Tamarinis

Double Pinwheels - A Tutorial

One of my favorite blocks is a pinwheel.  But....what's even better than a pinwheel?  A double pinwheel!  Yep - it's like double the joy, double the fun.  Let's make one together!

Gather your Materials:

    To make (2) 9 1/2" (9" finished) Double Pinwheels, you will need:                         

                    (2) 6" background squares (aqua)

                 (2) 6" small blade squares (lime stripe

                 (4) 6" large blade squares (fuchsia)

                 Marking tool (pencil or chalk marker)

                 Rotary cutter

                 6 1/2" (or larger) square rotary ruler

                

Let's begin!

Match one aqua square with one lime square, right sides together (RST).  If working with a directional fabric AND you care which way your directional print goes, take a moment to "test" the direction by folding back one corner (as shown above).  Since my half square triangles (HSTs) will rotate around the block, I know that I need two going in a vertical orientation, and two going in a horizontal orientation.  

If you are not using a directional fabric, or if you simply don't care, then skip the above step.

Draw a line corner to corner on the wrong size of your aqua squares.  Sew 1/4" seam allowance to the right side and to the left side of the drawn line.  Cut on the drawn line.  You will now have (2) HSTs!.  Press the HSTs open, pressing to the darker (aqua) fabric.  Isn't it pretty?  But we are SOOOO far from being done!

 

Cut the HST in half ACROSS the seam line, from corner to corner.  Hint: Place a line on your ruler ON the seam line, and place the edge of the ruler so that it hits the two corners.  Now when you cut along the edge, you will have a nice, straight line, and two equal units.  Repeat with your second aqua/lime HST.

Cut your (4) 6" fuchsia squares in half corner to corner, as shown.  These will become your large blades.  Ready to lay this sucker out?  Yep, me too!

Now comes the fun part - laying out all of your units to see how they will look together.  Take a moment to work with your directional fabric (if you had it).  If you followed my suggestion above, you'll be able to control the directional print and have a terrific looking block.

Layout tip: Note that the aqua portion is the background, so it should alway be to the outside of the block.  The fuchsia HSTs are the large blades, and they should always point to the center.  Take your time, get the layout like you want it, and then starting sewing the large and small units together.

When sewing the large fuchsia blade to the smaller pieced unit, note that the fuchsia blade is larger.  That is OK!  Really!  Center the smaller unit on the larger one, matching up the raw long edge.  Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Don't pull or tug on that exposed bias edge when sewing.  Repeat with your remaining units. You've got this!

Press to the fuchsia (large) blade.  Now we need to trim our unit.  Our units need to be trimmed to 5" (we are making a 9 1/2" unfinished Double Pinwheel).  We need to do a little math - but relax.  No need to whip out the calculator!  To trim our unit symmetrically, we need to know the halfway point for our block.  For a 5" block, the halfway point is 2.5, or 2 1/2".  Using your square ruler, place the 45 degree line on the seam line, and the 2 1/2" intersection (see picture above) at the seam line between the aqua, lime and fuchsia.  Trim the side and top of the block.

Rotate your trimmed block, and following the steps above, trim the remaining two edges.  You should now have a perfect, symmetrical 5" square.  Repeat with your remaining units.

Remember that layout step we did above?  Yep, you get to do it again, only this time with your perfectly sewn and trimmed units.  Sew the units together into pairs (surprise - you are going to find that your seams nest beautifully, giving you awesome points!), and then sew the pairs together.  Tada!  

Oops - almost forgot!  With all of those seams coming together, this is a great time to open up that seam intersection on the back to reduce some of the bulk!

 

And now - tada!  Two beautiful 9 1/2" double pinwheel blocks.  One spins to the left, one spins to the right!  

I hope you'll come back and visit soon!  Starting July 9th, I'll be hosting a blog hop with 16 other designers!  We'll be sharing inside peeks into our sewing spaces, providing tips and tricks to organizing and dealing with fabric, tools, thread, and more.  AND a little bird told me there will be prizes!  Uh huh - goodies!  So mark your calendar.  I hope to see you then!

Thanks for sharing the quilting passion with me. Happy stitching!

If you are interested in having me teach at your shop or guild, please contact me!

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.

Have Needle and Thread - Will Travel

One of the truly fabulous aspects of our chosen craft (wait - you are a stitcher/quilter/fabric fanatic, right? Ok - good!) is that you can often take it with you.  Since so many of us are hitting the road or the skies this summer, Kate and I thought we'd share our thoughts on travel projects.  Head over to Kate's blog - wait, not now!  But when you finish my post - ok, THEN head over to Kate's to see what she has to share on traveling and stitching!

So traveling and quilting.  Now I get that hauling the sewing machine around may be a BIT cumbersome - but there are other projects that are terrific for toting on the next road trip or family adventure.

I thought I'd share my checklist for a successful road trip project - you may find this helpful in preparing your next mobile stitch project.

 

Organize

    Think kits.  

Pull out that new project that you have been putting off because you just haven't had the         time to work on.  Or that special project that you save for quiet times, or when you need a bit of busy handwork.  Side note:  I had a needle turn appliquéd, hand quilted wall hanging that I worked on for TWO YEARS!  It was my go-to travel project, and I pulled it out every time I would fly to visit my parents.  I finished it - eventually, and it helped to pass the time.

Read through the directions.  

    Do they call for any techniques that will require special rulers or tools?

Read the supply list.

    Do you have the fabrics and other supplies needed to work on - or finish - the project?

Shop your stash.

Pull what you need from your available supplies.  And then - rats - darn it all - go     shopping for everything else you need (take a list!).

Think travel friendly.

Clover binder clips are awesome and can work as well as pins - without the sharp points that might poke little fingers - or a fellow traveler in the next seat.  Check FAA regulations before bringing scissors or other cutting implements with you.  

 

Downsize

Where possible, go small.  Small scissors, small spool of thread, small hoop for embroidery.  Size it appropriate to the task, but as small as you can easily work with.This will ensure you are comfortable - and so is everyone else around you.

 

 Pack   

    Embrace the Bag Lady look.

I LOVE closed storage.  Zippered totes and bags are simply the best.  They keep things in place and together.  And when someone slams on the brakes (hey - it can happen), supplies don't get tossed or roll under the seat, only to be discovered next Christmas!

And more than one zippered bag is great.  Group your supplies by task.  If you are binding, put all of your binding clips, your fav needles for binding, and that awesome spool of neutral thread all in one compartment - or even better, in their own bag.  

 

What's my current travel project?  You just saw bits and pieces of it - a motif driven hand embroidery project - that yes, I've been working on for a while now.  I LUV my zippered pouches, because I can fit one inside the other, but organize my fabric squares (someday they will all be embroidered, and then stitched into a quilt!), my must have Aurifil floss, my Colonial needles, and my adorable, teeny tiny scissors into their own little compartments.  Nirvana!

Ok, so none of this is rocket science.  Actually, it is just a bit of preplanning for the trip so you can complete projects - or start a new project - and add even more enjoyment to your trip.

Whether you are traveling just a few hours, or for an extended road trip, happy trails to you - and happy stitching!

Come back next month for more Adventures in Quilting with Kate and Tammy!

AND....come back July 9th.  The Creative Spaces Blog Hop begins July 9th and runs for six weeks.  16 different designers - yep, you read that correctly! - will be giving you peeks into their design spaces and sharing tips and tricks on organizing.  And a little bird told me there will be giveaways too!  Mark your calendar!

Thanks for sharing the quilting passion with me. Happy stitching!

If you are interested in having me teach at your shop or guild, please contact me!

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored by Kate and I in future posts.