Irish chain, top completed

 Irish Chain

90 by 90 inches

100 blocks (50 A blocks, 50 B blocks) made into 25 four-block units.
Block finishes 9 inches.
Four-block unit measure 18 inches

Block and Four-block units direction are located here:
https://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/2022/06/irish-chain-block-construction.html

Top construction
Lay out 5 four-block units. Sew together into a row, wait to press the joining seams.

Make 5 rows.
Lay them out and press odd row unit joining seams to the left, even row unit joining seams to the right.

Sew together those rows and all seams will nest! 
Just 4 long seams with this construction plan. 

My design directions, use at your pleasure.

Irish chain, block construction

Block finishes 9 inches
Four-block units finishes 18 inches

Irish chain works easiest with even numbered rows and columns, so I plan to make it 10 by 10 (100 blocks) to be 90 inches square. 
There will be 50 Block A and 50 Block B.

Could also make it 8 by 8 (64 blocks) to land at 72 inches square, or 8 by 10 (80 blocks) to be 90 by 72 inches, 
ALSO, can be made with odd number blocks if you want an asymmetrical quilt. I like this arrangement when there is less going on than my multi-fabric quilts.

Directions here are for an X being prominent in the blocks. An O can be prominent by changing the orientation of the block units. See examples below.

Note: this isn't a true Irish chain as the chains butt up against each other. I'm ok with this!

For each block (100 total)
Solid: Ten squares cut 2 inches
Print: Ten squares cut 2 inches; Two rectangles cut 3 1/2 by 5 inches; Two rectangles cut 2 by 3 1/2 inches

Watch with directional prints to keep orientation horizontal for the rectangles. Or be happy with it going every-which way.

Piecing and pressing plan
There are two lay-outs, Block A (50 blocks) and Block B (50 blocks)

Pressing plans for Block A and Block B.  
Keep the center vertical seam unpressed until block unit lay-out.

Block A pressing plan
NOTE: block A has those horizontal 3 1/2 by 2 inch rectangles and 2 inch squares pressed with the seams away

Block B pressing plan
NOTE; block B has that same section with the seams pressed inwards.

Then sew A and B together, pressing that seam AND the two vertical seams in the blocks towards the B blocks.

Rotate one pair of blocks and sew along the horizontal seam. Don't press that yet.
Make 25  four-block units.

X orientation of the four-block unit--I used this in my quilt

O orientation of the four-block unit--I did not use that in my quilt.

Watch soon for layout for the top.
My design using a traditional block. Use at your pleasure.

overlapped 9-patch, top completed

 

Overlapped 9-patch
97 1/2 by 82 1/2 inches

143 blocks set into 13 rows of 11 blocks each
Block finishes 7 1/2 inches

Block directions can be found here:
https://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/2022/05/overlapped-9-patch.html

At the end of block construction, all vertical seams are in the same direction.
Lay out 11 blocks and sew together, keeping the seams in same direction and pressing the joining seams in that direction too.
Make 13 rows.

Keep all odd rows with seams pressed to the left, flip the even rows over so the seams are directed to the right.
Every seam will nest.
I usually dislike sewing long rows in a quilt, but this was not difficult--only two seams to nest in each block, and then the between block seams also nested.

I really like how this quilt turned out! 
The solid squares between the blocks look like tabs holding them together.

My design, use at your pleasure.