- Background (muslin)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 92 · pinwheel
Oklahoma Twister Quilt Block
Part of: Pinwheel Quilt BlocksHalf Square Triangle Quilt BlocksQuilt Blocks For BeginnersState Quilt BlocksTwo Color Quilt Blocks
Oklahoma Twister scatters sixteen dark triangle points across a background field, turned four ways so the points whirl around the center like dust in the wind. Long background bars keep the cutting simple and give the twister room to move.
Version note: From Generations Quilt Patterns only; it is not on Quilter's Cache. Two fabrics, a 6x6 grid and four-fold rotation. Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Confident Beginner
- Grid
- 6 × 6
- Pieces
- 41
Chart
Cutting for a 12" block
6 × 6 grid. All cuts fall on 1/8" ruler marks. Unfinished block: 12 1/2".
| Fabric | Shape | Cut | Size | Then | Pieces used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 1 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Rectangle | 3 | 2 1/2" × 6 1/2" | Use as cut | 3 |
| Background | Rectangle | 5 | 2 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 5 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 8 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 16 |
| Dark | Half-square triangle | 8 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 16 |
Method
Piecing steps
Step 1: Cut every patch listed in the cutting chart for your size. Plain areas are cut as the larger squares and rectangles shown; do not subdivide them. Columns count from the left and rows from the top, starting at 1, in grid cells.
Step 2: Make the half-square triangles: cut each HST parent square once diagonally, sew contrasting triangles along the long edge, press toward the darker fabric and square up (16 at 2 1/2"). Keep each fabric pair and size in its own stack.
Step 3: Every HST is the same dark/background pair, but they face several directions. Lay out a full quadrant before sewing and compare it with the diagram cell by cell.
Step 4: Each quadrant is the one before it turned a quarter turn clockwise; the three-unit background bars sit on the outer edge.
Step 5: Make section 1: sew the background square at column 1, row 1, the background/dark HST at column 1, row 2 (background in the upper-left), the background/dark HST at column 1, row 3 (background in the upper-right) and the background rectangle at column 1, row 4 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 6: Make section 2: sew the background rectangle at column 2, row 1 and the dark/background HST at column 4, row 1 (dark in the upper-left) side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 7: Make section 3: sew the dark/background HST at column 2, row 2 (dark in the upper-right) and the background rectangle at column 2, row 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 8: Make section 4: sew the background/dark HST at column 3, row 3 (background in the upper-right) and the background/dark HST at column 3, row 4 (background in the upper-left) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 9: Make section 5: sew the dark/background HST at column 4, row 3 (dark in the upper-left) and the dark/background HST at column 4, row 4 (dark in the upper-right) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 10: Make section 6: sew section 4 and section 5 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 11: Make section 7: sew the background rectangle at column 3, row 2 and section 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 12: Make section 8: sew section 3 and section 7 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 13: Make section 9: sew section 2 and section 8 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high.
Step 14: Make section 10: sew the background/dark HST at column 5, row 1 (background in the upper-right), the background/dark HST at column 5, row 2 (background in the upper-left) and the background rectangle at column 5, row 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high.
Step 15: Make section 11: sew the background rectangle at column 6, row 1 and the dark/background HST at column 6, row 4 (dark in the upper-right) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high.
Step 16: Make section 12: sew section 9, section 10 and section 11 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 10 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high.
Step 17: Make section 13: sew the dark/background HST at column 2, row 5 (dark in the upper-left) and the dark/background HST at column 2, row 6 (dark in the upper-right) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 18: Make section 14: sew the background rectangle at column 3, row 5, the background/dark HST at column 5, row 5 (background in the upper-right) and the dark/background HST at column 6, row 5 (dark in the upper-left) side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 8 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 19: Make section 15: sew the background/dark HST at column 3, row 6 (background in the upper-left) and the background rectangle at column 4, row 6 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 8 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 20: Make section 16: sew section 14 and section 15 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 8 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 21: Make section 17: sew section 13 and section 16 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 10 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 22: Make section 18: sew section 12 and section 17 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 10 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 23: Complete the block: sew section 1 and section 18 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 24: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.