The disappearing nine patch is a deceptively simple quilt block, perfect for beginners and a great shortcut block with tons of variations

The disappearing 9 patch let's you create amazing designs from a simple quilt block. Learn how to create different quilt designs with this one simple block.

Top US quilting blogger, Seams Like a Dream Quilt Designs, features all the info you need to know about the 9 Patch Block. Click here now!!

As a quilter, I’m always on the lookout for new patterns and ideas to add to my collection. That’s why I was so excited to put together this roundup of the best disappearing 9 block pat…

I recently shared a Disappearing Nine Patch block with some of my quilting friends that I had seen at sew-fantastic We are going to be making a quilt of valour and thought about this technique for our pattern. We met last week to start on our quilt (Be looking for future posts on our process). Kay had made a simple nine patch square (imagine you can't see the cuts she made) and had cut it vertically and horizonally in the middle. The large darker red in the center will become small squares and the medium red squares will be the same size or two together to form a rectangle. We played around with the four pieces a little, but Rita, another member of the group, had bought the recent copy of Fons and Porter quilting magazine as it had a feature article on quilts of valour and we decided we would make one of them. The next day several of us were together again and I suggested that we see how many different ways we could rearrange the four pieces to make a quilt square. Here are some pictures of what we came up with, our Disappearing Nine Patch Blocks. The thing is you can see some cute possibilities for some quilt squares. This is one of my favorite designs. It is also one of the easiest as you only have the one intersecting seam in the center to make sure you meet. I also really like the looks of this one. These next two examples would be interesting if you made the original nine-patch with the four corners different prints that were close to the same color. This one to the right is two halves of the next picture. Thus when you add another block on either side, you will create the look of the block in the next picture. It might be easier to visualize the look I am talking about with the four corners being different prints of the same color in this picture. As the block is formed with the four corners of the nine-patch as the center four of this block. Here is another look that would be pretty in a quilt. This pattern would be really interesting in a quilt, too. You would have single small squares and then two diagonally from each other. This one is a smaller version of an earlier one. I think I like this look better. This one would look cute with a child's novelity print for the larger red square. You would have to "fussy cut" it for the framed look, but worth the effort. This too is a smaller version of an earlier one I showed. I will definitely be using one or two of these in a quilt. It was fun just moving the pieces around and seeing the possibilities with a Disappearing Nine-Patch Block. Maybe you will, too. Let me know if you do. UPDATE: I recently made a baby quilt using the disappearing nine patch. You can see it HERE. UPDATE: Here is another lap-size quilt I made using the pattern.

While you can never go wrong with trusty traditional nine patch patterns, there's something magical about disappearing nine patch quilts. Disappearing nine patch patterns are actually much easier to make than their complicated appearance seems. While they do require a bit more work than a traditional nine patch block, they're still very easy to piece together. Disappearing nine patch quilts are known for their intricate and complicated-looking designs, even though they're incredibly simple to make. These free quilt patterns and tutorials are perfect for cozy bed quilts or snuggly baby quilts for your new grandchild. The best part about these disappearing nine patch patterns is that they're excellent scrap busting projects, making them perfect for cleaning out your fabric stash! Disappearing nine patch quilts are perfect for using up your charm packs and are fantastic scrapbusting quilts. If you've been searching for a way to mix up your usual quilting routine, then you'll love these stunning disappearing nine patch patterns. One of the most versatile quilt patterns around, this list of pretty disappearing nine patches contains full quilt patterns, baby quilt tutorials, and block patterns so that you're fully prepared to work some quilting magic. If you're short on time or are new to quilting, we've also included a few smaller disappearing nine patch projects. From easy block patterns and tutorials to other quilted projects like table runners, this list of small quilting projects is a wonderful way to show off your quilting skills when you're on the clock. Turn up the volume on your next project with these gorgeous disappearing nine patch patterns and tutorials. Sign Up for More Free Quilt Patterns

