Disappearing 4 patch

Yes, you read that right, Disappearing 4 patch - different from a Disappearing 9 patch, but just as quick and interesting, and it gives a different block to work with.  Also called 4-to-9 patch.  Sally, at SewWonderful provides an excellent tutorial, and Joe Tulips has some nice blocks on display in this post. 

Sample of the finished block from Sally's online tutorial

And the size of both the starting squares and the distance from the middle seams for the cross cuts can be varied for different effects, and to finish with different sized blocks, just like the Disappearing 9 patch. You'll find lots of examples if you just Google "disappearing 4 patch".