Hive 1 September Tutorial - Economy Blocks for Abby

Hiya Hive 1! I can't believe it's already September. This year is flying by! You've all pushed us to make such unique and interesting blocks this year, and I've really enjoyed branching out and learning new skills!

I do have a confession to make to y'all. I participated in... another block swap this year. (*cue scandalized gasps*) Please forgive me. I just have a need to swap!

The block I made for the other swap was a 6" (finished) economy block. Between my main swap group, a few side swaps, and all the blocks I made that I couldn't bear to part with, I ended up with about 90 economy blocks.

This is how they're arranged on my design wall at the moment.
I haven't started sewing them together yet.

Fortunately, I love each and every block I received. Unfortunately, I and my family are very tall people, and if I sewed all my blocks together right now, the size of the quilt simply would not cut it. If I'm laying under a quilt I need to be drowning in it, you know?

But luckily, that's where all of you come in! I'm hoping you'll all enjoy sewing a few extra economy blocks for me. These blocks are small and come together really quickly once the cutting is done, so I'm hoping you'll be willing to send me four unique 6½" economy blocks.

Fabric Requirements

Each block will need three separate fabrics. One for the center, one for the inner square, and one for the outer square.

• For the center, try to pick a fun motif to fussy cut, or a bold, unique, or eye-catching print

• For the outer square, in order to make the placement of the block in the color wash/gradient easier, try to pick a fabric that "reads" as a single color. It doesn't necessarily have to be a solid, or even a monotone print, but just make sure if you look at it from a distance, you immediately think "oh that's clearly the color __." Just generally try to avoid fabrics that are too multicolored.

• For all fabrics in the block please avoid any prints with religious or political themes or affiliations. I am happy to accept any other novelty, branded, or themed fabric. (e.g. Super Mario themed fabric = Yes, Christmas themed fabric = No)

• I already have, like, so many blocks with blue outer squares, so if you could avoid sending me too many more of those that would be great.

Beyond that, go crazy! Try to have fun picking and matching up fabrics. I found these blocks to be a great way to use up a lot of medium-sized scraps. 

Block Tutorial

For my previous block swap, we all followed the tutorial here for the 6" x 6" block. I've attempted to recreate it below, so if you're a fan of bad lighting and poor camera quality, read on.

Cutting Instructions

For each of your four economy blocks, you will need:

• Center:  one square - 3 ½" x 3 ½" square 
• Inner Square: two squares 3 ½" x 3 ½" - cut both squares on the diagonal to get a total of 4 triangles 
• Outer Square: two squares 4 ½" x 4 ½" - cut both squares on the diagonal to get a total of 4 triangles

A Note About Seam Allowance

For these blocks, you want to aim for a true ¼" seam allowance, and if necessary, err on the side of a bigger seam allowance rather than a smaller one. The inner and outer squares are cut with some wiggle room that you'll be trimming down.

Assembly

1. Take your center square and two of your smaller triangles. Center the long sides of the triangle on opposite sides of the center block (to center, I folded the triangles and the square in half, and then lined up and pinned on the fold). Sew both triangles to the square.

2. Trim off the overhanging triangles on each side, and press. I'm not picky about the seams, but I tended to press all of them away from the center block.

3. Take your remaining two small triangles and follow the same steps of centering, pinning, and sewing. Press your square flat.

 

4. Trim your square down to 4 ¾" x 4 ¾". You don't have to be perfect about centering your center square, but make sure you leave at least ¼" past each point of the center square so you don't lose any points when we sew the outer square on.

5. Repeat the whole process again with your bigger triangles. Center the first pair of triangles on the square, sew, trim, press. Then center the second pair of triangles, sew, press.

6. Finally, trim your block down to 6½" square. Again, It doesn't need to be perfectly centered, just make sure that you have at least ¼" around every point.

And then you're all done!

Please do NOT sew your 4 economy blocks together. I'll be mixing them into the ones I already have to get the color gradient effect, so feel free to make blocks in whatever color you like!

Thank you for helping me finish up this project! I've had a great time sewing all of your blocks this year, so I hope you all enjoy making some economy blocks for me!

❤ Abby