Stash Buster Quilts. Lynne Edwards

the four squares and thirty-two strips of the second background fabric.

       VARYING THE BLOCKS

      You could repeat block 1 for the whole quilt or vary the spinning pinwheel colour layout so there are eight different blocks, as follows.

      Block 2: pick up the pile of triangles marked B in Fig 6. Arrange them in a cut square, beginning with the top fabric 1 in position B in Fig 6 and working round clockwise to finish with fabric 8 (Fig 23). Once the fabrics are in position ignore their numbers and just follow the instructions as for block 1. All the fabrics will have shifted round one place in the circular design, which gives a very different effect.

       Fig 23

      Block 3: pick up the pile of triangles marked C in Fig 6. Arrange them in the cut square beginning with the top fabric 1 in position C in Fig 6 and work round clockwise as before. Again, follow the instructions for block 1 using this new arrangement of triangles.

      Block 4: use the triangles marked D in Fig 6 and lay them out with fabric 1 in position D in Fig 6, working round clockwise as before.

      Block 5: use the triangles marked E in Fig 6 and lay them out with fabric 1 in position E in Fig 6, working round clockwise as before.

      Block 6 starts at F, block 7 at G and block 8 at H. The completed blocks will now all have a different layout.

      SASHING THE BLOCKS

      The sixteen blocks are sashed with pieced cornerstones that echo the pinwheel design of the block (Fig 24).

       Fig 24

      1 Arrange the sixteen blocks in four rows of four blocks (Fig 25).

       Fig 25

      2 From the sashing fabric cut twenty-four strips each measuring 2in × 10½in (5cm × 26.6cm). From the fabric for the cornerstones cut forty-five squares each 2in × 2in (5cm × 5cm).

      3 Pin a square of cornerstone fabric at one end of twelve of the cut sashing strips. Stitch diagonally across the square as in Fig 26.

       Fig 26

      The cornerstones must always be stitched in the same direction as shown in Fig 26.

      4 Trim both fabrics ¼in (6mm) beyond the stitched line (Fig 27). Press the cornerstone piece away from the strip, ironing from the front (Fig 28).

       Fig 27

       Fig 28

      5 In the same way, pin and stitch a square of cornerstone fabric to both ends of the other twelve sashing strips. Trim and press as before (Fig 29).

       Fig 29

      6 Pin and stitch three of the single-cornerstone sashing strips between the top row of blocks (Fig 30). Press the seams towards the sashing.

       Fig 30

      7 Repeat this for the bottom row of blocks, turning this row of blocks through 180 degrees once the cornerstones have been added.

      8 Pin and stitch three double-cornerstone sashing strips between the blocks of both row 2 and row 3 (Fig 31).

       Fig 31

      9 Join two single-cornerstone sashing strips and two double-cornerstone sashing strips together with three squares of cornerstone fabric as in Fig 32. Make two more joined strips like this.

       Fig 32

      10 Pin and stitch the three long joined strips between the rows of blocks, matching all the seams carefully (Fig 33). Press the seams towards the sashing

       Fig 33

      ADDING THE BORDERS

      I framed the quilt with a border of sashing fabric cut 2½in (6.2cm) wide (finished width 2in/5cm). A second wider border was made from one of the pinwheel fabrics cut 4in (10cm) wide. (See Bordering a Quilt.)

      QUILTING

      Each block was quilted by hand in the design shown in Fig 34. The sashing was quilted ¼in (6mm) away from the seams in the traditional way. The wide border has a design of triangles quilted on it (Fig 35). The quilt is bound in a dark green fabric that was also one of the pinwheel fabrics.

       Fig 34

       Fig 35

       MAKING A LARGER QUILT

      To make a single bed quilt 65½in × 90in (166.3cm × 228.5cm) like Sue Fitzgerald's (opposite), the number of blocks must be increased, from four rows with four blocks in each row (sixteen blocks in total) to seven rows with five blocks in each row (thirty-five blocks in total). This means making four sets of eight blocks (thirty-two blocks) plus three more blocks. To make another complete set of eight blocks is a waste of fabric and energy, so it's useful to know how to make individual blocks to make up the correct number for a quilt project. Also, if you want to make a really scrap quilt with every pinwheel block in different fabrics, this is the way to do it.

      1 Choose eight different fabrics for the pinwheel. From each fabric cut one square 4½in × 4½in (11.3cm × 11.3cm). Cut each square in half diagonally (Fig 36) to give two identical triangles from each fabric. Use one set of triangles to make one block and the other set of triangles for a second block. If you only need one block, then save the second set of triangles for another project.

       Fig 36

      2 From the chosen background fabric cut two squares each 4½in × 4½in (11.3cm × 11.3cm) and cut each square in half diagonally, to give four triangles, enough to make one block. From the background fabric cut four strips each 2in × 6¼in (5cm × 15.8cm). These will also make one block.

      3 Now go back to the instructions or Construction for arranging the pieces. Arrange the eight different triangles of fabric as in Fig 7 and then follow the instructions