pinwheel design. Note the order of the fabrics on a piece of paper and number each one.
Cutting through eight layers at once sounds great, but accuracy can suffer as the fabric shifts a little with each cut. Instead, make two piles each with just four layers of fabric and reassemble into one pile after cutting.
2 Place the fabric squares numbered 1–4 on top of each other with 1 at the top and 4 at the bottom, all right side upwards. Line up the cut edges of the squares exactly. Use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut the squares diagonally from corner to corner (Fig 1). Repeat this from the other corner to corner diagonally (Fig 2).
Fig 1
Fig 2
3 Without moving the layers of fabric, place the ruler horizontally across the centre of the fabric and the bottom edge of the fabric matching the 4½in marking on the ruler (Fig 3). Cut across the fabric squares.
Fig 3
4 Lift the ruler without disturbing the piles of fabric and place it vertically down the centre of the fabric with the left-hand edge of fabric matching the 4½in marking on the ruler (Fig 4). Lefthanders should work from the right-hand side of the fabric. Cut through the fabric squares vertically. The four layers are now cut into eight triangles (Fig 5).
Fig 4
Fig 5
5 Repeat this with the squares of fabric numbered 5–8, with fabric 5 at the top and 8 at the bottom of the pile. Carefully place the first set of cut squares on top of the new set so that the order of fabrics goes in sequence from 1 at the top to 8 on the bottom.
Arranging the pieces
6 Pick up the pile of triangles marked A in Fig 6. Arrange them in a cut square, starting with the top fabric 1 in position A and working round clockwise to finish with fabric 8 (Fig 7).
Fig 6
Fig 7
7 Turn pieces 1, 3, 5 and 7 to make the arrangement shown in Fig 8.
Fig 8
Making the block
8 From each of the two background fabrics cut four squares measuring 9in × 9in (22.7cm × 22.7cm) and thirty-two strips measuring 2in × 6¼in (5cm × 15.8cm). Cut each fabric square into eight pieces like the pinwheel fabrics in Fig 5.
9 Now take the pinwheel triangle numbered 2 in Fig 8 and place the triangle on a cut strip of background fabric with right sides facing as in Fig 9. The square corner of the triangle should match the top corner of the strip. Pin and stitch the triangle to the strip with the usual ¼in (6mm) seam allowance (Fig 10). Press the triangle out from the strip, ironing from the front of the work (Fig 11). Press the seam towards the triangle.
Fig 9
Fig 10
Fig 11
Each triangle should always be placed in the same position as in Fig 9. Don't try to remember – check with the diagram!
Trimming the triangles
10 Use a rotary cutter and ruler to trim the strip to match the edge of the triangle. Place a square ruler on to the fabric, matching the fabric edges of the triangle with the edges of the ruler (Fig 12). Trim off the overhanging strip of background fabric along the edge of the ruler to make a pieced triangle, as shown in Fig 13.
Fig 12
Fig 13
11 Place the pieced triangle back in the block (Fig 14). Repeat this process with triangles 4, 6 and 8. Place them back in the design (Fig 15).
Fig 14
Fig 15
12 Take triangle 1 from the design. Arrange it with a triangle of background fabric as in Fig 16, with the square corners positioned as shown. Pin and stitch the two triangles together. Press the seam towards triangle 1, ironing from the front of the work (Fig 17).
Fig 16
Fig 17
Always place the triangle of background fabric on the right-hand side, because if you switch the triangles over they will not fit into the pinwheel design.
13 Place the joined triangles back in the block (Fig 18). Repeat this
