I never made anything with triangles either and I've been quilting 8 years. I finally made this quilt last year. I discovered I cannot get ANY triangle to go proper if I cut on the bias before I sew. I went very slow and easy using all speed piecing techniques from quilterscache.com and created my Anniversary Sampler for my husband. I don't think I'm as scared of triangles anymore....I just refuse to make them unless they are speed pieced. Quilting is supposed to be fun, not scary, intimidating or frustrating. If I can do it, and I have some adult LD in math, so I know you can do it. Take a look, it is posted here:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-36285-1.htm
You can try a sampler too, even if it's only 9 blocks. It's great practice and you can learn really good techniques as well. And, if you hate one of the blocks, you only had to make one!
Melissa