This simple green and cream double nine patch caught my eye with its unusual quilting pattern. There is a “bull’s-eye-like” design in the solid blocks that pops out visually. I love to hand quilt and this quilting pattern spoke to me as the quilt I needed to reproduce.

I had some difficulty securing permission to remake the quilt. I first saw it in The Classic American Quilt Collection: Nine Patch, by Mary V. Green (Rodale Press, 1995). Then I noticed the owner at the time of publication was AQSG member, Cindy Rennels. This seemed easy enough, but the path was convoluted and complicated. I thought about picking another quilt and the nine-patch screamed at me, “NOOOOOO,” so I kept plugging away.

Permission was finally secured. I was deep into the quilting portion as the spring and summer unfolded into a series of difficult times and losses. So often, I found myself picking up the quilt and being soothed. I often wondered if the maker felt she had a “bull’s-eye” on her back and the quilt was a way to cope. Whatever her reasons for making this lovely quilt, it was my way of coping with life. Other than cutting the size down to scale, I made it exactly as I saw it in the book. Enjoy! Feel free to speculate on her motives for this pattern; that was part of the fun for me!