White Space Nine Patch Quilt

Do you know where the tradition of nine patch quilts comes from? You've probably made at least one, but never realized how this kind of quilt impacted history, especially in America.

Quilting went from pieced medallions to nine patch blocks, which really changed the face of American quilting. Because bed-sized quilts required a lot of room to piece it together, the revolutionary switch to pieced patterns made it easy to assemble a quilt in a small space and travel with it. 

The Oregon Trail, utilized by the pioneers to open up Western America, became the birthplace of many quilts because they could be made on the wagons. These quilts were made from scraps of clothing and other cloth-based things like feed sacks. The patterns that developed on the wagons and in the western settlements were inspired by the life and landscape from windmills and barn raisings to court house steps.

Nine patch quilts were easy to sew on the Oregon Trail as well as easy to teach young girls basic sewing skills on the road that they would need for life in the West. If you live in the West, thank the pioneers for inventing the simplicity of nine patch quilts.