Fabric of Appalachia

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia, where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time!

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Duration:: 5 minutes, 47 seconds

Fabric of Appalachia: As the country commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we’ll be hosting a nationwide quilt-along to explore “The Fabric of Appalachia.” We invite you to join us as we introduce traditional quilt blocks and share their connection to history.

Smokies Life / Robin Pyle and Valerie Polk

A question mark icon — Click the ? to reveal how the final quilt will look or leave it a mystery and sew along.
NPS

Introduction

Appalachia is known for music, storytelling, beautiful mountains, and patchwork quilts. Although the history of quilting stretches back 5000 years, block-style quilts were uncommon until the industrial revolution made a palette of new affordable fabrics available, and quilters developed what we now think of as a uniquely American folk art. Block patterns were often given names that reflected everyday objects, current events, or spiritual beliefs.

As our country commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we’ll be hosting a nationwide quilt-along to explore “The Fabric of Appalachia.” We invite you to join us as we introduce traditional quilt blocks and share their connection to history.

Ready to sew along? Everything you need is right here on this page!

Throughout the quilt‑along, we’ll be teaching you how to hand piece and hand quilt. If you prefer using a sewing machine, you can easily find information about how to machine-piece blocks through online tutorials or at your local library. New blocks will be posted weekly.

Happy stitching!

Materials

Block patterns will be released each week starting July 10, 2026 through September 18, 2026. If you’d like to sew along, you’ll want to gather your supplies. To make the full quilt, you’ll need:

Scissors (or a rotary cutter and mat if you have one)
Something to make templates from. You can purchase template plastic, but thin cardboard (i.e. from a cereal box, old file folders, or a notebook cover) works just fine
A pencil and a white or yellow colored-pencil (or there are options designed specifically for quilters)
Pins
Sewing needles (size 8-12)
Thread (roughly 50 wt)
A thimble
Approximately 3.5 yards of fabric for the top. Our version uses a scrappy mix with about half in mid- to dark purples and the other half in yellows and oranges
Quilt batting and fabric for the backing

The Nine Patch: Block 1

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Nine Patch, which has straight seams and simple construction, making it a great first block for new stitchers; historically, many children would have learned to sew by stitching something similar.

A woman stands at a spinner with a child. — Becky Cable spinning on porch with child.
NPS / Historic Photo

A purple and yellow nine patch quilt block — Nine Patch
NPS

A Cherokee woman sitting in black and white — A cherokee woman.
NPS / Historic Photo

On July 4, 1776, when the thirteen colonies boldly declared their independence from Britain and claimed their right to liberty and equality, the Great Smoky Mountains had already been home to the Cherokee people and their ancestors for thousands of years. Europeans didn’t move into the mountains until several years later when, in 1781, James Cosby became the first known European resident.

By the 1820s and 1830s, Europeans were steadily moving into the region, surviving with the help of the Cherokee neighbors they later nearly displaced. Although stories would have us believe that the new arrivals patched together quilts out of necessity, really, most relied on woven blankets, not quilts, for warmth. Commercial fabric was expensive and Appalachian families, like those in rural communities throughout the country, had little cash to spare. Families worked together to grow or make most of what they needed to survive and earn income to purchase the rest. Women helped with planting and harvesting, preserved food, spun their own yarns and wove their own fabrics. It made little sense to cut that fabric apart and sew it back together again, so quilts were rare and families relied on woven blankets for warmth until industrialization made fabric affordable and quilt-making became more popular.

In Appalachia, European immigrants and indigenous people lived in close proximity, so it’s no surprise that their design aesthetics began to influence one another. Native people had a long tradition of expressing themselves through textiles such as weaving, basket-making, and animal hides; while European immigrants brought quilting skills with them when they moved into the mountains. As cultures touched, knowledge was passed back and forth and quilters began to innovate, developing a distinctive block-style quilt. American quilters had made quilting their own.

If you’d like to learn more about the Smokies’ earliest residents, consider exploring the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail or visiting nearby attractions such as the Museum of the Cherokee People, the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Cherokee County Arts Council, and the Cherokee County Historical Museum. You can also explore many National Park Service sites across the country that celebrate Native cultures or protect places sacred to Indigenous nations.

Nine Patch Block drawing purple and white square in grid pattern. — NPS

The Nine Patch Instructions

Design Notes

This block is made up of nine squares in a 3 X 3 grid. Often it is laid out like a checkerboard with 5 dark squares forming an X and 4 lighter squares forming the background. You could, however, reverse the colors, make a gradient from one edge or corner to the other, or even randomly place colors.

Cutting and Marking

Using your preferred method, cut:

Color 1: five 4.5” squares

Color 2: four 4.5” squares

If you are hand piecing, add a ¼” seam allowance on all sides by marking a 4” square within each fabric square. These will be your stitching lines.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer. If you aren’t sure how to assemble, piece, and press your block, see this video

Step-by-step

Step 1: Sew three squares together to make the top row. Repeat for the middle row and the bottom row.

Step 2: For the top and bottom rows, press seam allowances towards the corner blocks. For the middle row, press seam allowances towards the center block. This will help the block fit neatly together and will manage the bulk from the seams.

Step 3: Pin the top and middle rows together at the outside corners, at each seam line, and in the middle of each square being careful to pin precisely through the stitching line. Stitch rows together. Repeat to attach bottom row.

Step 4: Press the block, distributing the seam allowance to avoid thick areas that will make it hard to quilt later. See photo for recommended directions to press the seam allowance.