The impetus for this project was a small photo of a quilt on a bed that caught my eye in something I was reading (a newspaper, perhaps?). I cut it out and ruminated for sometime on the concept of a quilt make from large blocks. The quilt in the photo comprised a random arrangement of squares and rectangles that appeared to be about 20” across.
I started pulling out small-print florals from my stash and putting them aside for this quilt. The more I thought about it, it occurred to me that I could do something more interesting than simple squares and rectangles.
While leafing through Mary Ellen Hopkins’ The It’s Okay if You Sit on My Quilt Book (1989), which is brimming with block ideas made from different arrangements of strips, squares and triangles, I zeroed in on a block she calls “Amish Pinwheel”.
There are so many things you can do with half-square triangles, and this block is just one example. It’s made from 8 half-square triangle blocks, with a rectangle of the background colour added to each corner. Each finished block is 18” square. 
The traditional Amish quilt always features solid fabrics, not florals. So I am hesitant to call these blocks Amish pinwheels. Yet it is not your typical pinwheel block.
I checked on Flickr and only found one example similar to this block, and the maker called it “Dancing Pinwheel”.
Because it is intended as a summer quilt, I opted to use flannelette for the batting to keep it light.
The quilt measures 67” x 90” and I did simple machine quilting in neutral colours. My intention was to have the quilting disappear, and just do its job (holding the layers together). The binding is made from an assortment of leftover fabric.
The result is a “vintage” look quilt. That sounds so much more sophisticated than “old-fashioned”, don’t you think?
Numerous people have asked me “Who it is for?” It’s for me!
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