Pinwheel John Quilt Card

There’s something so satisfying about a paper-pieced quilt block, and this one has a special story behind it. I’m calling it the John Pinwheel Quilt card, named after John, one of my talented teammates who shared this design during one of our recent challenges. I fell in love with the movement of the pattern and just had to make it my own — so today I’m walking you through how I built it!

You can create this look with card stock (like I did here, to really let the color placement shine) or with Designer Series Paper for a softer, more subtle finish. If you go the DSP route, I’d recommend choosing a pattern that reads well in both directions — it’ll make the pinwheel spin pop even more.

Come Create It With Me — Live!

I’ll be building this card live with you this Thursday at 6:00 PM Mountain Time, as part of my weekly Create on the Fly Thursday series on Facebook Live. Bring your coffee (or wine!), your scraps, and come craft along with me in real time.

📺 Watch live on YouTube here:

Can’t make it live? No worries — the replay will be there for you too after the live is over.

Get the Measurements

Want to make your own Pinwheel John Quilt card? I’m sharing the full cutting guide and measurements as a free download, so you can follow along step by step.

Measurements:

Card Base: 11” x 4¼”, (Balmy Blue) score at 5½” (folds to a 4¼” x 5½” card).
Foundation Square (Basic White): 4” x 4”; mark guidelines 2” in from the top and bottom edges in both directions to create crossing center lines.
Center Diamond: 1 of 1⅜” x 1⅜”. (Misty Moonlight)
Pinwheel Blades: 4 of 1” x 2”. (Granny Apple Green) Make a mark at the center at 1” top and bottom. From the left corner, cut diagonally to the 1” mark at the bottom; from the 1” mark at the top, cut diagonally at the bottom right corner. See video for better direction.
Inner Fill Triangles: 2 of 1” x 1” (Balmy Blue) (cut diagonally).
Outer Edge Triangles: 2 colors, 2 of 1½” x 1½” each (Garden Green and Lost Lagoon) (cut diagonally).
Quilt Block Mat (Basic White): 4⅛” x 4⅛”.
Sentiment Base Layer (Granny Apple Green): 4⅛” x 1⅛”.
Sentiment Strip (Basic White): 4” x 1”.

📥 Download the measurements and pattern here: CLICK HERE

And that’s not all — I’ll also be sharing a few extra sample cards using different quilt block patterns inspired by John’s designs, so you can see just how versatile this paper-piecing technique can be. Come see where else this pinwheel magic can take you!

Pinwheel John Quilt With Designer Series Paper (DSP)

These next two are with Thoughtful Journey designer paper. This paper is retired, but as mentioned, scrap paper is great for a quilt card.

Supplies

Shop the supplies and start making your own today!

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