Hive 1 January Tutorial- Disappearing 9 Patch Block

 Happy New Year, Hive 1! I am so excited to get this year started with a new quilt. This year's Stash Bee quilt is going to be a quilt for my husband. Wanting to keep it somewhat simple for everyone in the hive, especially since we have quilters of varying skill levels, I've decided to select a disappearing 9-patch block. What will ultimately make it look more complex will be me setting the layout on-point. Of course, this is something I've never done before so it will be a new learning experience for me too!

Here is an example of what the quilt might look like: 

The focal color fabric will be red - it can be a solid red or a blender red, just as long as it looks red. The other fabrics I am looking for will be black (or something that reads black), black-on-white (lighter b&w fabric), and white-on-black (darker b&w fabric). Here is my fabric pull. 

Now I've been collecting these black and white fabrics for a while so if you don't have anything like this in your stash and don't want another excuse to go out and buy fabric, let me know. I can come up with an alternate option or I'm more than happy to mail you some!

Cutting Instructions:

Red Fabric: 1 - 5"x5" square

Black Fabric: 2 - 5"x5" squares

White on Black Fabric (darker b&w): 2 - 5"x5" squares

Black on White Fabric (lighter b&w): 4 - 5"x5" squares - these can be up to 4 different fabrics

Sewing Instructions

Please use a true quarter-inch seam allowance when doing any sewing for this block. It will make a huge difference if it's not accurate, so please measure, especially if you are one that typically sews with a scant quarter-inch seam. It is up to you how you press your seams. Do whatever is most comfortable for you in order to get an accurate block. I tend to use a combination of pressing to the side and pressing open in order to reduce bulk.

Lay out your squares like below and sew them together. Your red block will be in the center, your black blocks will be on opposite corners, your dark b&w blocks will be on the other opposite corners, and your lighter b&w blocks will be in the remaining positions.

Once sewn together, your block should measure 14" square. Don't worry if it's a teensy bit off but if you're seeing a measurement that seems to be much smaller or larger, please check your seam allowance and your initial cutting of the 5" squares.

Now you are going to cut the block in half, lengthwise and crosswise. Because your block might not be 100% square (which is to be expected with fabric) you are going to measure your center red block to make your cuts. 

It should measure 4.5" square. This means the center point of that block is going to be 2.25" so that is where you are going to make your 2 cuts, one vertical and one diagonal.

Cut 2.25" from the edge of the red block.

Once you make your cuts, your block should look like this:

Our last step is going to be to rotate just the blocks that have the solid black so that they are toward the center like this:

Sew the 4 blocks back together and your final block should measure 13.5" square. 

It took me about 70 minutes total to make these 2 blocks so you should have no problem making one block in the allotted 90-minute timeframe. 

I look forward to all the wonderful blocks that my hive mates create for me. 

Thank you!

~ Diana @ Red Delicious Life