Tutorial for my version of a 'Disappearing Nine Patch' quilt using alternating coloured blocks.... The Quilt can be seen here A Girly Disappearing Nine Patch Quilt This tutorial is a work in progress.....thanks for your patience...... Cut 4 inch strips from width of fabric (WoF) Strip set 1......Sew with a 1/4 inch seam to make strip sets.... press seams away from the centre strip Strip set 2. press seams towards centre strip...... Strip set 3. Press seams toward centre strip. The strip sets should now measure 10 1/2 inches by WoF Cut strip sets into 4 inch sections and layout as 2 x 'nine patch' blocks as shown with black running through the diagonal on one block and pink running through the diagonal on the second block. Block 1 needs two sections from Strip set 1 and one section from Strip set 2 Block 2 needs two sections from Strip set 1 and one section from strip set 3 Sew your blocks together with a 1/4 inch seam and press the the seams away from the centre on both blocks Block 1 and Block 2 Using a rotary cutter and ruler cut vertically on the solid red line through the centre of both of these blocks. Depending on your own seam allowance the 1 3/4 inch mark should fall on the seam line. Cut horizontally through the centre of both blocks by placing the 1 3/4 inch line on the seam line From the left block take the top left piece and turn 180 degrees and place back in the same space within the same block. Now take the bottom right piece of the same block, turn 180 degrees and put back in the same space within the same block. Repeat this same procedure in block 2. Flip the rows over right sides together and sew a 1/4 inch seam Open and press the seams in opposite directions so that the seams nest together for the final seam You will have two 10 inch blocks like this. I set my quilt 6 x 5 blocks (30 blocks), 15 of block 1 and 15 of block 2 set alternately with additional borders.

How to make a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt block. This block is my go to when I need to work on something that looks complex, but is actually quite simple. Fabric collection is Jubilee by...

The Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt Block is another super easy quilt block tutorial. This one is so easy and it looks fabulous. Once you have made your cuts you can turn the squares around to form a number of awesome looking finishes. We used squares from the Moda 'Simply Colorful' range to make this square and I love the colors in this pack. Watch the video below or scroll down for the written instructions. What You Need: 9 x 5' Charm Squares or you can cut your own 5' squares from your stash. TOOLS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL You can

