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Spinning Pinwheels

This Spinning Pinwheel block creates a good sense of movement in a quilt and allows for either subtle or dramatic colour combinations. The fanned shape of the block is perfect for assessing how a group of fabrics work together and is very satisfying visually The Subtle Spin quilt opposite is made from eight toning fabrics for the pinwheel blocks and two background fabrics used alternately in the blocks. The cutting for all the blocks is done at the same time. Each block looks different because the pieces are rearranged, although the step-by-step stages of construction are the same each time. The blocks are separated with sashing strips and a final 4in (10cm) border added. Sue Fitzgerald used the Spinning Pinwheel block to produce a lovely quilt in very different colours – see Blue-and-White Delight.

Subtle Spin

THE QUILT STORY

Every year fabric designers bring out a new range of fabrics, often in a co-ordinating set of colours. I bought assorted half yards of a truly delectable collection designed by Robyn Pandolph, all soft greens and pinks. Two years later when I finally found a project to suit it there wasn't a piece to be found anywhere to supplement my inadequate stash. Trawling through quilt shops and students’ own fabrics, I finally acquired enough extra fabric to make the quilt. The moral of this story is: assume that when you buy from a new and probably temporary fabric range that you will finally want to use it in a decent-sized quilt. You need six yards in total for this quilt, not six half-yard pieces…

Much time is saved on this quilt by eight layers of fabric being cut at the same time. The squares are then cut into wedges, each of which is used to make a block.

Finished block size 10in × 10in (25.3cm × 25.3cm)

Finished quilt size 55½in × 55½in (141cm × 141cm)

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

• Pinwheel block fabrics: two squares each of eight fabrics, each cut 9in × 9in (22.8cm × 22.8cm).

• Background fabrics: 30in (76.2cm) each of two different fabrics each 42in–44in (106.7cm–111.8cm) wide.

• Sashing: 1yd (1m) of fabric plus 6in (15.2cm) of another fabric 42in–44in (106.7cm–111.8cm) wide for the contrast cornerstones.

• Border: 30in (76.2cm) of fabric 42in–44in (106.7cm–111.8cm) wide.

• Binding: 15in (38cm) of fabric 42in–44in (106.6cm–111.7cm) wide.

• Wadding and backing fabric: at least 2in (5cm) larger than finished quilt size.

“This quilt is a favourite of mine as I love the soft colours. I quilted it to death by hand over one summer – an excuse to sit in the sun and sew.”

Construction

This technique makes eight blocks from the initial eight squares of pinwheel fabrics, so start by cutting and making the first eight blocks, and then repeat the process to make the second set of eight blocks.

CUTTING THE SQUARES

1 From each of the chosen pinwheel fabrics cut two squares, each 9in × 9in (22.7cm × 22.7cm). Set one square of each fabric aside to be used later in the second set of blocks. Take one square of each fabric and arrange them in a sequence that pleases you. Remember that the last fabric will link up with the first fabric in this pinwheel design. Note the order of the fabrics on a piece of paper and number each one.

Cutting through eight layers at once sounds great, but accuracy can suffer as the fabric shifts a little with each cut. Instead, make two piles each with just four layers of fabric and reassemble into one pile after cutting.

2 Place the fabric squares numbered 1–4 on top of each other with 1 at the top and 4 at the bottom, all right side upwards. Line up the cut edges of the squares exactly. Use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut the squares diagonally from corner to corner (Fig 1). Repeat this from the other corner to corner diagonally (Fig 2).

Fig 1

Fig 2

3 Without moving the layers of fabric, place the ruler horizontally across the centre of the fabric and the bottom edge of the fabric matching the 4½in marking on the ruler (Fig 3). Cut across the fabric squares.

Fig 3

4 Lift the ruler without disturbing the piles of fabric and place it vertically down the centre of the fabric with the left-hand edge of fabric matching the 4½in marking on the ruler (Fig 4). Lefthanders should work from the right-hand side of the fabric. Cut through the fabric squares vertically. The four layers are now cut into eight triangles (Fig 5).

Fig 4

Fig 5

5 Repeat this with the squares of fabric numbered 5–8, with fabric 5 at the top and 8 at the bottom of the pile. Carefully place the first set of cut squares on top of the new set so that the order of fabrics goes in sequence from 1 at the top to 8 on the bottom.

The wedges of fabric will be used one at a time to make a block from each. This may take longer than planned (life gets in the way sometimes), so keep the cut layer-cake of fabrics in a tray or box so they stay in their neat wedges ready for use.

