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What is the easiest way to make triangles for quilting?

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?

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.

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