Disappearing Nine Patch This is the block we will be sewing on October 6 at Kaye's house. These directions have lots and lots of baby steps because I'm writing them so that either Crystal (who hasn't sewn much since elementary school) or my 11 year old niece (who has only sewn two pillowcases) can read the directions and follow the pictures without too many questions. Here's the pattern we are using. You should be able to click on it and bring it up full size, then print from your browser window. Ruth's 12" Disappearing Nine Patch If you look very closely at the photos of the block I am sewing, you'll see that I re-sized my block to 9" finished size. (Finished size means that is the size of the block after it is completely sewn into the quilt.) Crystal's quilt is using 9" blocks, so that's why the different size. All the measurements in the directions will be for Ruth's 12" Disappearing Nine Patch (with the 9" size in parenthesis). Choose 2 colors and 1 background color OR 3 colors. (If you need help choosing colors, look at this post, Choosing Colors.) It's nice to get a good idea of what your block will look like before you cut it out and sew it together so print out and color in the worksheet below. You should be able to click on the picture above and you will see it full size. Print it, color it, and cut it apart so that you have a paper quilt block to play with. Photo 1: Here are my worksheets colored in and cut apart along the dotted lines (through the center of the block) so that I have four corner units. I made two color designs (Design A and Design B) so I could play with the paper blocks and see which pattern I liked best without having to cut and sew fabric yet. Photo 2: The blocks are in the same order as they were in the Photo 1. In each example I rotated the top left and bottom right corner units 180˚. Look for the darkest blue square to see where it moved from Photo 1 to Photo 2. Photo 3: These blocks are also in the same order as Photo 1, but I rotated each corner unit 90˚ (1/4 turn). The pattern is much different than in Photo 2. Again, if you follow the small, dark blue square from Photo 1 to Photo 3 you can see where it 'travelled'. I decided on Design A on the left in Photo 1 and will cut and sew so that the final block will be Design A Layout 2 in Photo 2. Cut four A (corner) squares 4 3/4" (3 3/4") Cut four B (center side) squares 4 3/4" (3 3/4") Cut one C (center) square 4 3/4" (3 3/4") Place your fabric squares in the pattern to match the worksheet (mine matches the worksheet on the left in Photo 1) If you have an old flannel board, it makes a great board to carry your block between the cutting table and the sewing machine. Lay the center squares right-sides together with the squares on the left of the center squares. Pin at the top and bottom of each square so that when you sew your corners will match up properly. Sew starting with the top two blocks. Don't clip the threads between the sub-units you are making. This is called 'chain sewing'. Chain sewing saves time and also locks the threads between sub-units so you never have loose threads getting in the way. It also helps to keep your pieces in order so you have less chance of sewing the a sub-unit into the finished block in the wrong direction or the wrong order (yeah... I've done that!) This photo shows the bottom sub-unit ready to start sewing. You can see the thread starts on the 'hairy' at the top and isn't clipped between the blocks (If you need to see a video about chain sewing and 1/4" seams look at this post Perfect 1/4" Seams and Chain Sewing.) First three sub-units sewn together on the left. Put the row of blocks on the right, right sides together with the blocks that were originally in the center. Pin at the top and bottom of each block, just as you did with the first set of blocks. Chain sew the three blocks onto the first three sub-units. Yay! Three sub-units sewn! Press so that the seams lie in opposite directions (see next photo). I've chosen to press the seams to the blue fabric. That means that whole seam allowance is pressed to one side. When sewing clothing we often press a seam open. In quilting we almost always press the seam to one side. It provides strength and stability in your finished block and quilt as well as letting you 'lock' seams when sewing sub-units together. (There's a video at the end of this post showing how to press a seam so it will nest.) Here's a closer photo of the seams being pressed towards the blue fabric. Lay the left sub-unit strip over the center sub-unit strip and fit the seams together. First pin where the seams are matched (nested) together, then pin at the top and bottom of the strip. With the seams all pressed towards the blue, the seams 'nest' together. Lay the other side over the top of the center and match (nest) the seams together. Pin just as you did for the first strip. Right now it is more important to nest the seams than to line up the top and bottom edges of the block. Sew down both sides. Finished (almost) and pressed. This is a basic Nine-Patch block. It should look just like the worksheet you started with. Although I cut my block into four sections (just like you did with the worksheet) I don't measure from the edge. Instead I measure the size of the center block, divide that number by 2, and then measure from the seamed edge of the center block by the answer. (The center square on my 12-inch block was 4 1/4-inches, so I cut 2 1/8-inches from the seamed edge of my center block. On the 9-inch block I cut 1 5/8-inches from the seamed edge of the center block). Line up your ruler so that the measurement line on the ruler is the same all the way through the block. (Click on the photo to enlarge, then you can see the measurement line on the ruler lined up along the seam line in the block). Cut along the ruler. The photo shows the second cut ready to be made, the first one is already done. Spread your corner units apart. Then rotate them just like you did with your worksheet. I rotated the top left and bottom right blocks 180˚ (check out Photo 2 at the beginning of the post). Fold the two sub-units on the right over the sub-units on the left and pin the edges that will become the center of the block. My seam allowance is towards the presser foot, which often makes it hard to sew flat, so I use my chenille needle (or you can use an awl or bamboo skewer) to hold the seam allowance down until it gets under the presser foot. After chain sewing each sub-unit together lay them out on your ironing board (or flannel board) in opposite directions. Press the seams flat before you open the block. Pressing the block before you open it sticks the seam to the ironing board so that when you open the block your seam naturally stays down. Open your sub-units and press. The seams should be going opposite directions so that you can lock them together and get a perfect center seam. Put the two strips right side together and sew the center seam. Squaring up your block: Your block should measure close to 13" (10"). Your finished block needs to be 12" (9") after it is sewn into the quilt and 12 1/2" (9 1/2") before you sew it into your quilt. It is easiest to use a 12 1/2" (9 1/2") square ruler to trim your blocks edges. Center the ruler over your block lining up the center seams with one of the lines that goes through the ruler. (Good excuse to buy another ruler!!) Use your rotary cutter to trim around the edges. This photo shows how the ruler lines line up with the block seams below it. Trimmed and ready to go into a quilt! Your block should measure 12 1/2" (9 1/2") Here's a video explaining how to square up a block. Your blocks will be 12 1/2", not 12" as she shows in the video, but she does a great job in the tutorial. Another video: How to Nest Patchwork Quilt Seams Pin It

