Traditional Pattern - Pinwheel Star Quilt Block

Today we're going to put together a traditional Pinwheel Star Quilt Block! It starts out with an on-point pinwheel quilt block, add some triangles and finish with Flying Geese units. It's lovely block - let's get started!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Pinwheel Star Quilt Block:

• Light/White: 4 - 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles, and 4 - 3.5" squares
• Light Print: 2 - 3+7/8" squares, cut in half diagonally once for a total of 4 medium triangles
• Medium/Green: 1 - 4.25" square, cut in half diagonally twice for a total of 4 small triangles
• Medium/Blue: 8 - 3.5" squares
• Dark/Black Print: 1 - 4.25" square, cut in half diagonally twice for a total of 4 small triangles

Pinwheel Center Unit:

Step 1:

Sew together one of the Medium/Green small triangles and one of the Dark/Black Print small triangles along a short side as shown in the picture below.

Step 2:

Press the seam allowance toward the Dark/Black Print as shown below. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for a total of 4 units.

Step 3:

Using the picture below as a reference, sew a Light Print medium triangle to the Step 2 unit along the long side.

Step 4:

And press the seam allowance toward the Light Print fabric as you can see in the picture below. I recommend trimming up the blocks (which I didn't do) to get rid of the little dog ears and make the unit less bulky and neater. Definitely a do as I say not as I do moment! Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for a total of four units.

Step 5:

Using the picture below as a reference, lay out the four Step 4 units and sew together in two rows (or columns as seen here).

Step 6:

Press the seam allowances in opposite directions as shown in the picture below so that the seams will nest nicely. 

Step 7:

Sew the two rows (columns) together and you have the center pinwheel unit done!

Step 8:

Press the seam allowance. In the picture below I've used the tweak/twirl/furl method but it's hard to see because I didn't trim up those units at the start!

Flying Geese Units:

Step 9:

Using the Light/White 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles and the Medium/Blue 3.5" squares, make four Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below. You can find my tutorial for making Flying Geese units at: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block

Putting It All Together:

Step 10:

Using the picture below as a reference, lay out the Pinwheel Center Unit, the four Flying Geese units, and the four Light/White 3.5" squares.

Step 11:

Sew the units together in three rows as shown in the picture below.

Step 12:

And press the seam allowances toward the Flying Geese units as you can see in the picture below.

Step 13:

Now you can sew the three rows together to complete the block!

Step 14:

Press the seam allowances away from the center as shown in the picture below.The Pinwheel Star quilt block should measure 12.5" square (12" finished).

In Conclusion:

I like the look of this Pinwheel Star quilt block - the on-point pinwheel in the center makes a nice focal point. I should have trimmed the four little units that make up the center so that the block would lay flatter, etc.

However, I do think there is an easier way (although more fabric is wasted) to put this block together and so I'll be doing a tutorial on that method in the future (if it works out like I think it will).

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Let me know what you think of this Pinwheel Star Quilt Block! If you like this tutorial and want to see more, simply click HERE to receive a free PDF quilt pattern called "Chained Weathervane" and sign up for my newsletter.

Happy Quilting!

Elaine