Basic Pinwheel I was asked to make a page for just a basic Pinwheel, so I did, even though they are simply four diagonal squares. I later added several other pinwheel blocks to the site, you can find links to them below. But if you're looking for a simple pinwheel, here are the directions for a 6 1/2 inch unfinished (6 inches finished in your quilt) basic pinwheel block.     Carefully draw a line corner to corner, (diagonally) through the white or lightest 2 7/8 inch squares. This will be a cutting line when you are finished. Place red and white 2 7/8 inch square right sides together. If you have a true 1/4 inch foot on your machine, you can sew on either side of the drawn line. If not, you will have to draw a second line on either side, exactly 1/4 inch from the first line. Those will be your sewing lines. After you have sewn on the sewing lines (1/4 inch on either side of your corner to corner to line) you will cut this square in half on the drawn cutting line. Clip off the corners as shown. You will now have two triangle squares, which should measure exactly 2 1/2 inches. You need four triangle squares for one Pinwheel block, so repeat the same steps. Sew them together into pairs which look like this, and then sew the two together to finish your Pinwheel block. This block should measure 6 1/2 inches.     To make different sizes of Pinwheel blocks you need to cut:     For a finished 3 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 2 3/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 4 1/2 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 3 1/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 6 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 2 7/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 7 1/2 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 4 5/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 9 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 5 3/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 10 1/2 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 6 1/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 12 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 6 7/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 15 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 8 3/8 inch squares of each color.     For a finished 18 inch Pinwheel block, cut two 9 7/8 inch squares of each color. These are finished sizes, after the block is sewn into a quilt. Another pinwheel block is the Flutterwheel . And there's also the Simplicity block. This pattern can be used for personal use only and can not be used commercially without the owner's permission. No copies may be made without the owner's permission. This includes the patterns as well as any graphics and/or instructions that are associated with a pattern. The content on these pages, including text and images are the sole property of the Delaware Quilts and may not be used in any manner without consent. All Rights Reserved. Basic Pinwheel © Delaware Quilts June 2014 Updated August 30, 2025 |Home| Quilts| Email|