Here it is! My collection of black and white fabrics is now a Disappearing 9 Patch quilt! To tell you the truth, I wasn't crazy about the black and white color scheme, it just isn't me. But I wanted to use colors outside my comfort zone, and I really like how it turned out! My favorite part of the quilting process is taking the finished quilt off my longarm machine because it has become a quilt. That is when I decided I really like this one. I was going to sell it, but it is definitely growing on me! (Editor's Note: The Disappearing Nine Patch quilt design is not my own, and I do not intend to imply anything more than insight into the fabrics I chose, and how I made it for my own personal use. I did some research before I posted the quilt, and there are several different names, including "9 to 4", "Tossed Nine Patch", and others. Just like many other common quilt designs, there are tutorials and photos of the design on many quilting websites and blogs. This blog is not intended to be downloaded or copied in any way, it is for your personal enjoyment only.) Now I am going to show you how I made this Disappearing 9 Patch quilt. It looks complicated but it is really easy!! I used darks (black), lights (white), and an accent fabric (red). This quilt is about 62"x84", it is 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long, for a total of 24 blocks. For each block I used 4 dark squares, 4 light squares, and 1 accent square. I cut my fabric into squares 4-1/2" x 4-1/2". I used a total of 96 dark squares, 96 light squares, and 24 accent squares. Here is a pile of my 4-1/2" black and white squares. The next step is to sew the 9 Patch block. I made 24 blocks that look like this, with the dark squares in the corners and the accent square in the middle. I didn't worry about what fabric goes where, other than light, dark, and accent, because as you will see it doesn't matter! And my finished blocks look like this. I made make 24 of these. This is a traditional 9 Patch block! The next step is to cut each 9 Patch into 4 equal pieces with one horizontal cut and one vertical cut, like this.Now here is where the 9 Patch disappears! I turned two of the blocks, so it looks like this.I sewed the 4 small squares together into a finished block. I ended up with 24 of these blocks. I then sewed them together in rows, 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long. The blue line shows one block. Below is what the quilt looks like when the blocks are all sewn together. As the saying goes, "It's not a quilt until it's quilted!" This is my Statler Stitcher at work. I chose a quilting design called "Too Much Bubbly". It is a design with lots of little circles, I thought the quilt was busy enough and needed something fairly simple with curves and repetition. I chose red thread to compliment the red accent squares. I like to put a narrow accent border to frame the quilt, and then a wide border to finish it off. It is like putting a double mat on a picture. Here is a picture of the back, you can see the quilting design. It is the same fabric that I used for the accent blocks and narrow border on the front, even though Photo Shop changed the color a little ;-) Rather than using black and white on the back, I think it is fun to use a fabric that creates a little bit of a surprise! Now you know how I made this Disappearing 9 Patch quilt! Here is the finished quilt one more time...

In my early days of quilting and building my fabric stash, I purchased fabric that I obviously liked at the time but somehow never used. I am trying to sew down my stash and I decided to do something with a few charm packs of Etchings by 3Sisters Designs. It's a simple disappearing nine patch pattern but I have to say I like the result. This is the third of four recent finishes, each with a different approach to quilting. I free motion quilted paisleys all over this quilt. And voila! Another little tiny pile of fabric put to use!

