One must consider the quilt as a whole work of art!
You must consider not just the design created from the varied colors of fabric squares, but the also the lines of the quilting stiches. The patches of fabric alude to the ancient designs, and the quilting stiches of a true Irish chain quilt follow lines which form patterns as the interweaving of the Celtic knots & ornamentation designs popular in the time of The Book of Kells, & used to distinguish Irish ornamentation from that of others. Also, by the time one gets to the Triple chains, the quilt begins to resemble a tartan. The American quilt is quite an art form, and the Irish women who came to America used their knowledge of Irish art, & applied the old art to the making of the American quilt--which was an American invention of necessity when proper wool blankets were unavailable or there was no money to buy them, so scraps were pieced together, and cotton from the South was used to make the quilt thick enough to keep the pioneers warm--along with good Irish whiskey, or poteen made using a recipe from the ould sod.