in Nashua, NH we saw this pattern over & over. Several vendors featured it using different pattern names, tools & techniques.
My friend, Sandy has been intrigued with this design for quite awhile, so we had a mini retreat & we each made a wallhanging.
We used the basic techniques from the book Square Dance by Martha Thompson and then tweaked them a little.
I started by sewing 49 6.5" blocks together ( 7 blocks across x 7 rows ) Add a border all around - I used 6" wide, to be safe, but actually trimmed off quite a bit.
I made my own template using a 4.5" ruler. Measure 3/4" from each corner of the ruler
and connect the dots with lines drawn with a marker. *Use some clear tape on your ruler & draw on that if you don't want to permanently mark your ruler.
Next, position the template (ruler) with the lines matching the seams on the blocks; as shown below.
*TIP - I found that my small rotary cutter was the easiest to maneuver when cutting around the template AND I put some sticky-back sandpaper dots on the back of my ruler because the ruler tends to want to pivot and skitter around in the middle where all the seams are joined and raised up a bit.
As you cut your new "pinwheely" blocks line them up on a design wall AS YOU GO ALONG -so you don't end up with a big jigsaw puzzle of mismatched blocks.
Now, just sew your blocks back together.
Use care in sewing and pressing your new blocks as they are now cut on the bias. I really didn't encounter any problems with the bias issue at all.
You will have some waste blocks to use in some other project or use in your border - These are on the bias so use care sewing them.
Add a border or two.
Machine quilt.
And......
TA DAAAAAA !!!!!!
Here is Sandy's top. She used a package of 10" squares. It is gorgeous.
This fabric just sparkles. I love it !
