The Versatile Nine-Patch Quilt Pattern
If you are a beginning quilter who wants an easy but impressive looking quilting pattern to make your first quilt with, the nine-patch quilting pattern is perfect for you. The nine-patch is one of the oldest patterns in existence, and its versatility is amazing. Most quilters could make nothing but nine-patch quilts all their life, and never repeat the same pattern twice.
Quilt Sizes
To make a basic nine-patch quilt, start by cutting enough squares of fabric to make the quilt you want. You will have a seam allowance of 1/4" on each side, so you will need, for example, 33 squares measuring 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" to make a 66" wide quilt, which is the minimum width of a twin bed quilt. The sewn square will be 2" on each edge because of the seam allowances.
Follow these guidelines for quilt sizes:
Twin: 66" to 80" wide, 89" to 108" long.
Full: 80" to 96" wide, 89" to 108" long.
Queen: 88" to 102" wide, 94" to 113" long.
King: 104" to 120" wide, 110" to 118" long.
To convert inches to cm, multiply by 2.54.
Basic Nine-Patch Quilting Pattern
*Take three quilt squares and sew them together along the sides to form a strip of fabric three squares wide and one square tall.
1…2…3
*Repeat the process twice until you have three strips of fabric, three squares wide and one square tall.
1…2…3
1…2…3
1…2…3
*Sew the top and bottom edges of the three strips together to form one square of fabric, three squares wide and three squares tall.
1…2…3
4…5…6
7…8…9
That's all there is to it. To make a nine-patch quilt, keep make enough quilt patches to get to the size you want, and sew them all together along the edges, using a quarter-inch seam allowance.
Variations
The beauty and versatility of the nine-patch quilting pattern comes when the quilter starts to play around with patterns and colors. Imagine, for instance, a quilt made of two print fabrics, one light and one dark, arranged in different patterns.
The "five on a die" nine-patch quilting pattern looks like this:
Dark…..Light…..Dark
Light…..Dark…..Light
Dark…..Light…..Dark
The dark squares form a pattern similar to the number five displayed on a die, with dark corners and a dark center.
The cross nine-patch quilting pattern looks like this:
Dark…..Light…..Dark
Light…..Light…..Light
Dark…..Light…..Dark
The light squares appear to form a cross against a dark background. Both the "five on a die" and the cross quilting patterns form a pleasant overall pattern across the entire quilt when they are sewn together into a patchwork quilt top.
Another pleasant nine-patch variation is to sew one plain, white muslin square in between each pieced nine-patch square. The plain square keeps the pattern from being too busy and gives the quilter a big blank patch on which to show off their quilting skills by outlining a complex design in stitching.
