8 Facts About the Nine Patch Block

We all love a good history lesson, right? Well actually, if are like me, history was not your thing in school, but learning the history of something you are interested in (aka sewing/quilting) is pretty intriguing and you could basically read about it all day. 

As we dive into the Scrappy Summer Sew Along this year, I thought it would be fun to learn a bit more about the block we are all putting together. Here are 8 facts I learned about the Nine Patch Block:

1. The first known Nine Patch Quilts were made at the beginning of the nineteenth century (source).
2. Quilting on these quilts was usually simple as they were made for everyday use (source).
3. Many girls learned to sew making this quilt for is ease of piecing (source).
4. The nine patch block was used for simplicity and manageable blocks. Typically, quilts were made by adding small pieces of fabric or strips to an ever-growing top. This became difficult to work with as the quilt top approached its full size. Thus, they started breaking them into manageable blocks, or the nine patch block (source).
5. In the 1850’s nine patch block quilts were considered a lower class pastime to keep youngsters entertained (source).
6. Nine patch blocks were a frugal way to use up scraps and thus became popular among pioneer women (source).
7. The nine patch block was a popular block and quilt pattern during the Civil War because of the need to thrift for fabric in the North. Quilters of this era could collect these tiny pieces from leftover materials or some cases old clothing (source).
8. The Little House on the Prairie books mentions Laura making a nine patch quilt block as it was a simple design that could also be taught to children as soon as they could hold on a needle. Sometimes as early as 3 or 4 years old (source).

I hope you enjoyed this fun little history lesson! If you know something about the nine patch block that I didn’t mention above, make sure to let us know in the comments!