Here's how to make an I-Spy version of the Disappearing Nine-Patch. It's SO EASY, but it looks like you spent FOREVER on it! I am assuming throughout this tutorial that you are familiar with the Disappearing Nine-Patch pattern -- I have previously posted specific step-by-step instructions on that quilt pattern, which you can find here. What you need: ~ 88 - 4" I-Spy squares (From time to time I host swaps where you can join in and trade with others to collect these!) ~ 1 1/8 yd fabric for sashing (mine is white) ~ 1/3 yd fabric for setting squares (mine is blue) ~ 1 7/8 yd fabric for backing ~ 3/8 yd fabric for binding ~ crib size (45"x60") batting What to cut: From sashing fabric: ~ 88 - 4" white squares ~ 17 - 2"x4" white rectangles From setting square fabric: ~ 22 - 4" squares ~ 20 - 2" squares From binding fabric: ~ 5 - 2 1/2" strips -- sew end-to-end to create one long strip Finished Quilt Size: 41 1/2" x 56 1/2" (nearly crib size) Here is the KEY to setting up your blocks -- the lower right corner's I-Spy always needs to face the same direction no matter which way you turn the block. I made my lower right corner's I-Spy always right side up. STEP ONE: Sew together the center rows on all your blocks. Start by sewing a white square to every blue square. Then sew another white square to the opposite side of every blue square -- creating 22 rows of white-blue-white. STEP TWO: Place your stack of I-Spy squares right side up (with the bottom edge of the I-Spies closest to you) to the right of your stack of white squares. Fold one I-Spy over one white square like shutting a book, and sew the right side seam with a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat until you run out of white squares. STEP THREE: Open all your sewn squares and stack them with the I-Spy square on the left. Place your I-Spy squares to the right, with the top edge of the I-Spies lined up to the edge of the white square, as shown in the photo. STEP FOUR: Take the top I-Spy square from the right hand pile and fold it like closing a book over the left hand pile. Sew the right side seam with a 1/4" seam allowance. STEP FIVE: Press your rows! Press the seam allowances toward the darker fabrics (toward your setting square fabrics and toward your I-Spies). STEP SIX: Set up your rows as shown. CAREFUL -- It DOES matter which way those rows are set up! Close one I-Spy row over one setting square row like shutting a book. Sew right seam with 1/4" seam allowance, matching seams on the rows. STEP SEVEN: Set up your rows as shown -- again, be CAREFUL! It matters which way those rows face! Close right side I-Spy row over the left side like shutting a book. Sew right seam with 1/4" seam allowance, matching seams on the rows. STEP EIGHT: Press seam allowances to one side. (I pressed mine towards the I-Spies.) STEP NINE: Cut your nine-patches into quarters as shown, measuring and cutting carefully. Your sashing and setting squares are DONE -- with the exception of the bottom row of your quilt and the right side vertical row of your quilt -- which you will piece together using your white rectangles and 2" squares. You're ready to lay out your squares and sew them together!! Wasn't that EASY?? (I never could decide whether I would have preferred an additional border on this quilt -- but it would be simple to adapt the pattern to allow for it!)

While you can never go wrong with trusty traditional nine patch patterns, there's something magical about disappearing nine patch quilts. Disappearing nine patch patterns are actually much easier to make than their complicated appearance seems. While they do require a bit more work than a traditional nine patch block, they're still very easy to piece together. Disappearing nine patch quilts are known for their intricate and complicated-looking designs, even though they're incredibly simple to make. These free quilt patterns and tutorials are perfect for cozy bed quilts or snuggly baby quilts for your new grandchild. The best part about these disappearing nine patch patterns is that they're excellent scrap busting projects, making them perfect for cleaning out your fabric stash! Disappearing nine patch quilts are perfect for using up your charm packs and are fantastic scrapbusting quilts. If you've been searching for a way to mix up your usual quilting routine, then you'll love these stunning disappearing nine patch patterns. One of the most versatile quilt patterns around, this list of pretty disappearing nine patches contains full quilt patterns, baby quilt tutorials, and block patterns so that you're fully prepared to work some quilting magic. If you're short on time or are new to quilting, we've also included a few smaller disappearing nine patch projects. From easy block patterns and tutorials to other quilted projects like table runners, this list of small quilting projects is a wonderful way to show off your quilting skills when you're on the clock. Turn up the volume on your next project with these gorgeous disappearing nine patch patterns and tutorials. Sign Up for More Free Quilt Patterns

