Hive 3 October Tutorial: Trickle Down Economy Block for Nina

I have a stash of big, loud prints that I love but that have been hard to place in the context of a quilt. So this is the project and it's all about loud!

I'm looking for big, loud, vibrant economy blocks made from your most saturated and busy modern fabrics. The blocks will be 12.5" unfinished or 12" finished.

There's a great tutorial here for traditional piecing: https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/economy-quilt-block-tutorial-and-inspiration/

You can also make this block using foundation paper piecing which many people find easier because it guarantees precision. I pieced all mine because I'm not super fussy, but I know that paper piecing economy blocks is very popular.  I don't have access to a free 12" finished economy block printable template, but you can purchase one from Etsy for instant download quite cheaply here if you think you might use it again: 12" ECONOMY BLOCK  

Here are some I made myself: There's some Kaffe in there, and Tula Pink and Libs Elliott skulls and an Alexander Henry print and others I can't remember :)

 

I've been inspired by a number of bright and loud Economy Block quilts I've seen around. They're just so cheerful!

Cotton Candy Fabric's quilt

FABRICS

Fabric Pull examples

I'm looking for intense, saturated colours for the most part. Loud printed designs, typical of Anna Maria Horner, Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink and other designers. Intense, saturated blenders are also wonderful as contact to wild prints for a bit of a breather.  If you want to use a less intense contrasting fabric to set off the really wild ones, and it looks pleasing to you, go for it, but in general I want it to be as wild as possible. I prefer no batiks, no Christmas/Seasonal fabric and no licensed fabric (superheroes, etc) please. 

CUTTING

(My measurements for the squares that become the first and second round of triangles are generous because I like having extra room. If you're confident then you can use the measurements given at : https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/economy-quilt-block-tutorial-and-inspiration/)

centre: 1 x 6.5" square - this can be a fussy cut of a motif but doesn't have to be. The fussy cut should be square on -- not on the diagonal.

first round of triangles: 2 x 6.5" squares (contrast to centre) - cut in half diagonally into triangles = 4 triangles

second round of triangles: 2 x 8" squares (contrast or patterned) cut in half diagonally into triangles = 4 triangles

CONSTRUCTION

There's a great tutorial here for traditional piecing: https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/economy-quilt-block-tutorial-and-inspiration/

If you've made an economy block before, the basic steps to piecing this are:

1. Fold your centre square in half each way, so you have a little crease to mark the centre on each side. Fold each triangle, creasing the centre. 

2. Sew one of your first round triangles onto each side of the square, centering it. Press away from the square. Then trim off the dog ears of the triangles even with the edges of the centre square. This will help keep the block flat and true. Make sure you trim keeping the 6.5" width of the centre block. 

3. Sew the other two first round triangles onto the other sides of the square, centering them. Press them away from the square. 

4. Square the block to 9" -- making sure you have a quarter inch of fabric beyond each point of the centre square so the points will be preserved during the next step. Try to keep everything centred. I like to make sure that my 4.5 line is centred top to bottom and side to side through the points and that I'm keeping a quarter inch seam's worth of fabric behind each point on the top and side. Then I trim off those two sides. I rotate the block and I just trim the whole thing to 9"

 

5. Add the second round of triangles the same way -- centering them on the square and pressing them out from the centre. Trim the first two triangles of the second round even with the edges of the 9" block. 

Square to 12.5 inches (leaving a quarter inch beyond the points so the points won't be cut off when the quilt is assembled. (NB: the block above doesn't leave enough room after squaring up to preserve the points of the second round -- I adjusted the sizes of the triangles so the one below is better, and those are the sizes I give in the cutting list above).

That's it! If you don't have a 12.5" square ruler just send me the block untrimmed -- I'm happy to trim that up for you.

Thank you so much for helping me make this very loud quilt, and thanks from my quilting assistant Vittoria, pictured here helping me quilt spirals on my Colourwash Quilt lol.