The Pinwheel Star
Here is another classically beautiful star
that looks hard to make, but is easy with the skills you have learned.
Color is important in this star. The
extended Pinwheel
units must be the same color.
This block could be made using just
Value if the red
squares above were a medium color and the blue squares much darker, but it is
more striking with two darks.
Look at the picture with the grid lines. There are nothing
but Half Square Triangles,
Rectangles, and
Squares in this block.
You could make this unit with just Half Square Triangles
and Squares around the outside, but you can get rid of four seams by making
Flying Geese units
instead.
In the above block I started with the
Pinwheel. I made my units to finish at 2-inches. I cut
Squares of 2 7/8 -
inches, to make the Half
Square Triangles units.
With this block you can make the
Pinwheel first.
(Remember The Windmill
Block- it also has a Pinwheel in the center, but you cannot make The
Pinwheel first)
Next you need to cut the Rectangles from
the white fabric. Cut them at 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches. If you review
the Geese Lesson, you
will remember that a Flying Geese is always twice as wide as high. When
you take away the 1/2 -inch seam allowance, the Geese unit finishes at 2x4
inches.
Cut Squares from both the blue and red
fabric to make the Geese units. Cut them at 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.
Place a blue Square on the end of each
Rectangle and sew, as per the Flying Geese Lesson. Sew them all at one
time (chain piecing).
Then, after ironing, attach the red
squares, sew and press.
Now you just join the pieces. Press
so that your seams nest. If you press the top row toward the small
outer squares, press the middle row toward the center pinwheel.
Stitch the horizontal rows, and press them
away from the center.
This block should finish at 8 1/2 inches
raw. You can see that each row has four units of 2-inches each. Add
1/4 -inch for seam allowances on the ends, and you have 8 1/2 inches.
Finished size of block = 8
inches
