Fabric of Appalachia

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

 

 

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

 

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.

 

Becky Cable spinning on porch with child.

NPS / Historic Photo

A cherokee woman.

NPS / Historic Photo

 

Nine Patch block.

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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.

 

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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.

 

Step 1

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Step 3

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Step 3 completed

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Step 4 with seam allowance arrows

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The Churn Dash: Block 2

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Churn Dash.

 

Steam engine.

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Ritter Lumber Mill and Pond.

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Steam engine at Greenbrier.

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Churn Dash block.

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Many quilt blocks are named after everyday objects, providing clues about life in the past. Patterns like Anvil, Carpenter’s Rule, Monkey Wrench, Pincushion, and this week’s Churn Dash block remind us of the tools and skills necessary when rural families throughout the country supported themselves with a combination of subsistence farming and a trade or occupation that provided the cash needed to buy what they couldn’t produce at home. Blocks with names like Water Wheel, Windmill, Buzz Saw, Cog Wheel, and even Pyrotechnics and Ferris Wheel show us that residents were familiar with advanced technology.

Innovation and invention are hallmarks of the American identity. Even before the Declaration of Independence, Ben Franklin was inventing things like bifocals and the lightning rod. After the U.S. became a nation, that legacy continued through a long line of inventions that changed how we travel and communicate, made everyday chores easier, lowered the cost of goods, and saved lives by developing effective vaccines, making medications widely available, and inventing medical technology that enables everything from early detection to lifesaving treatments like heart surgery or chemotherapy.

While the stereotype is that mountain residents were isolated, the reality is that they travelled back and forth to regional towns and cities and had access to all the same goods as people living in cities like New York or Chicago. Mountain communities had water-powered mills and forges, telephones soon after their invention, and hydroelectric generators to provide themselves with electricity. Mountain stores carried necessities, but ledgers show that people also purchased things like bananas, oranges, and even firecrackers, which were somewhat of a Christmas tradition.

If you’d like to learn more about American inventers and the technology they invented, consider visiting some of these National Park Service sites: Lowell National Historical Park, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Allegheny Portage National Historic Site, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, Wright Brothers National Memorial, Thomas Edison National Historical Park, George Washington Carver National Monument.

 

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The Churn Dash Instructions

Design Notes

Fabric choices can dramatically change how this block looks. Make all the pieces in the “dash” one color and all the background a second color and it looks like a simple floating shape. Change out the center or some of the background pieces and the block can look much more complex. Search for 'churn dash block' images online for inspiration before choosing your fabric layout.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: For the simplest version, cut the following using your preferred method. But don’t be afraid to get creative with your fabric choices.

Color 1: (dash color)

• Cut two 4 7/8” squares, then cut them on the diagonal
• Cut four 2 ½”X4 ½” rectangles

Color 2: (background color)

• Cut two 4 7/8” squares, then cut them on the diagonal
• Cut one 4 ½” square
• Cut four 2 ½” X 4 ½” rectangles

Marking: If you are hand piecing, add a ¼” seam allowance on all sides

• Mark a 4” square within the 4 ½” square
• Mark a 2”X4” rectangle within each of the 2 ½”X4 ½” rectangles
• For the triangles, if you are using a template, cut a 4” square template and cut it on the diagonal and then trace around it on the fabric. If you are marking with a ruler, mark a stitching line ¼” from each of the short edges of the triangle, making each stitching line 4” long from the corner where the two stitching lines intersect to the end near the point. Then, connect the ends of the two lines to complete the triangle.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video and this video for cutting triangles.

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: Place one light and one dark triangle right sides together and pin along the long edge being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance towards the outside corner triangle. Repeat three more times.

Step 2: Place one light and one dark rectangle, right sides together and pin along the long side. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance towards the dark rectangle. Repeat 3 more times.

Step 3: From here, assemble as you did the Nine Patch Block, first stitching each row together, then stitching rows to one another.

Step 4: Press the block, distributing the seam allowance to avoid thick areas that will make it hard to quilt later. You can follow the same pressing suggestions as for the Nine Patch Block.

 

Step 1

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Step 2

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Step 3

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Step 3 completed.

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The Double Pinwheel: Block 3

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Double Pinwheel.

 

Painting of Daniel Boone escorting settlers through the Cumberland Gap, 1851

George Caleb Bingham / Paining / Open Parks Network

Painting, Wagon Train Near Wagon Mound, Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico.