Back in January, I gave you a sneak peek of a project I was working on. Today is my turn on the blog hop for a new book by Teresa @ Sewn Up, Teresa Down Under -- Turnabout Patchwork. You can buy the book here. I made the Double Disappearing Nine-Patch, and here's my finished quilt. You start out with a simple nine-patch block using 5-inch squares, that you cut into eight pieces -- the traditional horizontal and vertical cuts, and then you cut each quadrant on the diagonal. You sew the opposite inner triangles (with pink corners) together and the outer triangles together. This results in four 6.5-inch blocks -- two blocks that have reverse colours on the top. And two blocks with a little bit of colour in the corners. The layout is alternating blocks. The white centre is a result of operator error (block trimming error), and I didn't have any fabric to make more blocks. I attempted a flower quilting motif. Some flowers are a little more organic than others. 😊 I can't wait to try some of the other patterns in the book. Giveaway: Teresa has generously offered a free e-book so I can host a giveaway. For a chance to win, leave a comment. The giveaway ends at midnight on Monday, February 11. Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ Kathy's Kwilts and More Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation Brag About Your Beauties @ From Bolt to Beauty Show Off Saturday @ Sew Can She Blog hop schedule: Wednesday, January 30 - Quarter Snow Ball Arrowhead - Patterns by Jen and Laurel, Poppy and Pine Sweet Bows - Seams Like a Dream and Sandra Healy Designs Tutti-Frutti - Quilt Design Duo and Puppy Girl Designs Sun Dunes - Sarah Goer Quilts and Tamarinis Friday, February 1 - Modern Shoofly Flying Rainbows - Snug Harbor Quilts Flying Butterflies - Samelia's Mum and Stitching Farmgirl Flying Flags - Tamarinis and Pretty Piney Flying Confetti - Saroy and Slice of Pi Quits Saturday, February 2 - Half Square Triangles and Squares Rose Garden Star - Said with Love Swirl - Quilts by Joanne and The Quilted Diary Houndstooth - Pretty Piney Diamond Star - Sew Joy Creations and Piccolo Studio Monday, February 4 - Striped Fabric Block Shells - Quilting Gail and Running Stitch Quilts Xs and Os - The Quilting Biker and Piccolo Studio Jaws - QuilterChic Arrowhead - Steph Jacobson Design Wednesday, February 6 - Coordinated Strips Peaks - Quilting Mod Diamond and Crosses - The Quilting Biker and Pampered Pettit Knots and Crosses - Devoted Quilter and A Bright Corner Friday, February 8 - Double Disappearing Nine-Patch Holiday Trellis - Powered by Quilting Stepping Stones - Snowy Days Quilting and Anja Quilts Two for One - Mania for Quilts Cross - Textile Time Travels and Anjeanette Klinder

Cozy Quilt Disappearing Nine Patch: The larger squares are 10 inches with a sashing around them. The smaller blocks are 5 inch squares laid out into a nine patch sewn together then cut in the middle the blocks are rearranged to give the a different effect. I love how this one turned o…

Learn how to make the disappearing 9 patch with a little extra fun twist. This is such a crazy disappearing quilt block. Didn't think it could be done any differently than the previous blocks.

Are you in the mood for this? I’m sure you’ve seen disappearing nine patch blocks below, but have you seen double disappearing ones? What about triple disappearing, just kidding but not…

Top US quilting blogger, Kate Colleran Designs, shares their Tutorial to make the Disappearing 4 Patch Block. Click here now!!

When I started with Double Disappearing 9 Patch (DD9P) I gave an explanation of what I did but not a real tutorial. I would like to correct...