Vintage Christmas Sampler – Waterwheel Block

Waterwheel BlockThe next block in the Vintage Christmas Sampler is the Waterwheel Block. I saw several variations of this block in the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. I drew a few of them out and didn’t like the proportions of the blocks, so I started over and this is the block I ended up with, I hope you like it!

Get the know how after the jump!Update: The measurements on this post were off by 1/2 inch – it was brought to my attention by one of my wonderful followers – Michelle! Thank you so much for letting me know Michelle! I truly appreciate it!

You will need three different fabrics. One main fabric – this can be a large print fabric or medium size print. I used a medium fabric. You will also need a background fabric (white stars) and an accent fabric (red holly print).

All seams in this block are 1/4″.  The most challenging skill is Half Square Triangles. You will need to make 4 Half Square Triangles. I have a tutorial here for anyone who does not know the basics of how to make HSTs.

Half Square TrianglesDraw a line down the white 4 7/8″ square, corner to corner, place your 1/4″ seam foot on the line and sew down each side of the line. Cut the block in half down the drawn line. This creates two 4.5″ squares. (do this twice)

Next assemble the corner squares following the pictures below:

This block should measure 4.5″ x 4.5″

Layout your block:

Block LayoutSew your rows:

Finish your block!

Waterwheel BlockCongratulations! Another block completed!  Two blocks left to go.

If you have any questions, as always, please feel free to ask!

6 thoughts on “Vintage Christmas Sampler – Waterwheel Block”

  1. This is a great block….thanks for a friendly tutorial (very clear and lots of pictures!). This one would look nice as a candlemat, since it finishes at 12 inches! Pretty fabrics!

  2. This is a great block!! Perfect for showcasing a print like the cat print I have. Thank you for giving me another idea I can use that print on! 🙂

  3. Mary Beth Ticknor

    I love all the blocks on the sampler but this one is my favorite. Really says Christmas to me. Great tutorial.

  4. Hello! Jacque sent me to check you out and I love your blog. Your tutorials are so easy to follow! I hope to learn a bit from you in the days ahead.

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