WTC Quiltstitched with care since 2001

Free pattern: pinwheel baby quilt

Pinwheels look like they're spinning, which is what makes them a favorite for babies. Each block is four half-square triangles, and one charm pack makes all 20 blocks for a 38 by 46 inch quilt. If you've made our squares-only baby quilt, this is the natural next step.

A pastel pinwheel baby quilt with a soft blue border spread flat in a white crib
Pinwheel baby quilt: 20 pastel pinwheel blocks on cream, 4 across and 5 down, with a blue border
Finished quilt: 38 × 46 inches. 20 blocks, 8 inches finished, with a 3-inch border.

Fabric

FabricAmount
Charm pack (5-in squares)1 pack; you need 40 squares
Cream background¾ yd
Border⅝ yd
Binding⅜ yd
Backing1½ yd of 60-in-wide flannel or minky, or 2⅔ yd of standard cotton (two 46-in lengths, seamed)
BattingCrib size (45 × 60 in)

Cutting

  • Cream: 5 strips 5 inches wide, cut into 40 squares, 5 × 5 inches.
  • Border: 5 strips 3½ inches wide.
  • Binding: 5 strips 2½ inches wide.

Make the half-square triangles

Draw a diagonal line on the back of each cream square. Pair each with a charm square, right sides together, sew ¼ inch from both sides of the line, cut on the line and press toward the print. Trim every half-square triangle to 4½ inches square. You'll have 80, two from each print. Our zigzag pattern shows this step in more detail.

Sew the pinwheels

Pinwheel block: four half-square triangles with pink and blue blades turning around the center
One block: four triangle squares, the print blades turning around the center. Two prints alternate.
  1. Take two HSTs from one print and two from another. Arrange them so the print triangles chase each other around the center, as in the diagram, with the two prints alternating.
  2. Sew the top two together and the bottom two together. Press the top pair's seam to the left and the bottom pair's to the right, so they nest.
  3. Sew the two halves together, matching the center point carefully; pin right through the center seam.
  4. Spin the center seam: undo the two or three stitches in the seam allowance on each side of the center (not in the seam itself), and the allowances will fan out in a little circle. The center lies flat instead of forming a lump.
  5. Each block measures 8½ inches. Make 20.

Assemble and finish

Lay out 5 rows of 4 blocks, mixing the colors. Sew the rows, then join them; the center is 32½ × 40½ inches. Join the border strips, sew two 40½-inch pieces to the sides and two 38½-inch pieces to the top and bottom (measure through the center first).

Quilt with a gentle all-over pattern or straight lines through the pinwheels, and machine bind for durability. As with any baby quilt, skip buttons and embellishments, and follow your pediatrician's safe-sleep advice about soft bedding in the crib. See how to bind a quilt and how to label one.

Other sizes

LayoutBlocksCharm squaresFinished (3-in border)
3 × 4122430 × 38 in (doll or stroller)
4 × 5 (this pattern)204038 × 46 in
6 × 74284 (2 packs)54 × 62 in (throw)

See all free quilt patterns. Free for personal and charity use; please don't sell the pattern itself.