By Dianne Huck editor of Patchwork and Quilting magazine. 

Please visit www.pandqmagazine.com to find more information regarding Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  Coming up in next month’s Patchwork and Quilting –Embellished The Art of Fabulous Fabrics Exhibition, a Frilled and embellished cushion, rotary cut machine pieced ‘Round the Garden’, a Jigsaw Sampler Quilt, a reversible tablecloth and a double sided quilt.  All in the April 2010 issue on sale 19^th March.  

As I have stated elsewhere, I became enthralled by patchwork in the early 80’s when American block patchwork was introduced to the UK. I was looking for a new craft, didn’t feel I had much in the way of personal creative skills, wasn’t confident about colour, didn’t particularly want to embroider from a kit – then I discovered ‘blocks’. I could measure accurately, hand stitch keeping to the lines – remember most of us were drawing round home-made cardboard templates to give the stitching line, then cutting out larger for the seam allowance. To make sure colour combinations worked we started off with a multi-coloured patterned fabric then picked 3 or 4 colours to match, making sure we had a combination of light medium and dark fabrics.

This month I will start with just a square to show how this simple shape can be developed to produce easy quilts. Another value is that there is very little waste when cutting this shape. Determine the size of the finished square , add 1/2" fro seam allowances and cut out squares to this size. Stitch together with an accurate 1/4" seam allowance and you are away.

Simple 9-Patch

Even with one of the simplest traditional blocks there is an immense number of design possibilities.

2 colour block.
With this symmetrical block, whichever way you turn the block before joining, the design will be the same.
((1a))

Multi-coloured blocks
Once blocks are coloured so that they are not symmetrical more design opportunities appear as the blocks can either be stitched all in the same direction or adjacent blocks turned before being stitched.
((1b))

Set on point
The same 9-point blocks can look very sophisticated when set ‘on-point.
((2))

Alternate with plain blocks
By alternating 9-patch blocks with plain ones, a quilt grows more quickly and there is an space to show off quilting skills. Again the look can be very different .depending whether  the blocks are set straight or on point.
((3))
Change proportions of the 9-patch
The proportions can be changed symmetrically
((4a))Or asymmetrically which again offers many opportunities for different looks depending upon how the blocks are joined.
((4b))

Add sashing
This is another way of enlarging a quilt quickly and is useful for separating and ‘show casing’ individual or groups of blocks. ((5))