Irish Chain is a very nice one to start with. Only uses two or three choices of fabric.

I did not find the disappearing 9 patch all that easy. I used 9 different fabrics and I really don't like the end result - I made 3 of them and I have made heirloom quilts, log cabins, etc. - but perhaps the D9 patch looks better with only 3 fabrics - I wrote to people on the board because theirs looks great and never really got answers.

good luck - rail fence is fun!

My first quilt was a combination rail fence and 9 patch. I alternated every other block and it turned out really cute.

Welcome to the wonderful world of quilting! check out Quilterscache.com Pictures and directions are aplenty!

Turning twenty and disappearing 9 patch work great for beginners -

My first quilt was a 9-patch and rail fence set on point. I learned almost everything I need to know on that one quilt, and it was very pretty. Three fabrics total. If you would like the instructions, PM me, and I'll email them to you and offer up help to boot, if you need it.

Log cabin needs way more than 2 fabrics. I love the 9-patch or 4-patch with alternating blocks.

Go to quilterscache.com and you will find hundreds of patterns. Pick the one you like. I like it because it shows the full quilt when done.

Hi, the disappearing nine patch is really simple, yet when it is done it looks like you have done something more complex. Make nine patch blocks with the center piece being the same color in all the blocks. i.e. I made one with black and white squares and red block centers. Then after you sew the nine patch, cut in in half both vertically and horizontally and rotate the upper right quarter and the lower left quarter 180 degrees until the center piece in on the corner and then sew the block back together again. Just google a disappearing nine patch block pattern, there are some really good tutorials out there. It really is a neat looking quilt yet very simple to make. Hope you'll give it a try.

I agree that rail fence and warm wishes are great for beginners. D9P can be made as phrojangles suggests, or with different colors in the centers and different layouts, also with more or fewer colors. Yellow brick road is also a good pattern for a beginner. (YBR was my first quilt.)