The Case of the Disappearing 4-Patch

This really is a post about a Disappearing 4-Patch block, but I couldn't resist making a mystery out of it by taking liberties with the cover of The Secret of the Old Clock! I discovered Nancy Drew books when I was 10, and my friends and I pretended to be the characters in the mysteries. I sold chicken eggs to buy the newest books at the tiny bookstore in my small town. And to this day I get a thrill of excitement when I see those old book covers. My favorites were The Password to Larkspur Lane and The Whispering Statue.

Since I first started quilting I've been fascinated with "disappearing" 4-patch, 9-patch, and 16-patch blocks and their many variations, so this "disappearing 4-patch with a twist" on Pinterest was hard to resist. I found the tutorial on the blog of What Comes Next?. I decided to try my own tutorial, but you can refer to the original tutorial if you get confused. Click on the pictures for a closer look.

Contrasting colors work best. In keeping with the "mystery" theme, I chose two light and two dark 5-inch charm squares from Moda's Get A Clue With Nancy Drew collection.

Sew 4-patch together as normal

Place a mark 2 inches from each of the 4 corners

Using the marks as a guide, place ruler as indicated and make diagonal cuts as pictured.

A rotating cutting board is helpful!

The cuts will yield pieces like this

Here is where the "twist" comes into play:

In the upper right corner, switch "a" with "b"

In the lower left corner switch "c" with "d"

Now take the center piece and give it a turn

When the "twists" are completed, your sections will look like this

Each 3-piece section is sewn together

The three sections are sewn together, matching the center seams

Trim the block

My block finished at 8 inches square

You can use different sizes of squares and also make your diagonal cuts at measurements other than 2 inches. The variations are endless!


I am sharing this post with Val's Quilting Archives and Life a Colorful Life Really Random Thursday.