hand peicing 9 patch and measurements for cutting
 

i have my plan for my first quilt.which will be a 9 patch, and as my topic implies i will be doing it all by hand piecing them together.i will be hand quilting it too.
my finished quilt will be a queen size.
i know most you quilters reading this, are saying right now is "is she nuts,that's going to take forever"
that's okay i like things that take time and heart to finish.makes the finished product feel all that much better IMO
anyways i am slightly confused at what size i should be cutting the patches for my blocks.
e.g cutting size including 1/4"seam allowance,so when i sew them together,they are proper sz for complete block?

and yes, i am complete newb,so any help is greatly appreciated
or if you have any websites,vids etc suggestions, that helps my above prob,that's welcome as well.

Probably not the answer that will really help, but you can make them any size you want! Is you plan to use all 9 patches or are you alternating them with plain blocks? Do you want lots of patches or just a few? If you want, for example, a 6 inch finished (sewn together) block, cut your strips 2 1/2 inches each. When you sew them together with 1/4" seams, you will have a 6 1/2" strip. Then cut that strip at 6 1/2" squares. When you sew your next blocks together, the visible or 'finished' block will be 6". That's lots of blocks, so you may want to make them larger. But follow the same plan...determine your finished block size, divide by 3 and then add 1/2" to that strip width (1/4" seam on both sides of the strip). Good luck with your project. Quite ambitious but I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

nine patch blocks can be made any size you want. usually the size of the block is divisible by 3 to make cutting the patches easier. if you want to make a 12" block, each patch would be finished at 4", so you have to cut the patch 4 1/2" to add the seam allowance. here is a link to the directions for making one http://www.quilterscache.com/N/NinePatchBlock.html .

here is another great site that gives LOTS of info about hand-piecing. there are directions for a 9-patch by scrolling way to the bottom http://serenapotter.wordpress.com/ca.../hand-piecing/

welcome to the board and be sure to post pictures of your progress. don't be afraid to ask questions!

Aren't all quilters nuts??? My mother wopuild only hand piece her work, and it was beautiful. I cheat and piece by machine, but do all the quilting by hand. We do this for our enjoyment, so whatever makes you happy with your work is great!! Would love to see it along the process..post pics!!

thank you so much for replies,they are all helpful.
yes it is ambitious:)
my quilt will be teddy bear themed ..as i am also a teddy bear collector.

njquilter-i will be using all 9 patch blocks and alternating with solid blocks.if i understood you correctly

You aren't crazy, I'm hand-piecing a Farmer's Wife! I don't cut the fabric down to finished size + seam allowance- I draw the finished size of the shape I want on the back of the fabric, then cut a rough, somewhat generous seam allowance outside of the dran line. I then sew along that drawn line, and after I'm done then I trim it down to 1/4".

(you can see some of my FW blocks on my flickr page- the outer seam allowances are not trimmed down yet- those will be trimmed when I add sashing and join the square: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemlock...7629270049548/)

A suggestion:

I would cut my individual squares at least 2.5 inches or larger so that I would get the project done sometime in the not too far away future.

What I found worked well for when I was handpiecing:

Example: I wanted a 6 inch finished block (6.5 inches unfinished)

I would cut 2.5 inch squares with a rotary cutter - either around a 2.5 inch template or by using a ruler - and then I would trace around a 2-inch template for the stitching lines on each of the squares. That way I would be able to sew a fairly straight seam and have fairly even seam allowances all the way around.
I was taught to sew "on the inside" of the seam allowance - so if any markings are visible, they would be on the back of the block.

Jinny Beyer has a good book available on handpiecing - especially when you get to the intersections. There probably are excellent videos available, also.

One usually sews up to an intersection - not through it - so usually only two layers of fabric are being sew together.

I do what hemlock has said. I trace around all my templates on the back of the material. I judge a generous 1/2 inch space around each marked line to allow for both seam allowances. Then I scissor cut out all the pieces. Dont have to be too accurate since we are not using the precise edge to machine sew with.

This really saves on time and mental energy. I love just sewing on the line and have made all kinds of blocks this way. I did one of Gail Garber's fancy curved stars by hand piecing and it was fun and not frustrating.

Thanks for the wonderful advise you gave on this topic. I have bookmarked this wonderful site which give you lots info on hand piecing. I love it much. http://handpiecingwithcrispy.blogspot.com
Perhaps it will help you.