Pinwheel Gone Awry

Dear Jane® book reference: Block A-1, page 17

Maria's Method: hand pieced

My comments:  Why not start @ the beginning? That is what I said to myself about blogging about Dear Jane. So, here I go on Block A-1.

All I can tell you is that I didn't want to piece it like Jane did. The pin wheel is all messed up. And I love pin wheels. So this one hurt me just a little bit. I guess that is why BP named it Pin Wheel Gone Awry. BP did name these blocks - right? I guess, I need to do my research. I'm sure someone will inform me. Another thought: Jane's piecing in the picture didn't help me much. Man, we are sooooooo annal about our "perfect" piecing today. It didn't look like she was "perfect" at all. Why do we fuss so much?

For most of my blocks I will hand piece. Crazy? Yes. But I don't do very well with little pieces on my sewing machine. For my sanity, I'm tracing the pattern on to plain paper and coloring the "dark" color areas so I can "see" it.

• Next I trace it on to freezer paper. Number the pieces in rows and piece order, color the pieces that are my bright colors.
• Then cut it out. Iron it to the wrong side of the fabric.
• Add 1/4 inch seam allowance to each side.
• Cut fabric pieces.
• Keep the freezer paper on the back of the fabric until I'm ready to hand sew.
• Everything goes into a snack size zip baggie. And it is labeled A-1 or whatever.

I've never hand pieced, I am a beginner. No shame here. My mother-in-law, Marilyn, nudged me to learn to hand piece. Thank you Marilyn!!! For my birthday, she gave me 2 books on hand piecing. The New Sampler Quilt by Diana Leone. This book is an overall beginning quilter's book. Very nice for reference. The other book is Jinny Beyer's Quiltmaking by Hand. Oh dear, Jinny Beyer is such an inspiration!

I also found a nice tutorial online Hand Piecing with Crispy.

How I wish Jane was up to date electronically. I'd love to have this book on my iPad. But I'd still use my book to transfer the images to freezer paper.  I hope you give hand piecing a try.

Jovita pieced this block by machine. Click on the photo below for more information.

Anina, from  shows you how to foundation paper piece this block here.