Nine squares, three rows of three, and a block that has been taught first to more beginners than any other. That was the first episode of Classic Quilt Block Thursday on our channel, and it is still the one we point people to when they ask where to start.
Yvonne makes the block from 5 inch charm squares, five of one print and four of another, and the whole thing is done at the machine in a few minutes. What she spends the time on is the part that does not look like it matters: webbing the squares together so nothing gets turned around, feeding each pair in tight behind the last so the seams nest by themselves, setting each seam before opening it, and pressing towards the color rather than the background so the seam allowance does not shadow through the white.
Then she cuts the finished block in half twice and turns the quarters around, which is the disappearing nine patch, and shows a second variation built on the same grid with the outer squares cut down.
We have since written all of it out properly, with the cutting sizes for nine block sizes, the strip set method that gives sixteen blocks from nine strips, and the disappearing nine patch worked through in numbers. It is in our guide to the nine patch quilt block, and the video sits in there too.
The rest of the Classic Quilt Block Thursday series is on our YouTube channel.
