Fantastic Fabric Pinwheels Tutorial

I find I'm happiest when I'm creating. But this summer has so far been way too busy for me to do much about that. Not that I'm unhappy exactly, but a little stressed because I'm so busy, you know the feeling? I can always feel a little something is missing when I'm not sewing. Cranky and irritable? Jittery? Too much caffeine to keep myself going and going and going? Or could it be quilting/crafting withdrawal symptoms? Who knows? When I've felt stressed and just had a little time here and there I've picked up a book to relax instead of my sewing because it's a lot easier than quilting for me and I'm also happy when I'm reading.

For this month's challenge in my Yahoo group, I chose this little pinwheels quilt. The prints I used to make it include scenes of children playing. Do you remember playing with pinwheels as a child? They remind me of summer and picnics and the Fourth of July.
 

 (Red, white and blue pinwheels doll quilt from American Doll Quilts)

Thinking about this quilt and summertime inspired me to try to make some three-dimensional pinwheels from fabric. (If you had told me as a child that I'd be making these as a GROWNUP I would have thought you were crazy, LOL.)  

Don't even ask me what I'll do with these. I showed them to my daughter and she said "Awww, Mom, they're so CUTE!" My husband: "Cute. What're you going to do with them??" Always the pragmatist. Instead of saying: no idea, I spent the day making these pinwheels just because I felt the urge to make something cute,  I smiled and said in my best pragmatic voice: "I hear you can utilize them in all sorts of ways - as decorations, to make banners, frig magnets, pins, hair bows, and even pinwheel wreaths." I said it to throw him off so he wouldn't guess I was making stuff  JUST TO MAKE STUFF, like a crazy person, instead of doing one of the six hundred chores on the list. After watching me make 150+ doll quilts over the years, you'd think he'd have it figured out by now and know enough not to ask "What're you going to do with them??" I may have to wear a pinwheel in my hair someday to prove a point, however.

Anyway, these were so easy to make and wouldn't you know -  they were just enough to satisfy my crafting urge. So go gather up some fabric. Here's what else you'll need:

Fabric Scraps
Fusible web (Wonder-Under, Steam-a-Seam, Heat 'n Bond, etc.)
Fabric marker or pencil
Buttons
(Scissors, iron, ruler, thread, needle)

1.  Pick two pieces of contrasting fabric. For the larger pinwheels,  I cut each square 3 1/2"  x   3 1/2". Cut a piece of fusible web the same size.

2.  Press the web to the wrong side of one fabric square. Allow it to cool and then peel off  the paper backing. Line up your fused square with the remaining fabric square and iron the sticky fusible web side to the wrong side of that square. Press for about 10 seconds or follow directions for the product you are using.

IMPORTANT: Try not to get the sticky part on your iron. I use an old pressing cloth or the piece of paper the fusible web was attached to and place it on top of the second square of fabric when I'm pressing.

Now you should have fabric fused on both sides.

3.  Then, trim the edges of your square just a bit. If your fabric starts to fray, you could try dabbing a little Fray Check along the edges.
 

4.  Next, decide which print you want to use as the background (or inside) and place that side up. Draw 2 diagonal lines with a fabric marker or a pencil.
 

5.  Cut on each line and stop halfway to the center.

 

6.  Fold 4 corners of the pinwheel blades toward the center and stitch them down one at a time where the lines intersect.

7.  Sew a cute matching or contrasting button and that's it, you're done.

Could not decide on the button. Finally went with blue, LOL. 

 

If you intend to use these to decorate a vase or flower pot, buy a couple of thin wooden dowels at a craft store and then use some hot glue to stick them onto the back of each pinwheel. (If you're feeling particularly lazy you can also use a hot glue gun to attach the buttons. Or, perhaps some of you will even be tempted to try gluing the blades to the center as well. Let me know how it works. I felt better sewing them down.)

 

To make smaller pinwheels, cut your squares a little smaller. Likewise, larger squares make larger pinwheels. For my smaller pinwheels, I used 2 3/4" squares.

 

To me, the hardest part of this whole thing is finding just the right button for the center. It's fun to act like a child again and I had a good time playing around with fabric and digging in my old button jar. By the end of the day, my mood lifted and my stress disappeared. Just looking at these makes me smile and I'm definitely happier than I was a day ago. Just sayin'.

And, look, I'm finding lots to do with them already . . . .