Improved Nine Patch quilt block

Improved Nine Patch

February 28, 1933-Nancy Cabot introduced the Improved Nine Patch quilt block to her readers in the Chicago Tribune.

The nine patch block is "improved" by stretching the four corners and adding "melon shaped pieces at two opposite sides," she explained.

When pieced with the melon shapes at each side, a ring pattern emerges.  Since I am using this block in a sampler quilt, I used only half a melon on each of the four sides.

Click here to see what I think is a wonderful example of how this quilt block was intended to be made.






You can get the templates I used for my six inch block here.  I have included a melon shaped patch if you are interested in making more than one block.  I made my block using three fabrics but Nancy Cabot showed it using only two.  She had the four blocks that are white here matching the four melon shapes at the edge.  Both of my print fabrics are feedsack material from vintage quilt blocks.

This block is not hard to make.  Just sew your nine center pieces together like you were making a regular nine patch block and then sew a melon or half melon to each side.  The curve is such that you probably won't even need to clip the seams.  I didn't.

Tomorrow-Arrowheads