What is the easiest way to make triangles for quilting?

Question

My triangles always come out a little off when I go to piece them together for a quilt. Are the kits that are sold to help make triangles for piecing worth the money, or does anyone have a hint to making them without the kit?

Answer 1

First, I'm going to assume you mean half square triangles (two right triangles sewn together to form a square) or quarter square triangles (four right triangles sewn together to form a square). These are the most commonly used triangles in quilting.

I'm also going to assume that by kits you mean things like Triangle Papers, Triangles on a Roll, or Thangles. They are fantastic if you are going to make a lot of half square triangles that are made from the same two fabrics. You layer the two fabrics right sides together, pin a sheet of the Triangle Papers to the layers, sew on the dotted lines, then cut on the solid lines. Tear off the papers, press open and you have perfect half square triangles. I'm working on a quilt that uses 2 1/2" finished size HST's, and I can sew, cut and press 24 units (one sheet) in about 10 minutes. I like Triangle Papers better than Thangles, but that's a personal preference. You can find these in most quilt shops, or online.

If you're only doing a few HST's in the same color combos, you're better off to draw the lines yourself directly on the fabric. Cut a square of each fabric exactly 7/8" larger than your finished size (for example, if you want a 2" square after it's sewn into the quilt, it should be 2 1/2" including seam allowances, so you cut the squares at 2 7/8"). On the back of the lighter fabric, use a ruler to draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Draw lines 1/4" on either side of the center diagonal (you don't actually have to draw the center diagonal if you line up the ruler properly). Put the two fabrics right sides together and sew along the two outside drawn lines. Cut along the center line, press open, and you have two HST units.

For quarter square triangle units, take two HST units and put them right sides together, butting the seams up tight against each other. Do the diagonal line drawing thing again, sew, cut and press, and you'll have two QST units. Make sure the seams are pressed tight against each other and the intersection at the center will be perfect.

There are two secrets to making perfect half square triangle units. First, if you're willing to spend a little more time to get pefect squares, sew a larger unit than you need, press, and trim it to the correct size. This is especially good if you're making a quilt that has a lot of half square triangles. If each one is off even 1/16th of an inch, your finished quilt could be off by several inches when you're finished.

Also (and this goes for all seams, not just triangles), sew a SCANT 1/4" seam. Sew a little less than a 1/4" seam because when you press it open you're folding the fabric back over the seam and this takes up a little extra fabric.

The links below are for the three paper products, a review of the three products, and instructions for piecing HST's and QST's using both methods. Be sure to check out the other lessons in this Fons & Porter website - they have some good instructions.

Answer 2

There are actually a lot of ways to cut different types of triangles for quilt piecing... some of them use templates, some use rulers, some special rulers, some involve folding, etc.

There are also ways to sew two squares or triangles together, THEN cut the shape you need from them (there's a little bit of waste there but that method at least creates larger units which will be exactly the right size for piecing with others... can help make the final piece more likely to come out the right size-wise.

Here are some of the possible ways:

http://tinyurl.com/ybjvwm
http://tinyurl.com/ykw2gd


As for the "kits," don't know which you might be thinking of since there are so many tools and methods that can be used.
You will need at least one stiff template or ruler to use, and using a rotary cutter will generally be more precise and easier than using someting that makes a mark which then has to be cut with scissors.


Good luck!

Diane B.

Answer 3

Quilt Chat has all sorts of links for quilters, even free lessons:
http://quiltchat.com/

http://www.quiltchat.com/Online%20Classes/bom.html

Half square triangles:
http://quiltchat.com/lessons/halfsqr.html

http://quiltchat.com/lessons/skirt.html

Quilting Links:
http://quiltchat.com/links/




What are the shapes of your triangles? Are all sides the same? Are two sides the same with one longer side? Will they have one right angle? It depends.

To put them together correctly, put a pin into the fabric 1/4 inch in from each side, and put the pieces together exactly where the pins are. You'll have little triangles of fabric sticking out from the ends. This is normal. Sew up to 1/4 inch from the edges.

If you try to line up the sides and don't match up where the pins are, it will throw you off.

Go to quiltchat.com for good instructions on anything about quilting and lots of links, too. Free lessons online.

Good luck.


.

Answer 4

Triangles are difficult for a beginner to work with because at least one side of them is cut on the bias and tends to stretch. Pairs of right triangles (right angle on one corner, both sides making up the angle are the same size) can be joined along the long side to make squares known as "half-square triangles". HSTs can be used to make a lot of different quilts, use your favorite search engine to find some.

Answer 5

Use a rotary cutter and a straight edge to cut perfect squares. Pin two squares together and use a pencil and straight edge to draw a diagonal from one corner to another. Sew the squares together 1/4" from both sides of the line, cut along the line, and unfold two squares made of traingles.

Answer 6

in order to make the perfect triangle, first make a square
then cut the square in half diagonally

Answer 7

Follow MyThought's answer. I am a member of the local quilt guild and this is exactly how we pros do it.