Whirligig quilt block
Four eight-wedge windmills with the values reversed in a checkerboard, so the whole block appears to rotate in two directions at once.
Also known as Whirlygig, Four windmills, Water Wheel.
Whirligig is a name quilters have attached to a dozen different rotating blocks over the years — the constant is the sense of a spinning toy rather than any one drafting. This version comes from setting four windmills against each other, which is the same trick that makes Kaleidoscope Four work and costs nothing extra to piece.
Whirligig cutting chart
Cut sizes include a ¼″ seam allowance: ½″ on squares and rectangles, ⅞″ on half-square triangles, and 1¼″ on quarter-square triangles. Pick a finished block size:
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 2⅜" × 2⅜" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | HST square | 2⅜" × 2⅜" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 3⅛" × 3⅛" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | HST square | 3⅛" × 3⅛" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 3⅜" × 3⅜" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | HST square | 3⅜" × 3⅜" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | HST square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 4⅝" × 4⅝" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | HST square | 4⅝" × 4⅝" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
How it goes together
Four Windmill Eight units in a two by two, with the light and dark reversed on the diagonal. Every piece is still an ordinary half-square triangle.
Tips
- The reversal is the block. Piece all four units the same way and it flattens into a plain repeating windmill.
- Because every seam is a straight join between half-square triangles, this is a good large-scale block for a beginner who wants a complicated-looking result.
- Try the value view (press V in the studio) before you commit. This block lives entirely on value contrast and hue is almost irrelevant to it.
How much fabric for a Whirligig quilt?
Yardage for a whole quilt of Whirligig blocks, computed the way the studio does it — every piece packed across a 40″ usable width with 10% added for waste.
| Quilt size | Blocks | Finished | Top fabric | Backing | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby 36×48 | 12 | 36" × 48" | Background 1¼ yd · Dark 1¼ yd | 2½ yd | ⅜ yd |
| Throw 60×72 | 30 | 60" × 72" | Background 2⅞ yd · Dark 2⅞ yd | 3⅞ yd | ½ yd |
| Queen 90×108 | 72 | 96" × 108" | Background 6⅞ yd · Dark 6⅞ yd | 8¾ yd | ⅞ yd |
What it looks like in a quilt
A single block only tells you half the story. Set sixteen of them together and the secondary pattern appears where the blocks touch:
Whirligig questions
How big should the block be?
Sixteen triangles at 12 inches finished means each is quite small; 16 inches finished is more comfortable and lets the double rotation read properly.
Can I make it from strips?
No — the pieces are triangles. But you can make all sixteen with the two-at-a-time half-square triangle method in eight passes, which is fast.