Awaiting Spring Fussy Cut Economy Square Block

Show off your favorite eye-catching prints or designs by learning how to fussy cut fabric. Let designer Debbie von Grabler-Crozier teach you the beginner basics of fussy cutting with this tutorial for making a classic economy square quilt block. This quilting tutorial is a wonderful teaching tool for beginner quilters who want to level up their quilting skills by showing you how to fussy cut, make cornerstones and add sashing around the borders of your block.

Materials:

• Fabric: (Note: Fabrics are all by Art Gallery Fabrics.)
  • Fat Eighth floral fabric with nice clear motifs for fussy cutting. The designer loves Libelulle Awakening by Katie O’Shea from the Spring Equinox collection for AGF.
    • TIP: This is more fabric than you will need for one block but it is the minimum cut usually sold. Also, fussy cutting is quite wasteful sometimes. Often you need to search for the ideal motif and cut in the middle of a piece of fabric, which you would not do normally so the extra is handy if you are making more than one block.
  • Fat Eighth coordinating blender to make the economy block triangles. The designer preferred Ornate Foliage Snow by Katie O’Shea from the Spring Equinox collection for AGF.
  • Fat Eighth coordinating blender for the sashes. The designer loves Weeping Willows by Katie O’Shea from the Spring Equinox collection for AGF.
  • 10” sq. coordinating solid for the cornerstones. The designer used Mediterraneo from the Pure Elements collection by AGF.
• Scissors
• Fabric markers
• Extra feet for your sewing machine (zipper foot, for example)

Designer Notes:

• Please read all instructions and assembly requirements before beginning the pattern.
• Seam allowances are all 1/4” and have already been added.

Cutting Instructions:

From the fussy cut fabric:

• 1 piece 4 3/4” sq. fussy cut en pointe (see note below).

From the economy triangle fabric:

• 2 squares 4” sq., sub-cut diagonally to make 4 triangles in total.

From the sash fabric:

• 4 pieces 2” wide x 6 5/8” long for the sashes.

TIP: Watch for directional patterns here. The beautiful fabric has a strongly directional fabric so the designer has cut one way for the side sashes and another way for the top and bottom.

From the cornerstone fabric:

• 4 pieces 2” sq. for the cornerstones.

Designer Note: To cut en pointe is merely a fancy way of saying that the square has to be sitting up on its corner rather than cut flat with the grain of the fabric. This means that all of the edges will be bias so treat them very gently. To cut the square piece and get it perfectly aligned, a transparent square quilting ruler is the easiest.

Sewing Instructions:

1. Cut your motif from the fabric so that it sits in the center of the cut.
   
   
2. Attach two triangles to the fussy cut motif on the top right and lower left hand sides and press.
   
   
   1. TIP: Press (up and down motion with no steam) rather than iron (back and forth and often with steam) to protect the bias edges and avoid stretching them.
   2. TIP: Those triangles need to be exactly in the middle of the fussy cut square to get the overhang right, which forms your seam allowance. Fold the square and the triangle in half, mark the center centers and simply line them up.
3. Come back in and attach the remaining two to the top left and lower right hand sides to enclose the fussy cut square. Press and trim being very sure to retain the 1/4” seam allowance.
   
   
4. Next attach a sash to the left and right hand sides and press.
   
   
5. The top and bottom sashes need a cornerstone on each end and then, line all of the seams up beautifully, as they go onto the top and bottom of your block.
   
   
   
6. Press and trim your block and you are ready to go!

This is a great block to use on a cushion front, quilted simply or you can make many for a quilt. If you are making the second option, introduce a secondary pattern by swapping the fabrics around on the sashes and cornerstones with every second block.

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