Week 3
Piecing Your Triangle Rows
Time to get stitching this week ladies! So excited for this part, you really start to get a feel for the quilt. If you didn’t get to link up your pic, no worries! That is just for the prize drawing. Do continue making your quilt and try for next weeks link up! Wanna know who won last weeks prize???
Congratulations to Alida @ tweloquilting.blogspot.com!
This weeks sponsors and prizes are….
$25.00 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics!
and a Swirly Girls Designs pattern!
The first thing you are going to need to do is layout your triangles. A design wall is great, but the floor works just as good…..or just go random and let if flow!
Important things to know when doing your layout:
Alternate how your rows start. Row 1 will start with the first triangle pointing up and Row 2 will start with the first triangle pointing downward. This gives the quilt a zig zag edge, we will trim the edge square at the end.
You will have 17 triangles in each row and 12 rows.
Triangles are STRETCHY!!! Do not man handle these pieces and let them flow through your machine with out pushing or pulling.
Pins are your friend….but you don’t have to:)
Use a consistent 1/4″ seam! A quarter inch foot for your machine would be helpful.
…
Once you have your layout you are ready to start sewing. Here are some step by step pics for piecing your triangles together.
Layout your first two triangles of Row 1, The first should have the blunt tip pointing up. The second, should have the blunt tip pointing down.
Flip them together with right sides facing. Make sure all three points are lined up and not just the two you on the side you are piecing.
Pin along the side you will be sewing on to add stability to your pieces. Then sew a 1/4″ seam, be consistent.
If your seam is correct your line of stitches should land right where your trimmed tip and the other corner come together.
Gently press open and use an up/down motion rather than side to side….remember, stretchy!
Layout your next pair.
Flip these right sides together and sew a 1/4″ seam.
Your tips will line up on one end and the other will have the 1/4″ tip beyond the triangle. This makes a “V” shape where your sewing line should start. If one end is not lining up properly…you probably have the other wrong.
Gently press open and keep working your way down the row. I like to press my seams closed and to the side, but you can press seams open if you like.
When you are done you should have 1/4″ of fabric past each point along your row of triangles. This means you will have enough room for your seam allowance when joining rows. Check for this each time you press open your piecing to make sure.
For demonstration purposes this is smaller than the entire quilt, but notice how much it shrinks! Remember 17 triangles in each row and 12 rows! Be careful not to flip flop these numbers:)
Handle your rows with care:) Once again….they are very stretchy at this stage so be gentle and store flat.
Also, don’t forget this weeks GIVEAWAY for a sewing machine cover kit from Fort Worth Fabric Studios! (If you had trouble entering this week the link has been fixed! So sorry for the trouble leaving comments…server error.) You can enter by clicking HERE!
So get to piecing those triangles and link up your pic by midnight/EST on April 10th!
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Great timing! I was just about to get up and start sewing something; now I can work on this :D thanks for the tips. I think some of my original triangle rows have been off because I wasn’t lining up the triangles properly with the blunt edges.
Thanks for all the tips. My rows certainly aren’t that perfect, but I still think it will make a pretty good quilt.
Looking awesome!!
Starting the rows, boy I was worried, my 6inch blocks look was bigger on my table the everyones photos on flickr…..
Thanks for the details! I made one triangle quilt, but I couldn’t bear to trim the sides – so I made a hexagon quilt instead! It was a baby playmat so the shape worked well.
Just curious: do you press all your seams to the side? Or do you sew pairs of triangles with the seam pressed open, then press to one side when joining pairs. (Or maybe one spot was a typo? But either way sounds interesting)
Ooops – I’m still in the process of cutting out my triangles. But I’m DETERMINED to get caught up this week!
Why do you say to not flip the 17 triangles in each row and 12 rows? I was going to do 12 in a row and 17 rows. It sounds like it will all work out to me.
Thanks for your note about the big difference in sizes of the 17×12 and 12×17 configurations. For some reason I was thinking since it is equilateral, all sides were the same size, and the triangles took up the same space. Thanks for setting me straight. I fixed it and it made a huge difference.
This is why QAL’s are so awesome!
I so am behind but linked up just to keep myself honest, Don’t add me to your draw! :)
Okay. I am in the process of sewing my triangles together. My big problem is that I have the different triangle ruler from JoAnn’s, so my triangles are not equilateral. I can live with that. However I will have no triangle points when I sew my rows together (first 6 rows) I have corrected it and now have 2 rows that will give me pretty nice points. 3 choices – 1 – cut more triangles – I have lots of all the fabrics. Or 2 use the stubby points (but they are ugly) 3. change things up – by slicing and dicing all the stubby rows – and piecing it back together like a mosaic of broken dishes – either in the middle section or some at both ends.
What do you think?
just a thought – you could use the stubby rows on the back and cut more rows….only if the stubby rows bother you that much
That is a great idea!
I chopped up 3 rows and pieced together – 3 rows left and I might use them on the back.
Your pictures are so perfect and clear, so easy to sew all those rows together@ Really enjoying the QAL!
My triangles went together like a dream–hope the rows are as easy!
Thanks for doing this sew along. I’ve always wanted to try the 60 degree triangles and now I have a quilt in process. I have the ‘sides’ of the strips left from cutting and was wondering if you had ideas on working with them? I have a bunch from this and leftovers from two Kaleidoscope quilts sitting around. I have a feeling they will become big crumbs of some point for a crazy quilt of sorts but was just looking for other ideas. I’ll probably just sew them all together and see what happens.
Thanks!
This is the best tutorial I have seen on piecing triangles! Something so simple can be quite confusing if you don’t know where the blunt ends are supposed to go! When I done my first one I never could figure out which way what was supposed to go lol.
Thanks!
I’m ready for a new project , glad I found this. Now to pick fabric!
Want to make this as a crib size. How many triangles will you need for that?
trying to find the bookcase quilt pattern you show on You Tube does anyone sell this?
Google bookcase quilt pattern and I found several options. Hope that helps!