{Classic Quilt Blocks} Pinwheel - An Introduction

This month's Classic Quilt Block is a block that's very near and dear to me. I have a soft spot for the simple Pinwheel block and I just love how sweet and delicate it looks in quilt designs. It's a dainty quilt block that's easy to sew and it can be used in many ways.

This block takes me right back to my early childhood, when a visit to our annual country show meant I could bring home a pretty pinwheel on a stick - other kids went for the showbags and the terrifying rides, I went for the pinwheels and the fairy floss. ;)

In this introductory post I'm going to share the Pinwheels history, have a look at how the block is drafted and constructed, and give you some antique quilt inspiration to make you love this block as much as I do.

I consider the Pinwheel block to be one of the Classic Quilt Blocks because it's been around since the early 1800's and it has an illustrious and significant history. In antique quilts it appears as a standalone block or as part of another quilt block such as the centre of a Sawtooth Star or as a focal point of the Hither and Yon block, just to name a few.

It's constructed quickly and easily and it's only a matter of mastering the humble half square triangle (HST) block and you'll be sewing up a batch of your own Pinwheels in no time at all.

Let's have a look at the Pinwheel block in more detail.

Block History:

The Pinwheel block is a representation of the water pump windmills found on farms or small towns along the Oregon trails. Water was not only required for daily living (cooking, drinking and bathing) but it was also a power source especially in timber and grain mills, powering their tools as supplies were crafted. Water was pumped from hand dug wells using the natural power of wind to move the water from underground to where it was needed.

The Pinwheel block made its appearance in pioneer quilting during the early 1800's and back then quilts were sewn for practical purposes - room dividers for privacy and door and window coverings as well as for comfort and warmth on beds etc. They were also folded and placed on two chairs to act as a sofa, and once a quilt became torn or frayed it would be cut down and made into baby quilts.

A pinwheel quilt was considered decorative and it paid homage to the life preserving windmill that allowed them to survive the pioneer life. Regardless of its history it's still used today because of its simple beauty, quick construction and it's versality.

Block Design:

The Pinwheel block is part of the four patch family and it's constructed with simple half square triangles blocks (HST's), with the darker fabrics positioned to represent the windmill blades rotating around the block. 

The points of the blades all meet in the centre with the wider part of the blades facing the outside edges of the block catching the wind to power the windmill.

It's constructed as a four patch block and it's drafted using a 2 x 2 grid:

To determine the cutting size for your fabrics, it's as simple as determining the HST block size and cutting accordingly. So, for a 6" block you would divide the block size by 2 and then add seam allowances all round, which gives you four 3 1/2" unfinished HST units.

You can then use my HST Cutting Chart and Tutorial to select your size and use the tutorial to sew four HST units at once, making it quick and easy to construct your Pinwheel block.

You can also wait for next week's step by step tutorial and I'll give you a cutting chart for six sizes including the unfinished size of the HST units for each sized block, so trimming is quick, easy and accurate.

Colour Values:

There's not a lot of options for changing the way this classic Pinwheel block appears in your quilt. The darker fabrics represent the blades and alternating the HST units doesn't change the block, just how the blades sit in the block.

You can use one dark fabric like the examples above or you might like to use two fabrics to add more depth and contrast or why not give each blade a different colour. Be bold, be scrappy, do you!

That's about it for colour options with this classic Pinwheel block. I will introduce you to a double version next week where you have the freedom to play with the colour values.

To get ready for next week's step by step tutorial make sure you grab a copy of my free Pinwheel Colouring Sheet. Simply click on the link below to download and print:

Grab your pencils, crayons or markers and print as many copies as you'd like ready for next week's tutorial.

Antique Inspiration:

Antique quilts provide some great inspiration when making a Pinwheel quilt. Let's have a look at some I found in a quick Google search:

{photos from Google images}

Aren't they gorgeous? I love looking at antique quilts and these ones are stunning. Their simplicity is homey and welcoming and regardless of how the quilter has set them, they look amazing.

Some of them are set with plain squares in between and this would make a quick finish quilt - they almost have me digging through the scrap bins ready to make one of my own. I also like the addition of simple sashing but the one which includes the four patch cornerstones is probably my favorite.

So many great ideas to help you plan your next Pinwheel quilt.

So here's what to expect over the next few weeks as I share the Pinwheel block in my Classic Quilt Block series:

• Week 2 - A step by step tutorial for a 6" (finished) Pinwheel block plus a chart of cutting requirements for six sizes. I'm also including a FPP version of a double pinwheel for my paper piecing lovers.

• Week 3 - I'm going to share nine of my favorite Pinwheel quilt patterns and you're going to love each and every one of these I assure you.

• Week 4 - I'm going to show you just how easy it is to combine the Pinwheel block with the other Classic Quilt Blocks we have looked at so far - I really want to encourage you to try mixing and matching blocks. Plus I'm releasing a new Classic Quilt Blocks Mini pattern and this one has really stolen my heart!

And that's it for my introduction to the Pinwheel block. If you haven't sewn one of these before then next week's tutorial will be a treat, and I'm sure you'll be at your machine sewing a stack for your next quilt.

Happy quilting :)