Pinwheel Quilt Blocks

I've signed up with companies online to get pictures, directions, and inspiration for new crafts ~ specifically quilts (to do in all my spare time!)  Here are some of the sites I get inspiration from....

Sewing It Up from AllFreeSewing
AccuQuilt News
Hooked on Crochet
Fave Crafts
Tipnut.com
Clotilde - Love to Quilt

With most of these, you can sign up to get a weekly email ~ each email could contain a multitude of crafts, ideas, tips & tricks, and even recipes & cleaning tips.

Several months ago, I saw a beautiful pinwheel quilt and wanted to make one.  I've collected contrasting fabrics, gone through my scrap bins, washed, dried, ironed, and cut my squares out.  I sewed the first 2 blocks yesterday in my new sewing room (Katie's former bedroom).

The top square was my first attempt and the bottom was the 2nd square.  I really like the way they are turning out.  I decided to make big squares for the first pinwheel quilt because I wanted bigger fabric pieces to work with.  Since my fabric was cut into 8 inch squares, my finished blocks are 14 inches.    The smaller the fabric squares are cut, the smaller the finished block will be.

Here is the site I got the directions from........
http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2010/03/pinwheel-quilt-day-3.html
You'll have to copy and paste that onto your browser.  There are 3 different parts to the directions.  The first talks about the fabric, the second the cutting and constructing the square and the third is quilt construction.

I discovered a few things when I did the first block.  You are supposed to lay the 2 contrasting fabrics face to face, draw a line from one corner to the other with a pencil or pen (half an X), pin fabric together and stitch 1/4" down both sides of the line on that block ~ then cut down the line and you have the top half of the block.  (There are pictures on the link above that make more sense!)  There has got to be a trick to sewing 1/4" on either side of the line that I don't know because that was not easy.  My points on that block don't totally line up the way the picture showed they should.

On the second block, I put the contrasting fabrics face to face, and instead of drawing the line cut it into triangles with my rotary cutter ~then sewed.  MUCH easier and the points lined up.  So I think we are going with triangles from now on.

I've got of different fabrics and had fun collecting them.  Our Walmart started their fabric section again so I got some from there.  Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's have filled in the rest of the selections.  1/4 yard of fabric will give you 4 - 8" blocks.  Make sure your fabric is one hundred percent cotton so the pieces retain their shape when cut, sewed, and ironed.