Nine Patch quilt block
Nine squares in a three-by-three checkerboard. It is the workhorse of American quilting — simple enough to teach a child, flexible enough that entire quilt traditions are built from nothing else.
Also known as Nine-Patch, Single Irish Chain unit.
The nine patch is the block most often used to teach quilting, and it has been used that way for well over a century. Set on point and alternated with plain squares it becomes a Single Irish Chain; shrink it and tuck it into the corners of a larger block and you have the skeleton of dozens of named patterns. Scrap nine patches were the standard way to use up the smallest usable pieces of a worn dress.
Nine Patch cutting chart
Cut sizes include a ¼″ seam allowance: ½″ on squares and rectangles, ⅞″ on half-square triangles, and 1¼″ on quarter-square triangles. Pick a finished block size:
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 2½" × 2½" | 4 | finishes 2" × 2" |
| Dark | Square | 2½" × 2½" | 5 | finishes 2" × 2" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 3½" × 3½" | 4 | finishes 3" × 3" |
| Dark | Square | 3½" × 3½" | 5 | finishes 3" × 3" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 4 | finishes 3⅜" × 3⅜" |
| Dark | Square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 5 | finishes 3⅜" × 3⅜" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 4½" × 4½" | 4 | finishes 4" × 4" |
| Dark | Square | 4½" × 4½" | 5 | finishes 4" × 4" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 5½" × 5½" | 4 | finishes 5" × 5" |
| Dark | Square | 5½" × 5½" | 5 | finishes 5" × 5" |
How it goes together
Three rows of three. Press rows one and three toward the dark squares and the middle row toward the light, and every seam will nest when you join the rows. Strip piecing turns it into two strip sets and a handful of crosscuts.
Tips
- Two strip sets do it: light-dark-light and dark-light-dark. Crosscut both at the strip width, then combine.
- Alternate finished nine patches with plain squares of the same size for an Irish Chain with almost no extra work.
- A nine patch set on point reads as a diamond chain, which is why it is the backbone of so many chain quilts.
How much fabric for a Nine Patch quilt?
Yardage for a whole quilt of Nine Patch blocks, computed the way the studio does it — every piece packed across a 40″ usable width with 10% added for waste.
| Quilt size | Blocks | Finished | Top fabric | Backing | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby 36×48 | 12 | 36" × 48" | Background ⅞ yd · Dark 1⅛ yd | 2½ yd | ⅜ yd |
| Throw 60×72 | 30 | 60" × 72" | Background 2⅛ yd · Dark 2⅝ yd | 3⅞ yd | ½ yd |
| Queen 90×108 | 72 | 96" × 108" | Background 5 yd · Dark 6¼ yd | 8¾ yd | ⅞ yd |
What it looks like in a quilt
A single block only tells you half the story. Set sixteen of them together and the secondary pattern appears where the blocks touch:
Nine Patch questions
What size are the squares in a 9 inch nine patch?
Each square finishes at 3 inches, so cut at 3½ inches. For a 12 inch block the squares finish at 4 inches and cut at 4½ inches.
Why does my nine patch come out smaller than it should?
Almost always a seam allowance that drifts wider than a quarter inch. Six seams cross a nine patch, so a scant sixteenth on each one costs you nearly half an inch.