Quick And Easy Quilt Tutorial: Making Pinwheels

Have you always wanted to quilt? Or are you on the hunt for a great hobby to dive into? Here is a quick and easy tutorial, suitable for beginner quilters. It’s the perfect place to start! In this short tutorial, you will learn how to cut, stitch, and create pinwheels from 7″ squares of fabric. (If you are an experienced quilter, you may love using this method for stitching pinwheels). Would-be quilters will be introduced to the power of colour and the endless variety of quilting fabrics available to you.

Contest Giveaway

Before we get started, I am offering a giveaway of some beginner quilt supplies – rotary cutter, small, self-healing mat, ruler, etc., along with a sampling of four, 100% cotton, quilt-shop quality fabrics.

To win this prize bundle, all you have to do is leave me a comment below. Tell me if you spend time during your day working on a hobby, or if you have yet to discover one that you love. One lucky participant will be chosen at random, and the bundle will be sent to the winner by regular post.

I would love it if you took the additional step of signing up at www.KimHanson.ca to receive my semi-regular blog posts via email. The winner will be announced on September 1, 2026. Try the tutorial! You may come to love quilting as much as I do. As with all tutorials, please read through instructions once before beginning.

Gather Tools:

• Rotary cutter, ruler and cutting mat (or some other, self-healing, flat surface)
• Sewing machine
• Bobbin thread and sewing thread
• Scissors (optional, seam ripper)
• Ironing board and iron
• Two Fat Quarters of coordinating fabrics – measuring 18″ x22″ each

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Press both fat quarters on ironing board.
2. From each fat quarter of fabric, cut one square measuring 7″.

• Place right sides of each fabric square together. Stitch around the perimeter of the fabric unit, 1/4″ from the outside edge.

• Press flat. This is a very important step. It ensures that when the fabric unit is cut, the half square triangles all measure the same.
• Placing your ruler at opposite diagonal corners, cut through both layers of fabric with your rotary cutter. Leave pieces in place. Pick up your ruler, place it on the alternating diagonal corners and cut again.

• Press to set the seams of the four half-square triangle units.

• Open and press again towards the darker fabric.

• Lay out the pinwheel on your flat surface as per Photo #5.
• Stitch one side together, pressing seams towards the top. Repeat on the other side, pressing seams towards the bottom. Stitch together along the mid-line.

There we go! You’re left with the perfect pinwheel.

It’s such an easy way to stitch a whole lot of pinwheels.

Clicking this link will take you to a bunk bed quilt I made using pinwheels in one row: https://www.kimhanson.ca/blog/page/2/

Clicking this link will bring you to view a majority of the quilts I’ve sewn to date:

Happy Quilting everyone. Don’t forget to enter the contest giveaway.

And if you end up enjoying the quilting process, you can continue making pinwheels, stitching them together in rows, to make your first-ever quilt.

Let’s Chat:

What hobby has really grabbed you? Have you tried quilting? What is your favorite quilting variety?