Little Ruby 4 Patch - Square in a Square

How cute is this square in a square quilt?  It may look complicated but it is very forgiving because you trim ... and then trim again. Here is what my starting pile looked like below.  

There are two names for this block - square in a square or the economy block.  Here are the sizes and techniques I did for making this quilt.  Lots of pictures to share but shown in different fabrics since I ran out of Little Ruby to demonstrate.

I cut all my scraps into 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares - or made them that size by sewing a few pieces together. (see below)

All squares were sewn together into a 4 patch with two similar patterns per block if possible. The important thing is to make sure the center points look good in the middle. The outside edges can be wonky since all 4-patch blocks will be trimmed to 4" x 4" unfinished.

3 3/4" x 3 3/4" squares are cut out of the background fabric.  Then sliced on the diagonal into triangles.  Finger press the triangles to create a little crease - wrong sides together.

Lay your triangle with the little crease, right sides together on a seam on the 4-patch. I have a little blue line marked on the wrong side that shows you where the crease is in the pix below. The crease kind of nestles into the seam and easily lines up your center point.  If you made the crease with right sides together it would create a little 'bump' and not lay flat when you sew. 

Sew two triangles on opposite sides of your 4 patch.  Don't call the quilt police because I am not sure if this is the 'right' thing to do - BUT I always flip my units over and trim off the little 'ears'.  Now press open the seams and do the whole thing all over again on the remaining sides. (pix below - the blue marks are only to show where the crease/fold lines are for this post)

You now have another lovely wonky block.  No worries.  Press seams open and trim again. How you do this final trim is up to you - whether it's with a square ruler or on your cutting mat. The final size you are aiming for is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" unfinished.

I enjoy using Deb Tucker rulers where her technique is to make over sized units and trim down.  She has two rulers that do this for a Square in a Square.  One template is for sizes 1" - 6", and then a 2-ruler set that makes sizes 1" - 12".  The link is here.

I positioned the Square in a Square ruler with the dotted lines on my 4 patch - lining it up with the number 5 on all the points. There is little waste and the 4-patch is nicely centered.  Trim to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

The rest was pretty fun - laying out the squares all in rows.  Nothing on the diagonal and all straight stitching.

The same technique and same size was done for the red 'diamonds' on the side.  The only reason it looks different is because this 4 patch is made with two red and two background squares.  

When the background fabric is used as part of the 4 patch - the dominant color creates a nice pretty diamond effect.
Quilting was done with wavy lines in Aurifil 50wt. white #2024 on the top and red #2265 in the bottom bobbin.

There was one little snag that disappointed me with this quilt. The minky was pre-washed a few times and I can't remember if the Little Ruby was way back in 2017.  But even with Shout Catchers there is a slight pink tinge to the background fabric. 

This quilt is solid proof that while I may see a 'pinkish' flaw - the sentiments and thoughts for making this quilt in the first place are what's important.  It's with great joy I gift another quilt to someone new - a lovely lady called Barbara - so she can snuggle up and enjoy  something made especially for her.

Materials:
Little Ruby / Bonnie & Camille / Moda
Modern Background Paper / Zen Chci / Pin Dot - Silver white
Red dimple dot minky
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2024 & #2265
Deb Tucker Square Squared Ruler
Size: 45.5" x 45.5"
March 2019