Economy Blocks are just so much fun to make and I really like the way this blocks showcases fussy cut fabrics. The go-to
is on the Red Pepper Quilt blog. Her blocks have 3 inch center blocks and finish at 5.5 inches. I recommend you use her tutorial to make the block.
I wanted to make an Economy Block potholder, finishing at 8 inch square. It turns out that that is the perfect size to use a pre-cut 5" Charm square for the outer square!
To make the 8" Economy block you need:
One 4 inch center square
Two 4 inch squares cut on the diagonal to make 4 triangles
Two 5 inch squares (Charms) cut on a diagonal to make 4 triangles.
One 8 inch square for the back of the potholder
Bias binding or make your own for the border (about 38-40 inches). I used binding left over from a couple of quilts.
To insulate the potholder you need:
One 8 inch square of Insul-Bright insulated lining made by The Warm Company. This material reflects heat so you don't get burned when you pick up something hot. You'll find it with the quilting products in your fabric store.
One 8 inch square of
cotton
batting. This is needed to absorb any moisture.
1. Assemble the Economy Block. The outer triangles just finish at 8 inches. You won't have much to trim so make sure to keep that 1/4 inch seam on the scant side.
2. Make the sandwich for your potholder:
Economy block
Insul-Bright square
Cotton batting square
Backing square
It doesn't matter which way you pair the batting and Insul-Bright. It will work either way.
3. Quilt as desired.
4. Fold under the raw edge of your bias tape.
5. Sew together the folded end and the first 4 inches of your bias tape.
6. Place the tape over the top edge of your potholder. Start sewing about
1 inch from the corner.
Continue sewing around the 4 sides of the potholder, mitering the corners as you go around the block.
7. Trim the bias tape at the upper edge of the potholder.
8. Now tuck the open tape from step 6 over the top edge of the potholder, covering the cut edge of the bias tape where you just finished sewing.
9. Make a loop out of the 4 inch of bias tape you sewed together in step 5.
10. Sew all the layers together, closing the open tape and catching the loose edge of the bias tape loop on the back of the potholder.
That's it! Time to head to the kitchen to bake something.
