Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Tuesday Tutorial - Inset Triangle Detail

There were a number of comments and questions about a recent strip detail I put on my Splendid Sampler quilt top.  I thought I would try and write up a quick tutorial to show how easy it is to do.



Any time you set blocks on point, you need to cut what are called inset triangles to fill out the edge of the quilt.  This tutorial is a fun way to add a bit of color to them.



I go ahead and cut my inset triangles to what ever size the pattern or the block requires.  I usually am just adding a thin detail so there is not that much fabric waste to worry about.




While this picture isn't representative of what you will actually be measuring (because your block will most likely have sashing across the top), I truly just use a ruler to get a guestimate of where I want the strip to connect on the block.  As you can see here, it is on the 2.25" line.

Note:  You do not want to assume you want to cut through the center of your triangle!

At this point, I usually grab a scrap and test everything out to confirm the triangle will turn out as I want.  You will probably find you want to adjust a bit.




Once you get your measurement, from the bottom of the triangle, you make a parallel cut.
(I am lining up that 2.25" line right along the bottom of the triangle)



Then you cut a strip and sew it across where you just cut.  I used a 1.25" strip for mine.
I also fold the triangle in half and make a center mark right there along the bottom.


You will use that mark to align the point of the triangle top. 
 Then you just resew it back into a triangle shape.




Next, I use a big square ruler and align it to both side edges on the bottom portion of my triangle.  You should need to do a bit of trimming off the strip and the top portion of the triangle.



And there you have a triangle with a fun detail in it.  If you use the same measurement for your cut, they will align up all along the edge of your quilt.

I love knowing these little tricks so that I can add a personal detail to make my quilts so they stand out.  Now, you can too!





Linking Up:


22 comments:

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

A very interesting detail to add to triangles and thanks for sharing, Cynthia.

Ellen said...

Great tip and tutorial - thank you!

Alison V. said...

So neat and so easy!

julieQ said...

So awesome! I love your imaginative look!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Thanks for sharing! I don't recall trying this before. It added such a wonderful spark to your quilt!!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

Great tip about a fun detail to add in!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Very interesting. And here I thought you did some fancy math and piecing...it's just the triangles. Well done!

chrisknits said...

Neat idea! It certainly pops

lvkwilt said...

This is so clever and I LOVE your quilt! Will definitely keep this in mind for future quilts...really adds a lot with not a lot of work! Thank you so much!

audrey said...

Your quilt looks wonderful with the extra in the border! Thanks for the great tip.:)

Louise said...

Very nice detail! Thanks for the little tutorial :)

Kathy Pitts said...

Thank you, I love how this little detail frames the quilt.

troy and christina said...

Love it! Thank you!

Cathy said...

Thanks for the tutorial! I will probably use it one of these days. When I saw it I thought that might be how it was done so I'm glad you confirmed that with a tutorial. That one little bit sure adds a lot!

Libby in TN said...

I really like the added detail in the triangles and appreciate the tutorial. I'm wondering though, could you strip piece and then cut the triangles? I recognize that the placement of the strip needs to be consistent and your method definitely insures that.

Jayne said...

Waht a great detail to add to inset triangles! Thanks for sharing your method in this tutorial!

Ellie said...

What a great way to add some punch to your quilt! And here I thought you had some complicated math to do It! Thanks for the great tutorial! I’m sure I’ll try this soon.

Marianne said...

I would never thought to do this. Very clever, thanks for sharing your technique.

Cathy said...

Thanks for posting this tutorial! I just loved the zing your red strip added. I look forward to being able to use this some time!

Elizabeth V Kelbaugh said...

Thanks. I love the detail and interest that it adds.

Kate said...

Thank you for sharing the "how to". It's nice to be able to add a bit of different to some quilts.

Marie said...

Thanks for this Cynthia, I'll have to give it a try. I really liked the effect on your quilt.

01 09 10