Nick Eggenhoffer / Painting / Open Parks Network

 

Double Pinwheel block

NPS

The Double Pinwheel block became popular in the early 19th century and is believed to have been inspired by the windmills that pioneers saw while traveling west on the Oregon Trail. However, westward expansion happened in fits and starts. Before people could venture across the prairie, they first had to get past the Appalachian Mountains.

Stretching from Georgia up into Canada, the rugged terrain of the Appalachians prevented westward migration. Instead, the promise of cheap land and the freedom of frontier life lured Europeans southwest through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley into the Carolinas, opening new opportunities but still keeping pioneers constrained east of the mountains.

It wasn’t until 1775, when Daniel Boone was hired to open a road through the Cumberland Gap, that pioneers had a way across the mountains into Kentucky, the Southwest Territory (which became The State of Tennessee in 1796), and beyond.

In 1862, westward migration rapidly accelerated when Congress passed the Homestead Act, which for the first time used the power of the federal government to create economic opportunities for ordinary Americans. Those eligible included men, women, immigrants, and freed African Americans. Many, including some mountain residents, used Tennessee as the jumping-off point for their journey west to a new life. But while the act extended the opportunity to achieve the American Dream to some people who had previously been excluded, it also accelerated the forced removal of native communities, severing or straining ties to the land that extended back thousands of years.

If you’d like to know more about the country’s expansion from sea to shining sea, consider visiting some of these National Park Service sites: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Homestead National Historical Park, Gateway Arch National Park, or Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site.

 

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The Double Pinwheel Instructions

Design Notes

Contrast is key! Using dark, medium, and light-colored fabrics in this block creates an optical illusion.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: Cut the following using your preferred method.

Color 1: (large pinwheel blades)

• Cut two 6 7/8” squares, then cut them on the diagonal

Color 2: (small pinwheel blades)

• Cut one 7 ¼” square, then cut it on both diagonals

Color 3 (background)

• Cut one 7 ¼” square, then cut it on both diagonals

Marking: If you are hand piecing, you will need to mark ¼” seam allowances. It will be helpful to lay out your pieces before you begin marking.

• For the large triangles, if you are using a template, cut a 6” square template and cut it on the diagonal and then trace around it on the fabric. If you are marking with a ruler, mark a stitching line ¼” from each of the short edges of the triangle, making each stitching line 6” long from the corner where the two stitching lines intersect to the end near the point. Then, connect the ends of the two lines to complete the triangle.

• For the small triangles, mark ¼” seam allowances on just the edge where color 2 and color 3 triangles will be stitched together. Skip to assembly and stitch these before continuing with marking seam allowances.

• After the pairs of small triangles have been stitched and pressed, mark them as you did the large triangles.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video and this video for cutting triangles.

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: Place one color 2 and one color 3 triangle right sides together and pin along the short edge. You’ll want to have the full block laid out before you do this so you can see which short edges need to be stitched together. If you do the wrong short edges, you’ll end up with the colors reversed in the finished block. Be careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch, then press the seam allowance towards the center triangle. Repeat three more times. (Now mark these units as you did the large triangles).

Step 2: Place one color 1 triangle and one of the triangle units that you just stitched, right sides together and pin along the long side. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance towards the large triangle. Repeat 3 more times.

Step 3: Stitch the top 2 squares into a row. Repeat for the bottom 2 squares. Then, stitch the rows to one another.

Step 4: Press the block, distributing the seam allowance to avoid thick areas that will make it hard to quilt later. We recommend pressing each of the last four seams towards the large triangle.

 

Before sewing

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Step 1 completed

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Step 2 completed

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Step 3 completed

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The Schoolhouse: Block 4

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Schoolhouse.

 

Class photo at Walker Valley School.

NPS / Historical Photo

School children at Little Greenbrier School.

NPS / Historical Photo

 

Schoolhouse block

NPS

In the 19th and early 20th century the one room schoolhouse was an iconic symbol of rural communities in the United States. As the country expanded across the continent, churches and schools were often the first public buildings erected in newly established communities. In fact, the 1785 Land Ordinance and 1787 Northwest Ordinance set aside land specifically for a school in each western township, charting a course for universal public education, even before the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788.

While a common misconception suggested mountain communities lacked education, the reality was quite different. Pioneering families began setting up schools soon after they arrived in the Smokies, working together to erect school buildings, hire teachers, and gather funds to pay them. Schools came and went as populations fluctuated and shifted, but between the early 19th century and the closing of the last school in 1944, there were 105 schools in what is now Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Early schools were typically one-room schoolhouses in which a single teacher taught students of all ages. This was common across the country because without public transportation, schools needed to be within easy walking distance of students’ homes. While the small class sizes meant that teachers knew their students well, it limited the resources that a school could afford, and it was challenging for teachers to instruct students in multiple grades at the same time. The quality of education varied dramatically between schools depending on the teachers’ abilities and the resources available.

