Back to Basics!

I love fabric! I love fabric collections! And I mean ALL the fabric and ALL the collections. But admittedly, all the fabric and collections can be a bit overwhelming from time to time. Think of it as sensory overload with all the choices. In times like these, I like to get back to basics.

For these three projects, I used the same pattern, Pinwheel Surprise from Jaded Spade Creations. And while I created three different projects, by switching up the color scheme for each project, they look completely different!

Project 1: Hemingway Pouch

For my first project I decided to make a Hemingway Pouch from Center Street Quilts. I wanted to play around with the color purple so I used Confetti Cotton Iris (lighter purple), Eggplant (dark purple) & Riley Black (center). These are the two main blocks for my pouch.

How great are these colors!? The Pinwheel Surprise pattern does have some bulk to it so I went slow for my first block. It reminded me a bit of a Cathedral Window pattern with the bulk you have to work with. But the end is totally worth it!

To make sure there was definition between the Pinwheel Surprise blocks and the rest of the pouch, I used Painter’s Watercolor Swirl Periwinkle around the blocks as well as inside the pouch. I also did a scrappy binding using the Eggplant and Riley Black Fabrics.

Project 2: Throw Pillow

For this project, I wanted to go with more “wild” colors. Something that would fit in with a teens room. I decided on Riley Lime, Cranberry & Sapphire for my blocks.

Are these colors funky or what! But to mix things up a bit more, I opted for a pillow case with the Pinwheel Surprise block on BOTH sides. But for the reverse side, I mixed up the Cranberry and Sapphire colors. I kept the Riley Lime in the center for both sides and to bring out some more of that lime color, I added some topstitching around the blocks using Omni Bright Light Green #3165 from Superior Threads.

For the outside edges of the pillow, I added Blossom on White Clover. This print has little green blossoms throughout the fabric that I thought would help bring out the Riley Lime in the centers.

Project 3: Wall Hanging

For my last project, I wanted to make a wall hanging for my quilt studio (I’m recently super into wall hangings). For this project, I went with blues because blue is my favorite color. I selected Sky (lighter blue), Azure (darker blue) & Iceberg (white).

For this project, I took some liberties with the Pinwheel Surprise block pattern. I started with the size from the pattern (largest block closest to the bottom) and then I adjusted the sizes by 1″ for each following block. While I really wanted to go down one more block size, I don’t think it would have been physically possible to fold over the edges on a block any smaller.

I also thought it would be fun to alternate the Iceberg & Azure colors for each block. I opted to keep the Sky color in the center for each block and also used it for the surrounding edges. For the backing and the binding, I will be using Painter’s Watercolor Swirl Turquoise.

I’m so excited to complete this wall hanging and get it up in my studio. These colors look so great together and make me happy whenever I look at it!

By switching up the colors, along with adjusting the block sizes, you could easily make a holiday wall hanging (or front door hanger) that looks like stacked presents!

These projects were fun to make and using the LARGE selection of colors from the Confetti Cottons collection leaves you with endless possibilities!

Which project was your favorite? How many different projects do you think you’ll make with this super cute pattern? Use the links included to get your copy of the Pinwheel Surprise pattern from Jaded Spade Creations. This pattern is fat quarter friendly so grab your preferred Confetti Cottons color bundle from The Fat Quarter Shop today!

Carol Segovia is an affiliate for The Fat Quarter Shop and Superior Threads
(Use code ASTSEGOVIA to get an additional 15% off your Superior Threads order)