Many quiltmakers like to make six inch quilt blocks in order to use a greater variety of blocks in a sampler style quilt. Another reason might be to test out the look of a block in a smaller size in order to save on the fabrics (just in case the block looks very different than in your imagination).

Whatever your reason for creating six inch blocks, the pieces are all just smaller versions of larger sized quilt blocks -- such as the most popular size, the 12" quilt block. This is what makes quiltmaking so exciting -- you are the designer and get to choose all the components.

Four Patch Pinwheel

Sample Quilt Layouts

The two sample quilt layouts shown below can give you ideas how this simple block can make for some very different quilts.

The quilt layout illustrated on the left sets the blocks side by side and separates them with sashing strips. Some of the blocks have been rotated by 90 degrees to take advantage of the directional nature of the block. This then produces a subtle, secondary design in the quilt.

The quilt layout featured on the right adds large corner triangles to each block, thus setting them on point. The careful colour placement of these larger triangle pieces is what adds the pizzazz to the final quilt design.

~ More Directional Quilt Blocks

Download the FOUR PATCH PINWHEEL free quilt block pattern

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