Catherine's Wheel

 I posted December 17, 2020 about making an ornament which is called prairie wheel (USA) or Catherine's Wheel (UK).  The latter being of more historical significance.  It is named for the patron saint Catherine from the 4th century who was tortured for not renouncing her Christian religion.  She is the patron saint for students, preachers, philosophers, as well as single women.  

In this post, I am revisiting the Catherine's wheel and how to make the ornaments. First thing to do is decide on the color scheme you want.  It can look scrappy, or use one color, two colors...whatever you have on hand is fine.  The middle of the wheel is a small pillow that measures 3" in diameter and will be entirely covered, so it will not matter what fabric or color you use for this.  Muslin works great and is easy to sew through.  You will need:

12 - 2.5" squares of prints, solids, or combo of both

2 - 3" circles of muslin, or a center pillow

Poly-fil or scraps of batting for pillow stuffing

Strong thread (I use buttonhole/craft thread)

Buttons, beads, or trims for the centers of each wheel (to cover your stitches)

DMC floss or Perle cotton for a hanger

Hot glue and glue gun (optional)

Size 6 or 7 sharps needle, small scissors, thimble, sewing machine (optional)

Sew the circles together using a 1/4" seam allowance and a long thread (about 30").  Make a small slit through one of the center circles, turn and stuff.  Be sure to put enough polyfil in the pillow to make it filled but not so tight that you have trouble stitching the opening closed.  Stitch the opening closed by whip stitching, then bring the thread through back to the center.  You will be sewing each spoke from the center (front and back).  Now, make a couple stitches through the pillow center to secure, but do not tie off.  

Fold one 2.5" square at a time.  Fold in half on the diagonal, then again on the diagonal.  You will have a triangle with two folds on one edge, one fold on the ajacent edge, and all the raw edges aligned on the straight edge.  Gently fold the triangle over the edge of the pillow and make a tacking stitch through the center catching the points to secure to the center. 

 Do not cut the thread.  Continue with the next spoke in the same way.  Be sure to cover the raw edges with the next triangle overlapping slightly.  You will be able to adjust the spokes in the end.  Tweleve triangles will fit when spaced apart.  Mix or match your color choices as you go around the wheel.  Gently tug and separate each spoke as you go making a tacking stitch through the center.  When you come to the end you can do one of two things.  Make a secure knot and cut the thread.  If you cut the thread before embellishing, this is where you can glue on your buttons, beads or trims.  Or you can thread on your embellishment and tack down to each center, then tie off.  You can also use a tiny bit of glue inside the spoke and onto the pillow edge just to secure it to the top inside of the pillow.  In a couple places, this can be quite effective in keeping its integrity.  However, it's not necessary and it is just an ornament, not to be used as a toy or for any other purpose. 

 The final thing to do is to add perle cotton thread, dmc floss, or thin ribbon trim to hang it from.

Viola!  You're done.  Honestly, I do this while watching TV and can make several in an hours time, and what a great project to use up those scraps or strays from jelly rolls.  :o)  Happy Sewing!