When I learned to make.

this block I was told it was called Grandmother's Fan.  When I decided on it for the quilt I found the name 8 Petal Small Centre Dresden Fan........quite a handle!  Fan quilts date back as far as 1885 so it's been around for a long, long time. 
Whatever you want to call it, it is a little bit of appliqué and a little bit of piecing.  I did find that the circle provided with the instructions wasn't large enough, so I made a new one.
I opted to make this block with three different fabrics. Two for the blades and another for the circle on a creamy background.    
I cut, then turn over the tops of the blades then sew the blades together alternating the two colours.  Once the blades are sewn in place at the top (either by hand or by machine -- your choice) I add the half circle.  
I keep the whole block together until it is time to sew the quilt together.  Then I remove the background piece.  It adds stability to the block while it's "in storage".
Here is the link for a print out of the instructions.  Tomorrow, something new to try!