Put a new spin on quilting! With variations on Pinwheels, Windmills, Whirligigs, and other favorite twirling blocks, these 12 dynamic quilts will set your fabric in motion! Use a planned color scheme or give your quilts a scrappy look--the variety of styles offers something for everyone.
- Projects range from doll-sized quilts to table toppers to wall hangings, perfect for gifts or home decor
- Techniques include bias-strip piecing, foundation piecing, cutting triangles from strip sets, and more
- Quilts are easy enough for confident beginners, appealing enough for experts
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Pinwheels are one of my favorite blocks to make. Maybe they remind me of the ones my mom used to make out of colored magazine pages and pin to a doll stick and let me hang them out of the car window when we went on rides. At any rate, this book gives me a dozen reasons to revisit this block.
Ms. Pahl also includes a couple of patterns that use applique along with the pinwheels. I just finished a “Little Dresses” quilt for my granddaughter and the “Hanging Out” pattern is a perfect size for a wall hanging to go along with it!
An eight-page section covers quilting basics, such as cutting several scrap fabrics at once into a size needed, plus chain piecing, applique tips, and binding. Next the projects are listed. Each has a color photo, the size of the quilt, and the block size. A small blurb begins the instructions and then the cutting and materials lists are shown. Graphics are included in the written instructions to help you along. Ms. Pahl does list how she quilted each one. Any templates needed are included at full size.
This will be one book I will show to my charity quilting group, as the patterns are quick and easy to do. Get one for your quilting library.
Review from Stick Your Nose in a Book: Quilting Book Reviews by Jennifer Zoeterman
This book focuses on smaller windmill quilts. Pretty quilts range from wall hangings to doll quilts. Techniques include bias-strip piecing, foundation piecing, and cutting triangles from strip sets. Due to the nature of the windmill block, there are lots of triangles!

Ellen Pahl
Ellen Pahl has been making quilts for more than 20 years and has been editing books about making quilts for more than 15 years. She learned to sew as a child from her mother, who made most of their clothing. Quilts have always fascinated Ellen, and she made her first quilt in the early 1970s using typical dressmaking techniques and fabrics. Needless to say, she has learned a lot since then. As a freelance technical editor for various quilting and crafts book publishers, she feels fortunate to be able to work in a subject area that she loves. Ellen belongs to a small quilting group that makes quilts for charity. She has also taught classes in hand applique and hand quilting. In addition to quilting, she enjoys gardening, cooking, basket weaving, and floral design. She lives in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, with her family, two cats, and five chickens.
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Download Individual ePatterns from this book!
![]() Xs and Os Table Topper ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 | ![]() Oklahoma Memories Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 |
![]() Hanging Out Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 | ![]() Three of Hearts Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 |
![]() Windmill Row Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 | ![]() Twice As Nice Lap Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 |
![]() Wind Farm Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 | ![]() Whirlwind Table Topper ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 |
![]() Nothing but Pinwheels Table Topper ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 | ![]() Pinwheel Charm Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 |
![]() Four-Patch Pinwheels Wall Quilt ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 | ![]() Pinwheel Pirouette Table Topper ePattern Retail Price: $4.99 |