Arranging the pieces

6 Pick up the pile of triangles marked A in Fig 6. Arrange them in a cut square, starting with the top fabric 1 in position A and working round clockwise to finish with fabric 8 (Fig 7).

Fig 6

Fig 7

7 Turn pieces 1, 3, 5 and 7 to make the arrangement shown in Fig 8.

Fig 8

Making the block

8 From each of the two background fabrics cut four squares measuring 9in × 9in (22.7cm × 22.7cm) and thirty-two strips measuring 2in × 6¼in (5cm × 15.8cm). Cut each fabric square into eight pieces like the pinwheel fabrics in Fig 5.

9 Now take the pinwheel triangle numbered 2 in Fig 8 and place the triangle on a cut strip of background fabric with right sides facing as in Fig 9. The square corner of the triangle should match the top corner of the strip. Pin and stitch the triangle to the strip with the usual ¼in (6mm) seam allowance (Fig 10). Press the triangle out from the strip, ironing from the front of the work (Fig 11). Press the seam towards the triangle.

Fig 9

Fig 10

Fig 11

Each triangle should always be placed in the same position as in Fig 9. Don't try to remember – check with the diagram!

Trimming the triangles

10 Use a rotary cutter and ruler to trim the strip to match the edge of the triangle. Place a square ruler on to the fabric, matching the fabric edges of the triangle with the edges of the ruler (Fig 12). Trim off the overhanging strip of background fabric along the edge of the ruler to make a pieced triangle, as shown in Fig 13.

Fig 12

Fig 13

11 Place the pieced triangle back in the block (Fig 14). Repeat this process with triangles 4, 6 and 8. Place them back in the design (Fig 15).

Fig 14

Fig 15

12 Take triangle 1 from the design. Arrange it with a triangle of background fabric as in Fig 16, with the square corners positioned as shown. Pin and stitch the two triangles together. Press the seam towards triangle 1, ironing from the front of the work (Fig 17).

Fig 16

Fig 17

Always place the triangle of background fabric on the right-hand side, because if you switch the triangles over they will not fit into the pinwheel design.

13 Place the joined triangles back in the block (Fig 18). Repeat this process with triangles 3, 5 and 7. Place them back in the design (Fig 19).

Fig 18

Fig 19

14 Take pieces 1 and 2. These need to be joined together along the diagonal seams (Fig 20). Pin and stitch the two pieces together, taking care not to stretch the bias edges of the fabric as you stitch. Press the seam towards piece 1. Repeat this to join pieces 3 and 4, then pieces 5 and 6 and then 7 and 8.

Fig 20

15 Trim the squares, if necessary, to exactly 5½in × 5½in (13.8cm × 13.8cm) and arrange them back into the Pinwheel block as in Fig 19.

Trimming the squares at this stage is really helpful as they will fit together more easily into the final block. Use a square ruler and match the diagonal line on the ruler with the diagonal seam on the fabric square when you trim.

Joining the block

16 Pin and stitch the top two squares together, matching seams carefully. Press the seam to the left, ironing from the front (Fig 21).

Fig 21

17 Pin and stitch the bottom two squares together. Press the seam to the right (Fig 22). Finally, join the two halves together, matching the centre seams carefully. Press the final long seam to one side. The remaining blocks can be arranged as block 1, or varied as described in the panel, right.

Fig 22

Making the second set of blocks

Repeat the block-making process to make another eight blocks, using the second set of eight fabric squares and the four squares and thirty-two strips of the second background fabric.

VARYING THE BLOCKS

You could repeat block 1 for the whole quilt or vary the spinning pinwheel colour layout so there are eight different blocks, as follows.

Block 2: pick up the pile of triangles marked B in Fig 6. Arrange them in a cut square, beginning with the top fabric 1 in position B in Fig 6 and working round clockwise to finish with fabric 8 (Fig 23). Once the fabrics are in position ignore their numbers and just follow the instructions as for block 1. All the fabrics will have shifted round one place in the circular design, which gives a very different effect.

Fig 23

Block 3: pick up the pile of triangles marked C in Fig 6. Arrange them in the cut square beginning with the top fabric 1 in position C in Fig 6 and work round clockwise as before. Again, follow the instructions for block 1 using this new arrangement of triangles.

Block 4: use the triangles marked D in Fig 6 and lay them out with fabric 1 in position D in Fig 6, working round clockwise as before.

