Nine Patch Quilt

I’m always on a mission to use stash fabric and making charity quilts has always been a good way to do that. In the past my aim was to make at least two annually for Knit4Charities, but last year I didn’t make any. I’m hoping to make amends in 2026, and a basket of fabric left over from the Log Cabin Quilt I made for Bella was a good place to start.

Inspiration …

Did you know that the Spotlight website has an extensive selection of free project sheets for sewing, knitting, crochet and general crafts? I’ve availed myself of quite a few and this time it was the Easter Cot Quilt that caught my eye. The quilt features thirty 9” Nine-patch blocks made with solid and floral fabrics joined into six rows of five blocks without a border. A simple but effective idea. I had just purchased a bundle of homespun fat quarters from Spotlight which combined nicely with my florals, so I started planning my version of the quilt.

Because Knit4Charities prefer lap quilts to be 40” square, my quilt will have sixteen x 9″ blocks (four rows of four blocks), a narrow inside border, and an outside pieced border.

Blocks…

I cut 9 x 3 ½” squares from each of sixteen fabrics.

Each block requires two different fabrics: 4 x 3 ½” squares from one fabric and 5 x 3 ½” squares the other. (I used each fabric twice.)

I arranged all the fabric pieces into their respective blocks and put them next to my sewing machine. Whenever I had a spare 30 minutes or just felt like sewing, I would make up a block or two. As a result, the blocks seemed to be finished relatively quickly.

Now they are joined together and waiting for the borders.

Stop trying to figure it all out…

Recently, this verse was in my daily devotional:

Psalm 131:1 says: “My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.”

As I read it, my mind went back to an encounter between Peter and Judas in an episode of the TV series, The Chosen. Judas was confused about what Jesus was doing in His ministry, and frustrated because He wasn’t doing what Judas thought He should do. Peter corrected Judas, telling him that his mind was full of his own ideas and this affected his belief. Judas accused Peter of complacency to which Peter replied that he trusted Jesus and followed Him quoting Isaiah 55: 8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”

We only know ‘in part’ while God knows all things in full. (1Cor 13:9-11) There will always b things that we cannot understand.

We can waste too much time trying to figure everything out, why God did or didn’t do certain things, what’s going to happen in the future; resulting in confusion and frustration, just like Judas in the TV show. Peter, on the other hand, didn’t concern himself with what God didn’t show him, because he believed that if he did need to know something Jesus would tell him. Which one enjoyed peace? It wasn’t Judas that’s for sure!

It’s a lesson I need to apply in my life: Stop trying to understand things that God doesn’t intend for me to understand now, trust Him, and enjoy His peace “which transcends all understanding.” (Php 4:7)

Until next time

Lyn