Pinwheel Quilt Blocks

Sewing quilting blocks on the bias (diagonally across a piece of fabric) can be REALLY frustrating. Let me fill you in on why...

The nature of a bias seam on woven material, such as quilter's cotton, is way more elastic than when you are sewing with the direction of the weave. That bias can be a great thing when you are easing a curve in a wearable garment, but when you want exact quilt blocks with straight seams...well, that takes some finesse.

For the quilt I am making, I wanted to add some blocks with angles. After experimenting with a few slightly complex designs, and getting mixed results, this newbie opted for to go simple. Discovering that I needed to master my skill level with the bias and go on from there.

After doing some digging around in books and online, I decided that my solution was a pinwheel block. It's cute, colorful, and great for beginners.

Some of my finished 8"x8" pinwheels.

This is how I did it:

For an 8" block, cut two 4-7/8" squares of 2 different fabrics.

Take one of each of those squares and place them right sides together with the light fabric on top:

Using a water-soluble marker and a ruler, mark the diagonal from point to point. Place pins on either side to hold in place:

At your sewing machine, using a straight stitch and a presser foot with a 1/4" seam allowance, stitch on each side of your drawn line. (Note the placement of pins.):

At you cutting mat, slice through both layers on your drawn line:

With a hot iron, press open with the seam allowance toward the darker fabric side:

Back at your cutting table, make sure that your block is square and nip off the two little "dog ears" of seam allowance sticking out:

Do this same process until you have four 2-color blocks. Lay them out in the pinwheel pattern that you prefer:

Take the block in the upper right hand corner and turn it over top of the block on its right. At the sewing machine, using 1/4" seam allowance, stitch the seam indicated in photo below:

At the ironing board, press the seam allowance toward the darker fabric. Bring the block back and put in it's spot in your design:

 Repeat the same process for the bottom two blocks. Then you will have 2 strips:

Flip the top strip down over the bottom strip and sew a 1/4" seam indicated on the photo below:

Press open with a hot iron....viola...a pinwheel block!

The success of a block such as this means the center points of the pinwheel all come together. If you are of a little bit off on the points, it could be your cutting, seam allowance, or maybe your fabric is slipping around a little bit when you sew. Don't be afraid to rip a few seams out, press and resew. No one is looking! :)

Good luck!

–Cassandra

P.S. -For more quilty fun, check out my log cabin block tutorial and staggered strips block tutorial.

The Basics

Sorry for the darkness last week. Sometimes life gets complicated at Chez Ooo! Shiny!

In contrast to the complexities of life, today I'd like to talk about the simplest thing in the world... a knitted little stocking cap. I am just enamored with this FREE pattern from Lion Brand. It's called the Bunny Slope Hat. I have knitted it 3 times now (once because the first one was "lost" after a trip to the grocery store) and aside from the monotonous weaving-in of the loose ends from the color changes, it couldn't be a better way to get some instant gratification.

As you can see, the green cap has been worn and worn and worn again.

Along with having used a basic pattern, I also chose to use a workhorse yarn for these little hats. Spud & Chloe sweater yarn (superwash 55% wool/45% organic cotton) is just the perfect weight and warmth for this sort of project. Luckily, I have used this yarn for a lot of other projects so my stash is full of remnants that were the perfect amount to get the job done. Now, I will admit to having purchased a skein here and there to get my color scheme the way I wanted it though!

Thing 2 modeling his green hat and 4th of July pajamas for me today.

From what I have seen on Ravelry, a lot of folks are taking creative license with this pattern. Stripes are wider or smaller, less color or more color, and there is even one hat with an enormous pom-pon that is seriously cute.

Back when I was searching Ravelry for a the perfect hat pattern to match a new coat, I was surprised at how many didn't suit a little boy. So many were either too girly or too mature for a preschooler. I think it was the colorful stripes that finally sucked me in on this one. And, it's amazing to me that the simplest little projects seem to garner as many compliments as the complicated ones when we are out and about! This pattern is definitely worth a try.

So, for today, I'm keeping it short and simple. Tomorrow... who knows? ;)

–Cassandra

Hot Buttons!

The past few weeks have been a roller-coaster of emotion and concern for Alex and I. The political climate in Madison, Wis. (where we live) has the city's residents either polarized, mobilized, or paralyzed. Whether you have been pounding the pavement with picket signs or slavishly following the news updates on your computer... it has become all-consuming and frankly, we've said it a few times already, exhausting.

The Japanese earthquake horrors and tsunami today have sort of woken me out of the political fatigue I was feeling. A natural disaster of that magnitude has made me step back and put all things into perspective. I need to find my center again. I need to find my quiet.

Thinking about the peonies blooming soon is helping bring the happy.

Alex's post from Wednesday about knitting basics is on-track with where my focus needs to lie - back to the building blocks of my creativity. I want to simplify by thinking about the construction of things (like the baby-room draperies I need to make), and breaking down projects into manageable bits.

With that said, I'll share one of the most basic (and misunderstood) fundamentals of handwork. The button. I am shocked by how many times have I been asked to sew a button for someone who thought it was some complicated adventure. It's so basic, and actually quite fun. I found this funny video tutorial created by Esquire magazine specifically targeted towards men. Even if you've sewn a hundred buttons in your lifetime I think you'll find it worthwhile.

So, I'm going to keep it short and sweet today. There are many crafting projects on my plate that I will be sharing with you very soon. But, for today, I am keeping it simple.

–Cassandra