Block 5: use the triangles marked E in Fig 6 and lay them out with fabric 1 in position E in Fig 6, working round clockwise as before.

Block 6 starts at F, block 7 at G and block 8 at H. The completed blocks will now all have a different layout.

SASHING THE BLOCKS

The sixteen blocks are sashed with pieced cornerstones that echo the pinwheel design of the block (Fig 24).

Fig 24

1 Arrange the sixteen blocks in four rows of four blocks (Fig 25).

Fig 25

2 From the sashing fabric cut twenty-four strips each measuring 2in × 10½in (5cm × 26.6cm). From the fabric for the cornerstones cut forty-five squares each 2in × 2in (5cm × 5cm).

3 Pin a square of cornerstone fabric at one end of twelve of the cut sashing strips. Stitch diagonally across the square as in Fig 26.

Fig 26

The cornerstones must always be stitched in the same direction as shown in Fig 26.

4 Trim both fabrics ¼in (6mm) beyond the stitched line (Fig 27). Press the cornerstone piece away from the strip, ironing from the front (Fig 28).

Fig 27

Fig 28

5 In the same way, pin and stitch a square of cornerstone fabric to both ends of the other twelve sashing strips. Trim and press as before (Fig 29).

Fig 29

6 Pin and stitch three of the single-cornerstone sashing strips between the top row of blocks (Fig 30). Press the seams towards the sashing.

Fig 30

7 Repeat this for the bottom row of blocks, turning this row of blocks through 180 degrees once the cornerstones have been added.

8 Pin and stitch three double-cornerstone sashing strips between the blocks of both row 2 and row 3 (Fig 31).

Fig 31

9 Join two single-cornerstone sashing strips and two double-cornerstone sashing strips together with three squares of cornerstone fabric as in Fig 32. Make two more joined strips like this.

Fig 32

10 Pin and stitch the three long joined strips between the rows of blocks, matching all the seams carefully (Fig 33). Press the seams towards the sashing

Fig 33

ADDING THE BORDERS

I framed the quilt with a border of sashing fabric cut 2½in (6.2cm) wide (finished width 2in/5cm). A second wider border was made from one of the pinwheel fabrics cut 4in (10cm) wide. (See Bordering a Quilt.)

QUILTING

Each block was quilted by hand in the design shown in Fig 34. The sashing was quilted ¼in (6mm) away from the seams in the traditional way. The wide border has a design of triangles quilted on it (Fig 35). The quilt is bound in a dark green fabric that was also one of the pinwheel fabrics.

Fig 34

Fig 35

MAKING A LARGER QUILT

To make a single bed quilt 65½in × 90in (166.3cm × 228.5cm) like Sue Fitzgerald's (opposite), the number of blocks must be increased, from four rows with four blocks in each row (sixteen blocks in total) to seven rows with five blocks in each row (thirty-five blocks in total). This means making four sets of eight blocks (thirty-two blocks) plus three more blocks. To make another complete set of eight blocks is a waste of fabric and energy, so it's useful to know how to make individual blocks to make up the correct number for a quilt project. Also, if you want to make a really scrap quilt with every pinwheel block in different fabrics, this is the way to do it.

1 Choose eight different fabrics for the pinwheel. From each fabric cut one square 4½in × 4½in (11.3cm × 11.3cm). Cut each square in half diagonally (Fig 36) to give two identical triangles from each fabric. Use one set of triangles to make one block and the other set of triangles for a second block. If you only need one block, then save the second set of triangles for another project.

Fig 36

2 From the chosen background fabric cut two squares each 4½in × 4½in (11.3cm × 11.3cm) and cut each square in half diagonally, to give four triangles, enough to make one block. From the background fabric cut four strips each 2in × 6¼in (5cm × 15.8cm). These will also make one block.

3 Now go back to the instructions or Construction for arranging the pieces. Arrange the eight different triangles of fabric as in Fig 7 and then follow the instructions from steps 8–17 to make the block.

Blue-and-White Delight

Sue Fitzgerald made this beautifully fresh looking single-bed sized quilt in her favourite blue and white colour scheme using Spinning Pinwheel blocks but increasing the number of blocks to thirty-five – see the panel, left, for instructions on making a larger quilt.

“I collect blue and white china and love using calico, so these colours really appealed to me. The rust-red accents, I felt, brought it to life. (Sue Fitzgerald)”