January, we learned about the Single Irish Chain. This block is also known as the Pennsylvania, the Criss Cross, and the Simple Cross. 

For a 12 inch finished block (12.5 inch unfinished), you will need to cut the following:

4 of 4.5 inch squares in white

1 of 4.5 inch squares in blue 

1 of 2.5 x 20 inch strip in white

1 of 2.5 x 20 inch strip in blue

Start by doing some strip piecing. What is strip piecing you ask? It is sewing some strips of fabric together, then cutting them apart to make lots of parts of a block. 

First, line up the strips.  (Pictured are shorter strips, so don't worry if your strips look longer.)

Stitch them together using a 1/4 inch seam. Press to the dark side.

Then cut across them at 2.5 inch intervals. You should end up with 8 of these rectangles. 

Take two rectangles and sewing them together, matching seams to make a four-patch block. 

You should have 4 four patch blocks.

Using these blocks and the 4.5 inch blocks, sew the squares together to create the 3 rows and stitch the 3 rows together. Again, press to the dark side.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below! 

Check back each month for a new How-To of quilt blocks! To see the other block, just search my blog for Quilt Guild Block of the Month.

If you would like a PDF version of these instructions, please check out Group #1 of the How-To Block of the Month Downloads.

(Although this block is a classic and can go by many names, as I have mentioned before, these block designs come from the book 5500 Quilt Block Designs by Maggie Malone. (c) 2003.)

Have fun quilting!