Pinwheel Blocks

I have so much going on I'm starting to get overwhelmed. I have loaded one of the (paid) queen sized tshirt quilts on the longarm but my head isn't ready to start the quilting.

The termite situation caused me to divert my energy back to some home maintenance. I've thankfully been able to hire professionals to do my home improvement projects which include updating my small hall bathroom and painting the exterior of my house.  It's a big chunk of change but I don't see me doing them anytime soon.  Or ever.  So I had some major decisions to make about paint colors and processes and coming to grips with spending the money.  Now that's accomplished and I've retreated to my studio.

A few nights ago I grabbed my IPad to scroll through Pinterest.  I do that to relax sometimes.  As I was scrolling and using up an hour or more of my evening time, I thought if I just went into my studio and worked on anything mindless, I would feel better and probably accomplish something.  Pinning is fun but it doesn't get the work done; sometimes it even makes me feel guilty for neglecting my ideas. 

So I stopped scrolling and sat down at my sewing machine.  An hour went by quickly and I was then ready for bed.  I might have to try this more when I'm home alone.  

A few months ago I decided I wanted to use my small stash of black and white prints (I think I must have been in a fabric exchange once) and couple them with some bright solids for a big variety of pinwheel blocks.  For the backing I wanted to use the small remaining bright prints from my 80s & 90s beloved stash.  I can flip the quilt over and see them for a change.  I still love them but my tastes have evolved.  I don't want to use them on any quilts I might donate or gift. 

I pulled the pile of already cut strips and started to sew.

Here's the process I use for sewing pinwheel blocks:

Cut the desired fabric width  (in this case I am using 6½")

Sew 2 pieces right sides together along the length on both sides

Cut the length into the width measurement for a square.  For my blocks, that's 6½"

Stack them up with the cut side out and chain stitch the sides.  Flip for the other side. 

At this point I give every block a nice press.  I press my quilt blocks all the time-every intersection. 

I use the angled lines on my cutting board to align the block for the 1st cut.  Then my ruler for the 2nd cut. 

Yes, the interior cuts are on the bias but I've been sewing so long, they don't bother me.  You could hit them with a spritz of starch.  The trick is to lift and place your iron instead of dragging it over the edge and possibly stretching them. 

I'll snip off the dog ears.  I know there are tons of ideas for the half square units but I'm going old school and experimenting with the colors more than the shapes with this quilt.  I don't want anything that seriously makes me think.  

There will inevitably be some leftover lengths so I am using as much of the black & white prints as possible.  I loosened the blue and cut a 6½" square out of the black & white  print that I can match with another solid fabric.

The new remaining scraps (already sewn together from the previous strip) will be the beginning of some crumb blocks.  I'll chain stitch them with the blocks. 

Here's a long length cut off the excess backing of my mom's quilt.  It's perfect for the block scraps.   It won't take any time at all to accumulate a bunch of blocks for an improvisational quilt.  

So, there you have it! 

 Easy Pinwheels!  Fast Crumb Blocks!  Mindless Sewing! 

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