The 4th of July is for Pinwheels!

Learn how easy it is to make fabric pinwheels without even sewing – a great craft for Independence day and to do with kids.

Whether you are having a 4th of July party or just want to add a patriotic punch to your indoor or outdoor decor, these fabric pinwheels using my Let Freedom Soar fabrics are quick, easy and CUTE! Here’s how to make them.

STEP 1: PREP YOUR FABRIC

For each pinwheel, CUT two 8″ squares of coordinating fabric and CUT one 7 3/4″ square of Heat ‘n Bond ULTRAhold Iron-On Adhesive.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, adhere the Heat ‘n Bond to the wrong side of one of the fabrics with your iron..

Slowly remove the paper – making sure the adhesive is fully bonded. It will be shiny on the fabric – if you don’t see the shine then it is probably still on the paper. Lay the paper back down and heat with your iron again.

Place the wrong side of your second fabric on top of the wrong side of your first fabric that now has adhesive on it and use your iron to adhere both pieces together.

Trim to square your fabric – making sure it is smaller than the 7 3/4″ square of Heat ‘n Bond or you will have a bit of fraying of the fabric that doesn’t have adhesive on it.

STEP 2: CUT & GLUE YOUR PINWHEEL

One on side of your fabric square, DRAW LINES diagonally in both directions.

CUT along the lines from each corner of the square to about 1/2″ from the center where the two lines intersect.

DECIDE which fabric you want to be on the points of the pinwheel and place the square with that fabric facing UP.

PLACE a small drop of hot glue in the center (on the point where the two lines you drew intersect). 

FOLD one corner point over and down onto the glue – you need to do this quickly as the glue doesn’t stay hot long. I used my Flamingo Toes stiletto to press the fabric onto the glue so as not to burn my finger. You can also use a chopstick, a closed pen, etc

REPEAT with the remaining 3 corners to form your pinwheel.

GLUE a button or other decoration in the center to hide the points of fabric and the glue.

TURN the pinwheel over and place a line of glue where the fabric isn’t cut and put the dowel rod on it. (I got a set of 12″ long dowel rods at a craft store but you can use whatever length you want for your project.)

STEP 3: ENJOY!

Simple as that! I hope you have fun with these and if you share them on social media, be sure to tag me so I can see what you did!

🇺🇸 Tara Reed

A few things I learned along the way:

• I don’t recommend using the Heat ‘n Bond for pinwheels over 7 1/2″ square as they will get a little floppy. I made a bigger one with Pellon Fuse-N-Shape, Heavy Weight 2-sided Fusible Interfacing. It was stiffer but I had to sew the pieces in place because the glue gun glue wouldn’t hold (and definitely use a thimble as it gets thick with all those layers!)
• Smaller is good too! Sometimes a variety of sizes makes a more visually pleasing display so try smaller pinwheels too.
• You don’t have to put them on sticks! Some people glue or sew them to ribbon to make garland. They would also be festive napkin rings! (I’ll let you know if I try that too.)

P.S. Click here to see more free projects and patterns using my Let Freedom Soar fabrics >