How to Sew the Four Winds Quilt Block: A Striking Pinwheel Star Made Easy
If you love quilt blocks that look intricate but come together with simple techniques, the Four Winds quilt block is a perfect project to try. This striking 12" block combines the movement of a pinwheel with the symmetry of a star, creating a design that looks far more complex than it really is.
Made entirely from half-square triangles, snowballed rectangles and squares, the Four Winds block is a great way to practice piecing while building a beautiful, dynamic design for your next quilt. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through every step — from cutting to final assembly — so you can confidently stitch your own Four Winds quilt block.
Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Four Winds Quilt Block:
- Light/White: 8 - 3" squares, and 4 - 2.5" squares
- Light/Purple: 6 - 3" squares, and 12 - 2.5" squares
- Medium/Blue: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
- Dark/Purple: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 2 - 2.5" squares
Sewing Directions:
Half-Square Triangle Units:
Step 1:
Using the two Dark/Purple 3" squares and two Light/White 3" squares, sew together four Half Square Triangle (HST) units like the ones in the picture below. Press the seam allowances toward the Light/White fabric. Trim/square up the units to 2.5". You can find my tutorial for making basic Half Square Triangles at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block
Step 2:
Repeat Step 1 only using the six Light/Purple 3" squares and six Light/White 3" squares to make 12 Half Square Triangle units.
Snowballed Rectangle Units:
Step 3:
Now we are going to "snowball" one corner of a Dark/Purple 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle with a Light/Purple 2.5" square. This is basically the first steps for making a Flying Geese block. Here are the steps going from top to bottom:
- Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Light/Purple 2.5" square.
- Sew the Light/Purple 2.5" square to the Dark/Purple rectangle along the marked line. Note the orientation of the marked line.
- Match the corners of the Light/Purple square and press.
- Open the square up and trim the seam allowance.
- Refold.
Step 4:
Repeat Step 3 for a total of four Light/Purple-Dark/Purple snowballed rectangle units.
Diagonal Stripe Units:
Step 5:
The Diagonal Stripe units are made in the same manner as a Flying Geese unit except that opposite corners are used instead of adjacent corners.
Repeat Steps 3 through 4 only substituting the Dark/Purple rectangles with the Medium/Blue rectangles.
Step 6:
Repeat Step 3 on the opposite corner (lower right corner) of the Medium/Blue rectangle as shown in the picture below.
Step 7:
Repeat Step 6 for a total of four Diagonal Stripe Units.
Corner Units:
Step 8:
Sew a Step 1 and a Step 2 half square triangle (HST) together as shown in the picture below. Press the seam allowance toward the Light/Purple HST.
Step 9:
Lay out a Step 8 unit, a Step 4, and a Step 7 unit as shown below.
Step 10:
Sew the units together and press the seam allowances toward the center of the unit as shown in the picture below.
Step 11:
Lay out two Step 2 HST units and a Light/White 2.5" square as shown below. Press the seam allowances away from the center of the unit.
Step 12:
Lay out a Step 10 and a Step 11 unit as shown below.
Step 13:
Sew the two units together and press the seam allowance toward the Step 11 unit as shown below.
Step 14:
Repeat Steps 8 through 13 for a total of four Corner units.
Putting It All Together:
Step 15:
Lay out the four Corner units as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a basic Four Patch block.
Step 16:
Sew the units into two rows.
Step 17:
Press the seam allowances as shown in the picture below. Notice that the seam allowances lay in the same direction as the other units that meet in the center.
Step 18:
Sew the two rows together.
Step 19:
Press the seam allowance. I've pressed with the tweak/twirl/furl method so that the block lays flatter. Notice that all the seam allowances in the center lay in the same direction (clockwise).
Layout Ideas:
Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout. I like how the twirling motion appears and also the secondary design where the corners come together.
Same layout as above but with coordinating sashing and cornerstones added.
This is an interesting alternating layout using an easy snowball block as the alternate block.
Another alternating layout with Sunbonnet Sue and Sam applique blocks.
And another alternating layout using a simple chain block in a dark color as the alternating block.
This is an on-point layout with an alternating chain block and background fabric for the setting triangles.
This on-point example has sashing in the background fabric, red cornerstones and background fabric for the setting triangles.
This striking on-point layout uses black for the background fabric.
Conclusion:
While there are a lot of steps to the Four Winds block, they are all easy to construct. I love the motion the block creates when made into a quilt. It was a lot of fun to make! You should give it a try!
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you like it and want to see more, just click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF quilt pattern called "Chained Weathervane".
Happy Quilting!
Elaine
P.S. Looking for simpler blocks? Take a look at these tutorials: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/tutorials_beginning-blocks
P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406