Winding Down the Summer with the Winding Ways

Let’s Get Started

Typically you see this block done in a completely two-color quilt pattern where the light and dark fabric is alternated in block two to create a “negative” of block one. A scrappy look can be done as well using many different fabrics and modern prints are attractive too!

In the past to make this block, I would have cut out cardboard templates. Often times from an empty cereal box much like my mother and grandmother would have and then traced them a bunch of times. I would then keep track of how many I’d done and then cut them out with scissors.

Fast forward to the present day, the AccuQuilt GO! Winding Ways die (55069) makes cutting this block a breeze! As a bonus, the pieces are complete with little registration points cut right in, and the corners are pre-notched to do away with the “dog ears” that are normally produced at the edges when pieced. This makes matching the ends very easy.

Tip #1:
Layer two light and two dark fabrics on the die, and with one pass through the cutter, you’ll have the fabrics to make two complete blocks.

Tip #2:
When laying your mat over the die, make sure that the little hanging hole on the mat is not over a cutting blade underneath.  Two sides of the die have a large open area that doesn’t have any blades. Make sure that your mat hole is over that area.

There was a day when I would have only attempted piecing curved seams by hand, but the cut shapes of the AccuQuilt GO! with the built in registration marks makes piecing these gently curved-seam blocks easy and quick. You can use a regular quarter-inch presser foot with little or no pinning.

All of the AccuQuilt GO! dies come with a free pattern and basic steps to make the block.  I found the directions to be quite clear and easy to follow.  Good tips are provided and if you follow the pressing directions that they suggest, everything lays really well.  First and foremost, match the registration marks!

In the pattern, the suggestion is provided to work with the concave curved piece (curve going inward) on top. I found that worked well for me.  Everything falls into place much better that way for some reason. It stitched up fine by just pinning at the center registration marks and one pin on each end.

The Winding Ways block finishes to an 8 inch block. A four block by four block setting with borders makes a quick and lovely wall hanging. Chain piecing is easy with this block. As I got going, I sewed my blocks up at a pace of a leisurely half hour per block so a whole project can be finished from un-cut yardage to finished top in one day. The curved piecing makes it look rather impressive.

Besides the traditional two color alternating pattern, try these blocks in different color combinations. Holiday fabrics make for great table runners for the upcoming season.

Scrappy fabrics – alternating the light and dark fabrics in the blocks helps to produce the circular secondary pattern that emerges.	Christmas Colors – This design has all darker pinwheels with lighter backgrounds.	Combine with the GO! 8 1/2" Square (55058) in Sweet Girly colors. Here, you completely lose the secondary circular pattern, but the pinwheels make a sweet child’s quilt.