NQA Week #2: Making the 9 Patch

Hopefully everyone had a chance to get their 5" squares cut last week.  If not...no worries.  Just finish them up and continue along at your pace.  :)  That's the nice thing about an online quilt-along.  No official deadlines.

This week we're going to make our "Disappearing 9 Patch" blocks.  I will have important "tips" about arranging the 9 patch and pressing seams so make sure to read through everything before you get started.

Lets begin, shall we?

Step 1:

You are now going to take those 5" squares you cut and place them into 3 x 3 blocks.  This gives you a total of 9 squares in your block.  I like to lay mine out one 9 patch at a time and then sew it together before moving on to the next one.  It makes me feel like I'm making progress.

For the purposes of this quilt-along I kept my center square the same color in every block so you can always tell where my center is.  If you chose to buy a half yard of a solid color...this is what you will do with that solid.  If you are using a layer cake or random assortment of fat quarters without a solid...then you will just randomly place your fabrics into the 9 patch.

Some things to keep in mind:  Avoid placing like colors side by side.  However, as you can see...it's fine to have the same color occurring multiple times throughout the 9 patch.  Try to avoid putting the exact same print in varying colors right next to each other.  You can see below...I have 2 of the straight line vines, and 2 of the wandering flowered vines in this 9 patch, but they are not next to each other.

9 Patch Layout

Once you get a 9 patch laid out we can begin sewing them together.  Ready?  You can do this...!

Step 2:

Begin sewing the 9 patch together by rows using a 1/4" seam*.  I like to work left to right (but you can work top to bottom.  It really doesn't make a difference).  So first I would take the top row and sew the left and right sides to the middle square of that row.

*ALWAYS sew with a 1/4" seam allowance.  You can do this by using a 1/4" piecing foot (with or without guide) or by placing some painter's tape across your machine at a 1/4" away from your needle.  If you are unsure of what a 1/4" piecing foot is please visit the Quilt-Along Supply List by clicking here.

The back of each row should look like this after you sew it:

When you piece the 3 squares on each row it will look like this:

Step 3:

Now we need to press our seams.  This will not only flatten everything out making it easier to work with in general, but it will make for a more precise block as we're lining up seams, and will keep our seams from becoming overly bulky.

Keep in mind, this is how I press my seams.  There are many schools of thought on how to do this.  I will do my best to explain to you as we go why I chose to do mine this particular way.

First, take one row at a time and lay the row so that one of the side squares is laying beneath the middle square.

I lightly spritz with "starch"and press the seam flat (closed).  You don't "need" the "starch" but don't use steam.  Steam will warp your seam.  Repeat with the other seam on that row.  And repeat with the other 2 rows of the 9 patch.  This will make your seam sturdier to work with for the next step, and give you a more defined seam line on the front which will help you when you're pinning your rows together for sewing.

After you have ironed your seams flat spread the first row out back side up (so you can seem the seams), and now we're going to press the seams open.  

Now, there is much debate in the quilting world as to how to press your seams.  Many people will press them to the left or right, and will take a lot of time and care in deciding which way to press them so that they lay opposite each other on each block as you're assembling your quilt top.  That's way too much effort for me.  And in a quilt such as this one where you have no idea how your blocks will end up in the end...that's just too much work.  So I press my seams open.  It makes them easier to line up as we go, they lay nice and flat every time, and saves me some time.  (There are those who say pressing your seams open makes them weaker. And I can see their point, but I have yet to have a quilt fall apart from this so...I guess do what makes you comfortable.)

Okay...to press your seams open, I first finger press a bit and open up my seam.  Then I take the tip of the iron, run it down the inside of the seam gently and then lay it flat, press for a few seconds, and move on to the next seam with the same strategy.  No need to starch it again if you did earlier.  But, if you feel like you need to again, it won't hurt anything.  (Please remember, you do not have to starch ever...I'm just an addict and think it helps with the final result.)

Continue this with all 3 rows of your 9 patch.  You'll begin to notice that your pieces are lying flatter and look more grid like.  After I press the seams from the back, I like to flip my row (or block) over and press it from the front lightly.  It just makes sure the front is lying as nicely as the back.

Step 4:

Once you have all of your rows assembled, you will begin to pin the rows together.  So pin the top row to the middle row (or the left row to the center row depending on which way you're working).  My advice on pinning is to do pin a lot.  Like every inch or more you should have a pin.  It's a bit tedious, but it will keep your pieces from shifting on you, causing your seams to become horribly out of line.

I like to start by lining up my seams as precisely as I can (they won't all be perfect).  Then I place a pin in each seam to hold it in place.

Once you have the pins in at the seams go in and fill in the rest of the pins.  I like to pin so that the pin heads are coming out to my right.  So, as I'm feeding the fabric into my machine I can just flick pins out with my right index finger as I'm sewing.

Once you have done all of your pinning (only pin one row together at a time other wise the extra one you're not working on will get in your way) sew the rows together with a 1/4" seam just like we did before.  Repeat the pressing process just as you did before as well.  :)  And there you have it... a completed 9 patch.

Continue making 9 patches until you have used ALL of your 5" squares.

Next week we will be cutting these 9 patch blocks up.  WHAT?!  I know.  It'll be okay.  It's what makes the "disappearing" portion of the 9 patch, and trust me...it's quite impressive once you see it.

Contact me with any questions you may have!!!  :)

Sew long for now!

-Amanda-