A Bonus Project From Leftover Triangles: Quilting a Pinwheel Wall Hanging Edge-to-Edge

Happy Feature Friday, quilting friends! This week's project in the sewing studio is a great reminder that no scrap of fabric has to go to waste. In Feature Friday 2026 Episode 34, we're turning leftover triangles into a brand-new pinwheel wall hanging — and quilting the whole thing edge-to-edge with a swirly, circular design called Curls.

What Is a "Bonus Project," Anyway?

If you've been following along with us, you may recognize this fabric. It's leftover from a previous quilt made using the Villa Rosa pattern "Asagail." Rather than let those extra triangle pieces sit in a bin, we pieced them into a fresh pinwheel design for a wall hanging.

That's the idea behind a bonus project: when a quilt uses shaped pieces like triangles, there are almost always usable scraps left on the cutting table. Instead of tossing them, save them, and let them become the starting point for something completely different. It's a simple habit that stretches your fabric budget and keeps your stash working for you.

Piggybacking Two Projects on One Backing

To make the most of studio time (and backing fabric), this bonus pinwheel top was loaded on the frame alongside the original quilt, sharing the same piece of backing. Piggybacking projects this way is a handy trick for any longarm quilter: it cuts down on setup time and squeezes more finished pieces out of every yard of backing fabric.

Choosing the Edge-to-Edge Design: Curls

For the quilting itself, the design of choice was an edge-to-edge pattern called Curls — a continuous motif of swirls and circles that flows across the whole quilt top without stopping to match individual blocks. Edge-to-edge (sometimes called "E2E") designs are a favorite for projects like this because they:

• Quilt quickly and consistently across the entire surface

• Add movement and texture without competing with a busy pieced pattern like a pinwheel

• Work beautifully on both simple and scrappy tops

Setting Up the Pattern

Once the pinwheel top was loaded, the next steps were the usual edge-to-edge workflow: selecting the Curls pattern, scaling it to fit the dimensions of the wall hanging, and adjusting the layout so the swirls would repeat evenly from edge to edge. Getting the scale right at this stage matters — too large and the design overwhelms a smaller piece like a wall hanging; too small and it can start to look busy or cluttered.

Stitching It Out

With the layout set, the robotics moved at a speed of 30, stitching the design out in white thread — a comfortable, steady pace that keeps stitch quality consistent on a project this size using the Butler Robotics automated quilting system.

The Takeaway

Sometimes we have to make the most of what we have left over from one project, and we can turn it into something completely different. That's really the heart of this episode: a reminder that "leftover" fabric is really just the raw material for your next project, and that a little creativity (plus an edge-to-edge design like Curls) can turn scraps into a finished wall hanging you'll actually want to hang up.

Want to see the full process in action — from loading the frame to the finished pinwheel? Check out the complete video here: Feature Friday 2026 Episode 34: Bonus Project Edge to Edge.