Economical Economy Blocks

There are every where-  those Economy Blocks. And why not, they are fun, perfect for fussy cutting special fabrics and are easy to put together. But, I really didn't need another pile of small fussy cut fabrics. You see,  (insert confession here) I went a bit overboard with polaroid blocks. Debbie at A Quilters Table had such a wonderful idea and was hostess to a giant block swap, who was I to refuse???  So,  I cut and I cut, and I traded and I have a pile of whimsical blocks. (It's in my WIP 2014 pile- truly).  But I do love the simplicity of the Economy Bock and I really couldn't resist……...

Polaroid blocks on the left, 2.5" fussy cut squares on the right.

………..So…. I went to my pile of already cut polaroid center blocks, which are 2.5".  Using Red Pepper Quilt's wonderfully written tutorial, and adjusting the sizes for a 2.5" center, you can turn any 2.5" square of fabric into economy blocks. And if you're like me and have some jelly rolls lying around, you can economize even further, by using your stash, which is just what I did with some fun tone-on-tone chevron prints.

The details: follow this tutorial for construction of the blocks BUT cut your fabrics (or use already cut fabric) as follows:

       1-  2.5"  for the center square
       2- 2.5" squares for the inner triangles
       2- 3.5" squares for the outer triangles

Please follow all the directions for block construction  as per the tutorial with the following exceptions:
Step 4: trim block to 3.25 x 3.25 inches
Step 6: trim block to 4.25 x 4.25 inches (finished block size)

Voila! The Economical Economy Block, a bit smaller than her popular sister, but oh so nice none the less.