by Red Rooster Studio
This 72˝ x 72˝ pinwheel quilt was designed and pieced by Laura Blanchard and machine quilted by Valerie Schlake. The revolving wheels of color in the center section are created by combining the Arabesque brights for the shorter blades with brights from our basic Tokyo texture line for the longer blades in the pinwheels. All of the pinwheels are set on the Tokyo black for a dramatic effect. The colors radiate from the center, starting with four yellow 6" blocks, but you could easily change the order of the colors. You could also make a smaller version for a wall hanging by omitting the four corners with the smaller pinwheels in blues and greens. Because there are lots of bias edges in these blocks, Laura gives you great tips for preventing the stretching of these edges when handling and sewing them. She suggests using spray sizing on the fabric before you cut strips or squares, pinning bias edges together before sewing, and pressing seams with a hot, dry iron. Remember to add a sleeve to the back if you plan to hang a quilt this size, and to make a label with your name, date, and the quilt's name or pattern at a minimum!

Download Pattern (863 KB pdf file)