Let's Book It ... to the 9-Patch!

The project I chose for January's Let's Book It, hosted by Sharon at Vrooman's Quilts, is from 101 Nine Patch Quilts by Marti Mitchell.  The book was published in 2000, which would put it within the first couple years of my quilting journey.  However, I have no idea if I bought this book or if it was given to me, but I suspect I purchased it myself.   

Scrap O' Nine Tales is the pattern I'm following, well, sort of.   

The above photo is from the book.  That little paragraph is pretty much it other than a brief statement underneath that includes an arrow pointing to one of the single squares in the 9-patch block saying that if that square is 1" (finished size, so 1.5" cut square), the finished quilt size is 45" x 57" (doing the layout as shown).  

There are no specifics given for fabric quantities with each project, though there are directions in the front of the book with detailed instructions for calculating how much is needed based on your layout and fabric choices.  Putting it in other words, it's a book you actually have to read if you're not familiar with how to calculate your fabric based on a picture and your personal measurements.  The author also provides blank grids so that you can work your own project.

The box of 1.25" wide strips.

This is yet another scrappy quilt project for me, and while poking around in my stash closet, I found a small tub and a small box of strips which are not the sizes I now use. The largest quantity of them was already cut into 1.25" widths, so that's what I chose for these 9-patches.  There were also some 1.75" strips  that I trimmed down to 1.25".  And believe it or not, I even had strips that were only 3/4" and 1" widths.  THOSE are going straight to the strings bin.  I suspect I was cutting these many years ago, before I became acquainted with Bonnie Hunter's methods.  I've since been reformed!

After Celtic Solstice I was ready for something a bit easier and simpler or so I thought.  Hah!, so what do I do?  I pick a project with 9-patch squares that finish at 2.25"!  You read that right, the finished 9-patch block will be only 2.25".  Easy but small.  And I need a gazillion of them! 

To do a slightly larger quilt than shown in the book, I have figured that I need something like 313 9-patch units plus about the same number of solid squares in order to get the size quilt I want. I'll recalculate that once I reach the point where I actually have to go back to my scrap strips bin and cut additional fabric.  I may change my mind by then.  That number also was assuming a square quilt, which this will not be but I'll have to think about what actual dimensions I want.  In the mean time, I'll keep working on the little 9-P blocks. 

I've given you a sneak preview before of the sets I've clipped together.  These are now all in various stages of progress to becoming 9-P units.

You saw this layout recently too, although I don't plan to use those yellow squares.  They worked as filler to show how the 9-Patch units will be set.  I've not decided what color I'll use for the 'solid' squares, but I'm thinking I like the scrappy look but I'll stay within one color family so I may have to audition some groupings of squares in order to decide what color works best.

This is the sum total of completed blocks for this project to date.  So far, 35 9-patch units are done. 

I had a lot in the works in January starting this project, another project as a NewFO and also finishing my Celtic Solstice top.  Hoping to keep up with my project decisions and to keep progressing on the starts and eventually get some finishes in as well.

Off to find a Let's Book It project for February!  Come join the fun :)