Drafting for the Creative Quilter

10 DRAFTINGFORTHECREATIVEQUILTER

8 squares per inch

Grid-Based Blocks

Grid Formation

Grid formation simply means that the size of the square on which you will develop your design is divided into an

equal number of grids across and down. Many patchwork blocks and designs are developed on a grid of equal-sized

squares across and down, much like a checkerboard. The first thing you need to learn on your journey to creative

freedom is how to determine which grid you should base a particular block on. This is important because you draw

the grid first, and then you use the grid to add additional lines to draw the block.

The four grid-based families in patchwork are 4-patch, 9-patch, 5-patch, and 7-patch.

Four-Patch Drafting

Category

For example, a block in the 4-patch

family can be divided into 4 equal

divisions (2 × 2 grid formation). If

you divide each grid in half vertically

and horizontally, you have 16 equal

divisions (4 × 4 grid formation); or

if you divide the grids in half again,

you have 64 equal divisions (8 × 

grid formation); and so on. Each

grid formation is in the 4-patch

family because the total number of

equal divisions is divisible by 4, and

the divisions are multiples of 4 (4,

16, 64).

2 × 2 grid formation; 4 equal divisions

4 × 4 grid formation; 16 equal divisions

8 × 8 grid formation; 64 equal divisions

Nine-Patch Drafting

Category

The math is the same for the

9-patch family. The square can have

9 equal divisions (3 × 3 grid forma-

tion); 36 equal divisions (6 × 6 grid

formation); or, if divided in half

again, 144 equal divisions (12 × 

grid formation). The total number

of equal divisions (9, 36, 144) is

divisible by 9, and the divisions are

multiples of 9.

3 × 3 grid formation; 9 equal divisions

6 × 6 grid formation; 36 equal divisions

12 × 12 grid formation;

144 equal divisions