Triangles and Stripes Quilt Tutorial

This triangles and stripes quilt tutorial came about as a reimagining of my Striped Triangles quilt tutorial that used up lots and lots of scraps. 

I made that quilt on a whim, but it has become on of my most popular tutorials.  I wanted to make another, but wanted to make it new somehow.  So, instead of having the stripes point all different directions in the quilt, this time I turned the stripes horizontal while keeping them within the triangles.

Triangles and Stripes Quilt Tutorial Fabric Requirements

2½” yards assorted fabrics for quilt top

½ yard binding

Fabric Cutting Directions

Cut 22 strips 2” by 20” and 44 strips 3” by 20”. 

Here are a few of my strips.

I mostly worked with fat quarters for this quilt, but 40” strips can also be cut from WOF and then sub cut to be 20” long.

This number of strips makes a perfectly baby sized quilt.  For a larger quilt, you will need more fabric and for a smaller quilt you will need less fabric.

Strip Sewing Directions

There are two different types of strips sets to make for this quilt, but both will involve sewing a 3” strip to either side of a 2” strip

For the first type of strip set, offset the strips by an inch or a little more.  This photo shows adding the third strip to the set, but it will work for matching the first two as well.

Line up the 60* mark at the edge of the strip, which will show more or less where to place the second and then third strips.  This is just a guide to prevent fabric waste.

This is what it looks like when all three pieces are sewn together. 

Make 14 strip sets like this.

The second type of strip set also has two 3” strips sewn to the outsides of a 2” strip.  This time, there is no need to offset the strips, all three should have a more or less straight edge.

Make 8 strip sets like this.

Cutting Triangles

Working first with the 14 offset strip sets, cut four triangles from each strip set.

Line up the 60* line on a quilting ruler along the bottom edge of a strip set. 

Keeping the 60* line flush against the bottom of the strip set, scootch the ruler as far to the right as possible, the goal is trim away the smallest amount of scraps with the selvage as possible.

All of my photos show how this works for a right-handed quilter.  If you are left-handed, reverse directions so that the ruler is lined up in a way that is comfortable for you, most likely as far to the left of the strip set as possible.

Trim away the selvage. 

Move to the other side of the cutting map OR turn the strip set so that the cut edge is now on the left.  Line up the 60* line against the bottom of the strip set.  Move the ruler as far to the left as possible, until the right edge of the ruler makes a point exactly at the top left edge of the strip set.

The goal is to cut an equilateral triangle.  Placing the 60* line along the bottom gives the right shape.  Placing the ruler right at that point on the top of the strip set will make that corner exactly 60*.

Cut one triangle.

To cut the next triangle, place the 60* line along the TOP of the strip set and again make a corner at the edge of the orange fabric along the bottom.

Each strip set can make 4 triangles.  14 strip sets will make 56 triangles.

Cutting End Pieces and Triangles

Next, take one of the 8 straight edge strip sets and fold it in half.  From these strip sets we are going to cut more triangles and also end pieces.

Using the same steps as the above set of directions, line up the 60* line along the bottom of the strip set.   This time, come in an inch or so from the raw edges (the fold is at the other end).

Make one cut to make two end pieces.

Folding the strip set in half before making this cut is crucial!  Half of the end pieces will look like this, and half will be mirror images.

This is end-piece A.

This is end-piece B.

Then, cut three triangles from the remainder of the strip set.  Use the same cutting directions from above.

Each strip set makes 2 end pieces and 3 triangles. 

Eight strip sets make a total 16 end pieces and 24 triangles.

Make a total of 80 triangles and 16 end pieces.

Sewing the Triangles

The next step in the Stripes and Triangles Quilt Tutorial is to sew the triangles so that the stripes appear!

Set aside 8 triangles.  Sew the remaining 72 triangles into 36 pairs.

Place two triangles so that the triangle on the left has the tip up and the triangle on the right has the tip down.

Before sewing, it is important to match the seams from the stripes within the triangles.    Because the seam that joins two triangles is at an angle to the stripe seams, the stripe seams should meet ¼” in from the edge of the triangles, right where the new seam will go.

Sew two triangles together using a ¼” seam allowance.

Make 36 pairs total.

Do you see how the ends don’t quite match on the pair?

In a typical quilt pattern, that would be a big problem!  In this quilt pattern, it’s just part of the way the triangles to together. 

I have to admit that it caught me off guard when I started sewing my triangles together, but after giving it some thought, it makes perfect sense.

When sewing the triangles into pairs, the stripes needed to match.  Because of the shape of a triangle, matching those seams pulled some of the height out of the tip of the triangles.  Look at this photo below and imagine that the white lines I added represent the seam lines.   See how much shorter the triangle is once the seam is accounted for?

All of that height is removed from the tip of the triangle, not the base.  So, it makes sense that the triangles wouldn’t “match” once sewn into pairs.

Confused?  Don’t worry about it too much.  We’ll account for that extra fabric at the base of the triangles when we sew the rows together.

Sew the 8 end-piece As to the left side of 8 of the triangle pairs.  Again, match the seams as shown in the steps above to have the stripes match across triangles and end pieces.

Sew the 8 end-piece Bs to the right side of the 8 remaining single triangles.

At this point, place the triangle pairs and end pieces onto a design wall or, if you are short on space like me, onto a design floor.

Place the pieces into eight rows. Each row is made up of 10 triangles and two end pieces.

Odd rows have two end-pieces A and three triangle pairs.

Even rows have two end-pieces B and four triangle pairs.

Lining up points, sew rows together.

The goal is to have the seam line go right at the tip of the triangles. 

Remember when sewing the pairs together earlier and the triangles had extra fabric at the base which caused them to not quite match?

That’s what puts the stripes in this Triangles and Stripes Quilt Tutorial and is the reason why there is more than a ¼” from triangle tip to the edge.

To account for this “extra”, sew rows together with a wider seam allowance.  Make sure the seam is right at the triangle tips.

The sides of the quilt need to be trimmed, ¼” outside of the last triangle points. 

I choose to wait until after my quilt has been basted and quilted before trimming the edges, but you should do it whenever it feels appropriate.

Bind and your Triangles and Stripes quilt is ready for snuggles!