Stitching Stillness

 

Stitching Stillness: Creating Two Disappearing Nine-Patch Quilts

There’s something grounding about cutting fabric into perfect squares and stitching them back together in unexpected ways. The disappearing nine-patch quilt block reminds us that beauty often comes from transformation—the breaking apart and reimagining of what once seemed complete.  

This past week, I finished two versions of the same quilt: each top made with nine fat quarters of sunny yellow and darker shades of blue fabric. My friend Kathrine showed me this quick method for a quilt top that takes less than an hour to make. Yet, as I pieced each section, pressed the seams, and then sliced the block into quarters, I found myself reflecting on change. Nothing truly disappears in quilting or life; it simply shifts position, finding new balance in color and form.

Then I was rather surprised that I arranged the two tops differently. What? I thought! Oh Goodness I better get the seam ripper but then I paused.  Why do I have to continue with the same pattern in quilting or life?

Following a pattern exactly can feel safe. But changing it means stepping into uncertainty—you don’t know exactly how it will turn out. Mindfulness teaches us to be okay with not knowing, to appreciate the process rather than the outcome. Each adjustment becomes a small act of trust.

As I worked on my two quilts—I realized they reflected two parts of myself. Some days I need the calm of the quiet blues; other days, I reach for the shimmer of gold. Each stitch, each rearranged block, reminds me that life, like quilting, is a series of gentle transformations.

Patterns change all the time—in fabric, in seasons, in us. Quilting teaches that when something is rearranged, it doesn’t lose its beauty; it simply becomes something new. Recognizing that truth in your creative process helps you carry it into daily life. Ah Awareness! 

Two quilts, stitched in stillness.
Two reminders that transformation can be beautiful—especially when we stay present for it.