Quilt block · Pinwheels · First quilt
Bright Hopes quilt block
Four rectangles in four fabrics round a center square, each sewn on in turn so they turn like a pinwheel.
What to cut for one block
A 6″ finished block measures 6½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
The center square
- B1 square 2½″
Dark · Navy in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 4½″ × 2½″
Medium · Denim in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 4½″ × 2½″
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 4½″ × 2½″
Accent · Apricot in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 4½″ × 2½″
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 9″ finished block measures 9½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
The center square
- B1 square 3½″
Dark · Navy in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 6½″ × 3½″
Medium · Denim in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 6½″ × 3½″
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 6½″ × 3½″
Accent · Apricot in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 6½″ × 3½″
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 12″ finished block measures 12½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
The center square
- B1 square 4½″
Dark · Navy in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 8½″ × 4½″
Medium · Denim in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 8½″ × 4½″
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 8½″ × 4½″
Accent · Apricot in the picture
1 rectangle
- A1 rectangle 8½″ × 4½″
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
How it’s sewn
For the 6″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Sew the set-in seams
These pieces meet where a straight seam can’t run right across, so they’re joined with set-in (Y) seams. Mark the ¼″ seam points at each piece’s corners. Sew each seam only from mark to mark, backstitching at both ends, so the seam allowances stay free; sew the two seams into the corner, then pivot and sew the last one. Press the allowances so they swirl round the point. The part measures 6½″ (6″ finished).
For the 9″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Sew the set-in seams
These pieces meet where a straight seam can’t run right across, so they’re joined with set-in (Y) seams. Mark the ¼″ seam points at each piece’s corners. Sew each seam only from mark to mark, backstitching at both ends, so the seam allowances stay free; sew the two seams into the corner, then pivot and sew the last one. Press the allowances so they swirl round the point. The part measures 9½″ (9″ finished).
For the 12″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Sew the set-in seams
These pieces meet where a straight seam can’t run right across, so they’re joined with set-in (Y) seams. Mark the ¼″ seam points at each piece’s corners. Sew each seam only from mark to mark, backstitching at both ends, so the seam allowances stay free; sew the two seams into the corner, then pivot and sew the last one. Press the allowances so they swirl round the point. The part measures 12½″ (12″ finished).
Blocks like it
Log CabinLogs and strips
PinwheelFour-patch · Pinwheels
Rail FenceLogs and strips
Courthouse StepsLogs and strips
More like this: Pinwheel quilt blocks · Log Cabin and strip quilt blocks · all quilt blocks
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
What size should I make it?
Its 3 × 3 grid lands on the ⅛″ marks at 6″, 9″ and 12″, so every piece measures with a ruler at all three. It also cuts cleanly at 15″ and 18″. In Quarter Inch you can make it any size, and it says when a cut falls between the lines.
Can I paper piece it?
Not as drawn: it has set-in (Y) seams, where three seams meet and none runs straight through. Piece it with a rotary cutter and templates instead, as the cutting list above does.
Is it a good block for a beginner?
It’s a first-quilt block: 5 pieces in 2 different shapes. Nothing in it curves or has to be set in. We work the level out from the block’s own geometry, never by eye.