Easy Disappearing 9-Patch

I have this beautiful fabric that I purchased in Sequim when I was visiting my college roommate on one of my trips to Washington State. The fabric and quilt already have a story attached -- Hello Sara!

10-inch Pre-cut Squares — Blossom and Bloom by John Christopher for Wilmington Prints

This fabric is so beautiful! Some of the designs in the fabric are pretty large as you can see from the picture. Because of that I want to use larger pieces in the quilt to show off the designs in this fabric. If my quilt pattern has smaller size pieces the designs in the fabric could get lost.

I also want a quilt pattern that is fairly fast too. The disappearing 9-patch pattern will work beautifully.

Hi everyone, and welcome to Quilting Plus More.

This fabric is too pretty to be cut into small pieces. Because I don’t want to lose the designs in the fabric I need large pattern pieces, plus I want this quilt to be completed fairly quickly. The disappearing 9-patch pattern is a great option. I’m using these 10-inch squares which will help this quilt come together fast. I could easily cut these in half both ways to create 5-inch squares. You could use any size squares you want and this technique will work. That's the beauty of this versatile method. I’m a fan of smaller blocks so I will definitely be trying this method with smaller size squares.

There are 24 squares per pack minus 2 I used for another project. I added squares from my stash so that I could make my quilt 60 by 90 (unfinished size) which is 2 blocks across and 3 blocks down. There is an assortment of fabrics so this definitely will be a scrappy quilt.

I am going to lay out my fabric and sort them into like pattern piles.

Now that my fabrics are sorted, I will lay out my 9-Patch block. All the large print fabrics will be placed in the four corners of the block. This is because those corners will not be cut and remain the size they are. Then I will randomly fill in the with the remaining squares.

9-Patch Grid Layered with 6 Squares in Each Stack

I’m going to sew my squares together to make 9-patch blocks. Sew the 3 squares together to form rows 1, 2, and 3. Press the seams in row 1 in and 3 in, and the seams in row 2 out.

Press Row 1 and 3 Seams In and Row 2 Out

This will help the seams nest so when you sew them together, they are perfectly matched up. Nesting the seams means that the seams are pressed in opposite directions and when matched they lie flat and match perfectly. You can feel when the seams are nested because it will feel flat. You can pin this intersection or sew on making sure that the seams are properly nested right before stitching through that seam.

Seams that Intersect After Nesting and Sewing

I pressed my row seams open to distribute some of the bulk and help my blocks lay flat. I do not have to match any seams next so I did not have to worry about that. It is personal preference.

Now that all my 9-patch blocks are sewn together and pressed I am going to make the 9-patch disappear.

I cut the blocks in half horizontally and vertically without moving the blocks between cuts. I marked my ruler with painters tape as a guide to be safe.

9-Patch Cut Into a Disappearing 9-Patch Block

Then give the newly cut blocks a turn until you get the pattern that you like and prefer. Once you get the preferred layout sew them together to form 2 rows, pressing each seam in the opposite direction or open, then sew the 2 rows together for your new Disappearing 9-Patch Block.

Before sewing my blocks together to form my disappearing 9-Patch block, I took them to the design wall and laid them out. Kevin helped me rearrange them. I love it when he helps which he does often.

I really wanted this quilt to be random and scrappy looking. While laying them out on the design wall, I arranged the blocks so that there are no seams to match. Now, I’ll sew these blocks of 4 together to form the Disappearing 9-Patch.

2 Disappearing 9-Patch Blocks Side by Side

With the Disappearing 9-Patch blocks all assembled, it is time to sew them into rows pressing each row seams the opposite direction. Then sew the rows together nesting the seams so they match. I pressed the row seams open just to help spread out the bulk from the seams a little bit. It is personal preference though. Your quilt your way!

Disappearing 9-Patch Quilt Top with Backing Fabric

Here is the quilt top completed to the right. The fabric that I'm holding is the backing fabric that I had on-hand. This fabric is perfect for this Blossom and Bloom fabric line.

Now it is time to quilt and bind it. I quilted it with an edge-to-edge computerized pattern called Orange Peel.

Here is the finished quilt below.