Disappearing 9 Patch ... Diagonal Cut Tutorial (or split cut 9 patch)

Ever wonder what to do with a fat eighth?  Here is one great simple block - it's a disappearing 9 patch - cut on the diagonal and reassembled.

For this quilt I used all Cotton + Steel fat eighths.  A fat eighth is 9" x 21" - but not all fabric cuts are totally accurate.  Some of my pieces were just shy of 9" deep, so I cut my squares for this 9-patch:  4 1/4" x 4 1/4". 

Pull out 9 squares that make a variety in both color and dark/light.  Sew into a 9 patch, 3 across by 3 down.

Now cut this whole unit from corner to corner on the diagonal.  You will end up with 4 pieces.  Put these into a pile and start the whole process over again.    

Now comes the fun part.  Take two random triangles and position them so that the two large, uncut squares are opposite each other.

Don't try and be all matchy matchy or overthink this.  There is so much pattern that trying to 'figure out what looks best' is not really possible.  

Put your pairs all together and have fun sewing them together.  Now its TIME TO TRIM!

My blocks were a little shy of an 8"x 8" -  so I just grabbed my 7.5" square ruler and trimmed everything to 7.5" x 7.5". 

Yes, a little waste with the trimming but I really didn't want to chase after an extra half inch or so and following the template made perfect blocks and kept this project relaxing and fun. 

Now the important part - layout is key.  There are two whole squares in the middle of your block, and above them are two small triangles (dark pink and stripped in the pix above).

The goal is to have the 'little triangles' meet whenever you can during the layout phase.  Why do it this way?   I think it's easier to find the little triangles as a repeating pattern on an already busy looking block.  The pix above shows how easy it is to find the four little triangles to match up. 

Not every side of your blocks will have little triangles to match.  But if you do it this way -  lots of secondary diamond shapes appear throughout your quilt ... all created by the various sized triangles lining up.  

To layout on point - here is a video from the Fat Quarter Shop for visual instruction.  There is also a link for a downloadable cutting & measurement chart. I would recommend using Kimberly's suggested cutting sizes and even going a half inch larger for the corner triangles - this will allow lots of wiggle room for squaring up.

Notes:  one 9-patch made with 4.25" squares yields 4 'triangles' (or 2 blocks).  Each block is trimmed to 7.5" x 7.5"   This quilt has 25 Cotton + Steel blocks.  Following the Fat Quarter downloadable chart, the rest is Kona white with a 3" border on every side. 

The back is a rainbow of left over minkys and here is my post on how to do that.  

I press my seams open so quilting was done with a walking foot on either side of the seams - and through the larger squares that didn't have seams.  Because of the minky back I did a generous 3.30 straight stitch length and used Aurifil 50wt. #2000.  

Two links to earlier quilts made with this block, not on point but a little easier Row by Row: here and here.  I hope that this variation of the disappearing 9 patch becomes as fun for you as it is for me.  

Materials:
Cotton + Steel - Fat 8's
Kona white
Warm & White batting
Scrap minky
Aurifil 50wt. #2000
Size: 45.5" X 45.5"
May 2019

Snowball Quilt in Feather Flock (#50)

A perfect way to showcase large repeat fabrics is with a snowball block.  

 Feather Flock by Tina Givens is rich in saturated colors and harmonizes so well that only a little white is needed to separate all the different patterns and hues.  Some quilts look good with a random placement, but this collection needed similar colors to be grouped together so the weaker fabrics wouldn't get lost.

I used the Accuquilt snowball die, fat quarters and lots of starch.  Once you have had fun cutting out the center pieces, its just routine to do all the corners and iron.  

For all its simplicity in assembly, the final effect of a snowball quilt is a winner every time.  Aurifil 50wt. is my go-to choice to piece & quilt through spray baste, minky & batting.  By following the seam lines and then through the snowball, the finished blanket always looks good front & back.

One of my favorite dimple dot minky's is vanilla - great when I need a 'neutral' to go with a strong colorful quilt top.  A minky & batting blanket is heavier than a traditional quilt, but when I give everyone a choice of backing, they want "that soft fluffy stuff"!   My standard size of maximum 60" wide and no longer than 74" makes it machine wash & dryer friendly. 

Some fabrics are thinner than others but Feather Flock is regular quilting weight and needed a #14 needle to attach the binding.  Sometimes I can get away with a #12,  but after my thread kept skipping I knew it was the needle size, not the Aurifil Dove #2600, which blended well with the Kona Grape Mist. 

Materials:
Feather Flock by Tina Givens (LlamaFabrics)
Kona: White & Grape Mist for binding
Dimple dot minky in vanilla (Fabric.com)
Accuquilt snowball die
Warm & White batting
Aurifil #50wt. White, Light Sand #2000, Dove #2600
Size: 58" x 74"
April 2016

Old New 30's Quilt (#31)

I love fat eighths and Westwood Acres had a lovely bundle of Old New 30's from Lecien that worked out perfectly. 

 I am always pleased by the simple and quick way fat quarters and fat eighths can be used with Cluck Cluck Sew's Easy Bake pattern. 
 Using Aurifil 50wt. white with a medium sized zigzag stitch is so effective on square block quilt patterns - it looks nice on both sides (front & back).  It's pretty sweet for piecing too.

I wanted to use the whole bundle and not have leftovers, so every piece went in - even the strong green & red.  The backing is white flannel, something I usually use as a middle layer in my minky quilts - but plain was best since the front was strong & bright.

Pale pink & white stripes from my stash expanded the quilt into a twin size. The large pale border created a nice barrier between the binding and help soften all those strong colors mixed together.

Materials used:  
Easy Bake Pattern/ Cluck Cluck Sew
Old New 30's Lecien fat eighths (from Westwood Acres)
90" wide white quilter's flannel / Fabric.com
Pimatex Basic Stripe Pale Pink / Robert Kaufman
Aurifil 50wt. White for both piecing and quilting
Binding:  Amy Butler Solid in Coral
Batting: Twin sized Warm & White
Quilted with a broken zigzag stitch on a Janome DC2013
Size: 69" x 84"
February 2015

Another Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Quilt (#27)

My second quilt made with Tim Holtz's Eclectic Elements, but this time I used 24 fat eighths, modifying my favorite pattern Easy Bake from Cluck Cluck Sew. (here is the link to my first Eclectic Elements quilt made with 10" squares)

I ended up with 48 blocks, obviously smaller than the original pattern that used 10" squares since I cut mine 8.5" x 8.5". A fat eighth is supposed to be 9"x21" but some pieces were a little shy of 9 inches so I played it safe and cut 8.5" x 8.5".

To fill out the quilt to the desired size - the remaining fabric was cut into small 4" squares and added to Michael Miller's Cotton Couture in Nite. (some sites recommend using Midnight blue but I used the Nite on both Eclectic Elements quilts since I had it in my stash - it lightens it up and while Midnight would look good - the vibe overall would be  'heavier & darker')
 Quilting was done with a  loose broken zig zag stitch in Aurifil 50wt. light sand on the top and blue cobalt on the bottom.  

The back is dimple dot minky in Midnight blue from Fabric.com - with a layer of JoAnn's bleached muslin in between the quilt top & minky.

I keep my minky quilts to  maximum 60" wide so I don't have to piece the back - and buy 2 1/4 yards - which leaves me a little wiggle room when laying it out and trimming it square.

Finished size is 58"x69"
July 2014