Originally Posted by
QuiltE
It's not a regular snowball with the 9Ps added.
... when you look at the way the seams are puffed ... it almost looks like the large colours and background are put together in a simple block form. And then the 9Ps added after, looking as though they are appliqued on.
More than likely it is just lack of good pressing during the construction. If the maker did assemble it the way you suggest that made it a ton more work than it needed to be. The same look can definitely be achieved by alternating a simple 9 patch a with a simple snowball. The only applique I see are the leaf shapes in the border that overlap on to the blocks along the outer edge.