Crayon Quilts

Want your gift to be a hit on Mother’s Day or Christmas? Have the little ones draw pictures as blocks with crayon quilts. Add Sashing. Present. Done. The receiver will have an original work of art that they will treasure.

So, there you have some ideas for creating your own memory quilt. Use one, two or all of the suggestions. The best thing about this type of quilt is that it is unique. And isn’t that a reason why we quilt, anyway? To create something unique.

Nine Patch Quilt Block – How to Make and How to Use

A nine patch quilt block is just about the easiest block you can make. It also has the benefit of being one of the most versatile. So, what is it and how can you use it to turn your scraps into something beautiful? Let’s find out.

What Is It?

It’s really very simple. A nine patch quilt block is made up of nine parts. These can be the same size or not. What makes the block is the contrast in values between the sections.

They will usually have light and dark value. Now, these nine sections can have all the same color like when you’re quilting a basic Irish Chain or they can have a variety of colors like the Puss in Boots block.

How to Make It

Strip Piecing is your best bet. For a standard 9 patch if you want a 6-inch block, you’ll need to cut out 3 – 2.5 inch strips of your dark or bright fabrics and 3 – 2.5 inch strips of your light fabric. Create 2 strip sets:

Dark-Light-Dark and Light-Dark-Light

Cut the strip sets 2.5-inches times the width of the fabric. Sew them in sets of the following ways to create your block:

Dark-Light-Dark

Light-Dark-Light

Dark-Light –Dark

How to Use it:

Alternate with plain blocks

As mentioned above, you can create a basic Irish chain quilt. That is if you alternate it with a block of the background fabric. The main color pop and it looks like there’s a chain. Another option is just to alternate the block with a plain block of the same size.

Alternate with Half-Square Triangles

This is something really simple that can pack a punch. First, look in your stash to see what you have a lot of. It should be a dark color and a light color. Make half-square triangle blocks. Then make 9 patch quilt blocks that coordinate with these colors. It works best if they fall between the color ranges and are in the same color family. By the same family I mean brights, country colors, Civil War reproductions, that kind of thing.

You do not need the same fabric line, but you do need the same color family. You will notice that you gravitate toward a certain type of fabric and this will not be a problem.

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