Hive 5 March Block

Hello Ladies!
My name is Maja, and I live in Wroclaw, Poland with my two daughters and their dad :)

I work at home which is good, since my younger girl is only three years old.

I use to sew when I was a teenager - but mostly garments for myself (can't stop laughing, thinking of my works). I had a few years without a sewing machine, but I started to sew again when my older girl (now 7) was going to the kindergarten. That is how I "discovered" patchwork, and all these fabulous quilting cottons. This is my most favourite hobby since then.
Our Hive mama Katie wrote she has a craft room and this is actually my dream. Unfortunately we don't have any space left in our flat, so I have to sew at a dinner table ;) I hope some day I will have my own tiny sewing room...

About my truths and a lie - I really haven't seen any of Star Wars episode. I am joking, that someday I will watch it with my girls. I know how to milk the cow, I grew up in the countryside, close to my grandparents house. I haven't sang in the university choir. That was my lie Although I was in the choir when I was a kid (who let me in there?! :) 

My block
I like the Irish Chain pattern a lot. This layout was on my to-do list for some time, so I thought: why not now? The idea is: I am asking you for the Nine Patch block, and then I will add between them white ones (which will have four patches in the corners).

So this is it: a black and white Irish Chain.

 Here is my fabric pull:

Blacks, greys and whites. First two can have some tiny spots of different colors, but I ask you to choose fabrics that could be read as black or grey. I was trying some more disturbed patterns for my whites, but ended up with these - white with very delicate grey or beige pattern, and some shades close to white (I have here an Art Gallery's Linen White and Sandstone, and Kona Cotton in Snow)

The easiest way to make this block (as I think :) is to make it starting with 9 stripes and four squares:

You will need:
2"x17" rectangle white
2"x17" rectangle grey
2"x17" rectangle black
2"x11" rectangle white / 2 pieces
2"x11" rectangle black
2"x5" rectangle white 
2"x5" rectangle black / 2 pieces
5" square / 4 pieces

All seam allowances are 1/4".

Simply sew all the pieces together according to the scheme:
grey-white-black for 2"x17" rectangles;
white-black-white for 2"x11" rectangles;
black-white-black for 2"x5" rectangles.

Press seams towards the dark fabric.

Then cut these sewn rectangles, into 2" wide stripes.
You should have now:
8 grey-white-black stripes;
5 white-black-white stripes;
2 black-white-black stripes.

Arrange these pieces remembering, that black squares create diagonals. Then sew five Nine Patches, nesting the seams.

Finally sew Nine Patches with white squares.

The block should measure 14 1/2 "x14 1/2". You can make more scrappy version if you like! Feel free to use different whites, blacks, greys. I would be happy with that!

Have fun :)

Maja

I tried to make a decent photo of myself, but it is too late ;) I'll add one soon, I promise :)