How to Do Pinwheel Quilts
The Pinwheel quilt pattern became standard in the Western world roughly 200 years ago. These patterns were used as both pieces in the quilt or as a border. Creating your own pinwheel quilt is simple, as the shape is easy to reproduce and modify to fit your own preferences.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pencil
- Quilting fabric
- Fabric pencil
- Fabric scissors
- Solid white quilting fabric
- Sewing machine
- Batting
- Solid white quilting backing fabric
Instructions
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1
Determine how many pinwheels you desire in the quilt and how large you want them to be. Each pinwheel will result in a square. However, the triangles that comprise the square will alternate between four patterned shapes and four white shapes. Draw this on a paper, and include the final measurements to give yourself a template to work from.
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2
Draw squares on the material that are the same size as the finished pinwheel. These will create eight triangles. Repeat this with the white material.
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3
Cut the resulting squares, from the larger square, into four even squares. Slice the squares on a diagonal, from opposite ends, to create triangles.
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4
Fit the triangles together loosely on your workspace to create a mockup of your final quilt, ensuring all the triangles fit together. Alternate between white and patterned triangles to create a large pinwheel.
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5
Flip the triangles upside-down, still keeping them in the final pattern. Sew the long edge connecting each patterned piece to the white triangles together to create small squares. Sew the small squares together to create the large pinwheel square.
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6
Sew together all the pinwheel blocks to create the large surface of the final quilt.
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7
Trace the finished quilt on to the plain fabric underneath to ensure the bottom will match the top. Cut it out. Place them together with the finished and unfinished sides facing out.
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8
Sew three sides of the quilt and turn it inside out. Insert the batting and finish the quilt by sewing the open side closed.
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Tips & Warnings
Iron down the seams every time you create them to lessen the final bulk.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
