Disappearing 4-patch

Kathleen Tracy is a quilt designer from the Chicago area who has been an inspiration to me to start making small quilts.  I'm overloaded with queen size quilts, and about a year ago stumbled upon her blog which got me started making smaller quilts.

This month she challenged her readers to make a disappearing 4-patch.  I've never tried one before, so started out by hunting through my 4-inch scrap bag and found a couple strips already sewn together to try the technique.

For a 4-patch made of 4-inch blocks I cut 1 inch away from the seam line in each direction.  It turned out to be quite easy.

Christmas disappearing 4-patch - 13 " square

I was ready for more!  So out came some blues and white that were already cut into 4 inch strips or squares.  Ta Da!

Blue disappearing 4-patch doll quilt - 18-1/2 x 24 "

I forget how much I love the crispness of blues and whites, especially in the midst of a cold Minnesota winter!