Thread: Quilt Math Help Please!

I'm working on a baby quilt loosely based on one I saw online but I'm having a devil of a time figuring out how big to cut triangles (it's always the triangles, those troublemakers). The quilt I saw was for sale on etsy but there was no pattern to buy. Can anyone help? The first pic is the overall design, for reference. The second pic is finished "block" dimensions. The third pic is my current dilemma. I dutifully added 1/4" to each side and included the 1/4" when factoring angle cuts but my triangle is still too small to get the correct seam allowances without taking 1/2" seam allowances along the point of the triangle. Agrrr! Can anyone tell me the dimensions I need to cut for the triangles to keep my 1/4" seam and my points? Thanks in advance.

My sketch is a bit wonky but it should work. You may prefer to cut to the 1/4" instead of 1/8", gives you a tad more to plat with. I would begin sewing from the bottom end of the triangle for the first seam


If this is too small the upright line is 6 1/8" and the bottom is 4 1/8"
Hop it works for you

I try to stay away from anything this complicated. I have never found bias edges to be friendly no matter how much starch you spray.

Yes, I would also start sewing from the tip so that you do not lose the angle if you have to trim for length. But remember to position the top of the triangle so that it overlaps the top of the main piece. Try using a couple of pins to simulate the stitched seam to get the correct placement.

Another country heard from - - -

I think this might turn out better if you made the finished size of the base of the triangle 4.25 inches instead of 3.25 inches.

I draw the 1/4 inch seam lines on the points of those triangles and then match the intersections and pin - I have had better results leaving the "extra" on the point than when I try to cut the point off and attempt to "save" a bit of fabric.

Bear, I always love look g at the sketches you draw and your explanations. Wish you lived in Texas.

PS - I know that those pinned pieces look like they won't end up "right" with those ends sticking out - but with the marking and pinning - they do!

It does take a moment or two to mark the pieces -and pin them together - but until one gets to be able to "eyeball" them - it really is worth the effort. I still do - at least the first half dozen or so - until I "know" how they are supposed to go.

Another "trick" I learned along the way -

If I draw a block out on graph paper like it's supposed to look - and the pieces are "odd" -

Then I cut out each piece needed for a template and glue it to a piece of template plastic and then add seam allowances to the piece. It's easier for me to cut around a template than to have to "think" about what I am doing.

If it were me...i'd paper piece this one. Draw it out in a segment....the gray, black and yellow - with seam allowances around the entire outside perimeter only. (remember you need a mirror image if you want it exactly like your picture)...and then make enough copies. This pattern just calls out for paper piecing....and even if you haven't done it before, it would be a very easy one. Best of good luck.

Originally Posted by PenniF

If it were me...i'd paper piece this one. Draw it out in a segment....the gray, black and yellow - with seam allowances around the entire outside perimeter only. (remember you need a mirror image if you want it exactly like your picture)...and then make enough copies. This pattern just calls out for paper piecing....and even if you haven't done it before, it would be a very easy one. Best of good luck.

I'd paper piece the bock as well to ensure a lovely point.