I'm not sure what a disappearing 9-patch is. I started with a 4.5"x4.5" square and added 2.5" strips along the sides to build the blocks. I cut the solid blue and purple squares at 2.5"x2.5". So, the raw block measured 6.5"x6.5". As for the diagonal blocks, I cut 7"x7" blocks and cut them diagonally. As an after thought, I think I should have added two more rows and one more column....that would have eliminated the huge border. I plan to steer away from huge borders for my future quilts. :) Hopefully, I've answered your question(s).