Friday, May 21, 2021

Jacob from Dublin


As you probably know by now*, I help finish quilts for Kat's charity, Covered in Love. Sometimes instead of orphan blocks, she sends me donated fabric. About a year ago, she received a couple of charm packs of green, white and black fabrics with a St. Patrick's Day theme, and she passed them along to me.

*Spelling it out for new readers!


I immediately thought, "Irish fabric! How cute! I simply MUST make an Irish Chain quilt." So I started pairing dark and light squares together and stitching up half square triangles. In a pile next to my Juki, they served as leader/enders for months. I think I made over 100 HSTs before I realized that the Irish Chain pattern doesn't use any triangles. 

At all. Not one, much less one hundred sewn over weeks and weeks.


Here's a nice green Irish Chain from Scrapish.com. Yup. All squares. Uh-oh.

Clearly I had a different pattern in my brain. I could visualize it clearly, but had no idea what it was called. And do you know how hard it is to find a quilt pattern by just searching on "half square triangles, might be kinda Irish-feeling"?

Then one night I dreamed I drank beer with a guy from Dublin named Jacob, and when I woke up realized that the name of the pattern was Jacob's Ladder.


Whew! Glad I didn't make all those triangles for nothing. After strip piecing the required four patches, I was able to bring my mental image of this quilt to life. I'm so grateful to dream Jacob!


This quilt was fun to finally finish, and I hummed "An Irish Blessing" as I quilted it. It's now on its way to Kat for Covered in Love. Have you ever had to search for a pattern without knowing the name? Or have a quilt epiphany in a dream?

19 comments:

  1. Oh, Louise - you have me laughing. What a beautiful Jacob's Ladder quilt and what a marvelous back story.

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  2. Amazing how our minds work to give us answers!

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  3. LOve it..... did have a giggle at your story
    Hugz

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  4. My first read of the day, only one sip of my coffee, and already I’m motivated to jump up and start sewing. With a smile on my face due to your humorous story, no less! This quilt came out beautifully and will be so appreciated!

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  5. Way to go Louise, you always make those quilts happen! This one turned out really pretty. I hope it lands in the lap of an Irish:)

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  6. Funny, funny story with great finish although I am sure you would have found a good use for all those HST's even if Jacob hadn't visited.

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  7. That is so funny! Thanks for sharing. That sounds like something I do on a regular basis! LOL It turned out beautiful.

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  8. I solve things in my sleep too, but having a beer with Jacob is pretty classic. I'll be smiling about that today as I think about it. Great quilt, too, and perfect pattern for that fabric!

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  9. A blog post that makes me laugh out loud is always appreciated. The Jacob's ladder turned into a good alternative to an Irish Chain and will be much loved by it's recipient.
    Pat

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  10. Wonderful! Thank goodness Jacob came along in the nick of time! (And brought beer! How thoughtful!)

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  11. Seriously, Louise?! What did Sean think of your beer drinking with Jacob? LOL!! Great quilt, by the way. :o))

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  12. I'm so glad you had the perfect use for all of those HSTs! Jacob's Ladder is gorgeous, Louise!

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  13. What a story. I've done the same at times. I go to bed with a prayer - Dear Lord, send me the answer I need. Nine times out of ten when I wake up, the answer is there.
    It turned out lovely.

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  14. Oh sure, you’re off in dreamland drinking beer with Jacob and in my dreams I’m stuck at work with my old jerk of a boss named Keith. LOL. Dreams often solve puzzlements for me, and I love that they do for you too. It’s a great story and an even greater quilt! xo

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  15. Oh my gosh! Talk about the Luck of the Irish!!!! (I'm just guessing that you have at least *a little* Irish in you.:)
    That quilt turned out gorgeous & you totally amaze me with your stories, thoughts & adventures. I love the special strips on the sides of the quilt.
    Keep up the good work!!!

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  16. “Drank beer with a guy from Dublin named Jacob” It’s a good thing I wasn’t drinking anything when I read that line because I would have spewed it all over. Isn’t it wonderful how the mind works?! I love both sides of this quilt, whatever it’s called. Great story!

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  17. What a great story and a WOW quilt. I have tried to find a quilt without knowing the name. It is a pain. This quilt is great! I particularly like how you added width.

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  18. What a story!! Happy you suddenly remembered the name of the the pattern. The quilt is beautiful and I love your treatment of the borders.

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  19. It would be so awesome to wave hi if you are going to be sailing thru Cape Cod Canal on your way south or stop at Falmouth Harbor. Have been following your journey to see when you might be passing by. I live in Falmouth a couple of miles from the harbor.

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