By the early 1800s, mountain communities—like communities elsewhere—began shifting to larger schools with multiple teachers. These consolidated schools were more cost-efficient because they eliminated redundancies and concentrated resources, allowing them to afford facilities like gymnasiums, school libraries, and community halls, as well as provide more equipment, supplies, and texts, and offer a wider range of courses.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of schools, considering exploring Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse in the Smokies, or visit these National Park Service sites: Blackwell School National Historic Site, Brown v Board of Education National Historical Park, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

 

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The Schoolhouse Instructions

Design Notes

Making the background, walls and roof distinctly different colors and giving the front and side walls of the school different shades of the same color make this block appear three dimensional. With this one, pressing also helps reinforce the dimensionality. For example, roofs have an overhang. Pressing the seam allowance towards the roof fabric rolls the edge and makes it appear that the walls are tucked under the roof.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: Using your preferred method…

Color 1: (Sky)

• Cut two 3 ½” squares
• Cut two 1 ½”X 2 ½” rectangles
• Cut one 2 ½” X 3 ½” rectangle
• Cut one 3 7/8” square, and then cut it on the diagonal

Color 2: (Walls and Chimneys)

• Cut four 2 ½” squares
• Cut one 3 7/8” square, and then cut it on the diagonal
• Cut two 2 ½” X 5 ½” rectangles
• Cut one 2 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle
• Cut one 1 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle

Color 3 (roof)

• Cut one 3 ½” square
• Cut one 3 7/8” square, and then cut it on the diagonal

Color 4 (door and window)

• Cut one 2 ½” X 5 ½” rectangle
• Cut one 2 ½” square

Color 5: (lawn or foundation)

• Cut one 1 ½” X 12 ½” rectangle

Marking: If you are hand piecing, add ¼” seam allowances

• Mark a 3” square within each 3 ½” square piece
• Mark a 2” square within each 2 ½” square piece
• Mark a 1” X 2” rectangle within the 1 ½” X 2 ½” rectangle
• Mark a 2” X 3” rectangle within the 2 ½” X 3 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 2” X 5” rectangle within each 2 ½” X 5 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 2” X 6” rectangle within the 2 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 1” X 6” rectangle within the 1 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 1” X 12” rectangle within the 1 ½” X 12 ½” rectangle piece
• For the triangles, if you are using a template, cut a 3” square template and cut it on the diagonal and then trace around it on each triangle piece. If you are marking with a ruler, mark a stitching line ¼” from each of the short edges of the triangle, making each stitching line 3” long from the corner where the two stitching lines intersect to the end near the point. Then, connect the ends of the two lines to complete the triangle.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video for cutting squares and this video for cutting triangles.

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: Place one chimney square and the small rectangle of sky above it right sides together and pin along the long edge being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch together, then press the seam allowance towards the chimney. Repeat once more.

Step 2: Stitch top row together as you did the Nine Patch block. Press all seam allowances towards the right side of the block.

Step 3: In second row, find triangle pairs that will together form a square. Place two triangles right sides together and pin along the long edge being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance to give the block dimension. For the two pairs that include part of the roof, press towards the roof fabric. For the pair that is half end gable and half sky, press towards the end gable.

Step 4: Stitch the second row together as you did the Nine Patch block. Press the remaining seam allowances towards the right side of the block.

Step 5: Find the three squares that form the window and the wall on either side of it. Sew together this partial row. Press seen allowances towards the wall pieces.

Step 6: Stitch the window unit that you just made to the wall pieces above and below it. Press seam allowances towards the wall pieces.

Step 7: Find the three rectangles that form the door and the wall on either side of it. Sew together this partial row. Press seen allowances towards the wall pieces.

Step 8: Stitch the door unit to the window unit, completing the third row. Press seam allowance to the left to help with the dimensionality of the block.

Step 9: Stitch rows to one another. Press the block. We recommend pressing the seam allowance between the top row and the second row towards the second row, pressing the seam allowance between the second row and the third row towards the second row, and pressing the seam allowance between the third row and the fourth row towards the fourth row.

 

Step 1 completed

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Step 2 completed

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Step 3 completed

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Step 4 completed

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Step 5 completed

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Step 6 completed

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Step 7 completed

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Step 8 completed

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Step 9 completed

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Stay Tuned!

Quilt blocks drop weekly: July 10 - September 18, 2026