Underground Railroad -- Block 3

Wagon Wheel

Underground Railroad Block 3

The Wagon Wheel was the second quilt to be displayed on the fence.  Wagons with hidden compartments were one of the primary means of transporting escaping runaways.

The quilt was a message to pack provisions for their journey as if they were packing a wagon.  

Sunbonnets and bandannas were indicators of social rank for women.  Bonnets were worn by women above the rack of slave and indentured servants.  But a sun bonnet could help fleeing slaves disguise themselves by obscuring their faces.

In Nebraska City, Nebraska, stories still circulate about a minaster who used to drive his wagon with two sun bonneted ladies sitting beside him.  A half hour later, the minister would return with two ladies still sitting beside him.  What no one seemed to notice was that on the return trip, the two women wearing the bonnets had dark complexions.

Getting started:

You will need the templates from the book, if your not using the book email at pinwheelquilting@gmail.com

and I will send them to you.

This is the picture from the book, their are 12 spokes to the wheel so will have to decide how you want yours to look.

Fabrics needed:

      13" square for the background.

      1  5" x 6" piece for ech spoke.  ( In the book they used 6 different fabrics, I used 12.)

      1  4" x 4" square for the center

      1/3 yd of interfacing

I used my Navy fabrics for my wheel.  Cut out your spokes and your center, also cut a circle for the wheel and for the center circle out of interfacing.

Sew your spokes together, 6 together and then the other 6 together.

Press your seams all in one direction.  Then sew these 2 pieces together.

Next sew your Wheel and the interfacing together with right sides together. Sew 1/4" round the outer edge, and trim seam to 1/8", then turn through the hole of the wheel. 

Then pull apart to separate the to pieces.  

Then finger press all around the edge, rolling the wheel fabrics slightly over the interfacing, then press.

Repeat the process with the center circle, after sewing the fabric and interfacing together using 1/4" seam around the edge. Then cut a slit in the interfacing to turn right side out.  Press.

Center your Wheel onto the background square.  You can hand stitch or machine stitch your wheel down.

I hand stitched mine down. Then stitch the center circle down.  Then square your block to 12 1/2" x 12 1/2".

Hope you have fun,

Carol