Cutting the Pinwheel Block for a Quilt

Use contrasting fabrics for your pinwheel blocks.

Quilting is a time honored way to create beautiful works of art, complimenting a bedroom, a wall or an heirloom hope chest. One popular quilting block, the pinwheel block, gets its name from the triangles used. When finished and sewn on in order, the triangles appear to pinwheel across the quilt. While sewing a pinwheel quilt is a time-consuming process, cutting the blocks correctly and efficiently reduces both time spent on preparation and fabric waste.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric pencil
• Tape measure or ruler
• Cutting mat
• Rotary fabric tool
• Straight-edge ruler
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Determine the desired finished size for your quilt block, and then measure and mark the fabric with a quilting pencil, allowing for a 1/4-inch seam on all sides. For example, if you want a finished 6- by 6-inch block, cut a 6 1/2-inch by 6 1/2-inch block of fabric.

2. Lay the fabric on a cutting mat, and use a rotary fabric tool to cut out your quilt blocks. Separate into two piles by fabric.

3. Lay a fabric square from the first pile, pattern-side up, on a flat surface. Place a fabric square from the second pile, pattern-side down, on top of the first square. Align the right sides of the squares, and then align the rough edges on the top and bottom.

4. Draw a diagonal line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner, using a straight-edge ruler and a fabric pencil.

5. Sew a 1/4-inch seam on either side of the diagonal line, and then cut the square in half along the diagonal line, using scissors or a rotary tool.

6. Repeat Steps 3 through 5 for all remaining quilt squares.

References

• Utah State University Extension: Pinwheel Block
• Quilt Design Northwest: Pinwheel Block Cutting Spreadsheet