Twirling Triangles

Twirling Triangles
Twirling Triangles

I saw this project on Fons & Porter the other day and had to go and watch it again, so I could get more details. It is show #1607 of the 1600 Series.

They don’t provide measurements on their show, because they want you to buy the magazine. Like the Corner Store project, I thought this would be a good scrap project. Frances, of The Off Kilter Quilt podcast, talked about having too many scraps and composting them in a recent podcast.I think Frances should do mosaic quilting, but I’ll bring that up another day. I already inundate her with all of my advice.

Twirling Triangles Half Block
Twirling Triangles Half Block

I don’t want to compost my scraps, but I do want to use them. I though this block would work very well. I have the Pyramind ruler and I thought I could use the Kona Snow as the background and then just cut appropriate sized scraps to the right size and make blocks until I have enough….for something.

This project doesn’t look like it would work well for chunking, but it does look like an interesting project. We’ll see.

Twirling Triangles by Kehoeta
Twirling Triangles by Kehoeta

This is one I found on the web by Kehoeta. I like the use of the black triangles. I was thinking of that idea as well. I only saw this one example. It looks like she used a lot of scraps, so I am heartened that my idea isn’t stupid.

The photos are bad, because I paused the TV and snapped photos of what was on the screen.

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

12 thoughts on “Twirling Triangles”

  1. Never stupid Jaye!!! I like the second quilt better, but that is more because I hate that particular shade of blue in the first quilt. It is like a cornflower blue and never has been a blue that appeals to me. And I LOVE blues!
    I used to have my scraps divided up into lights, mediums, and darks. A couple weeks ago, I changed that to five colors and one that has blacks, whites, and black/white prints. I am finding my scraps MUCH easier to use now! Maybe I will post that later today with photos. It sure has made a huge difference!
    Have fun picking out a pattern to use up scraps with! I am starting a new one too. This makes four quilts, at various construction, phases and one quilt being S-L-O-W-L-Y hand quilted!

  2. I know the color is hard to see, because of the photo quality, but that quilt with the blue is the Fons & Porter example and they are using 1930s fabrics, so the blue goes pretty well. I agree, though, that it is not a color that I use much, especially in a solid.

    I saw an episode of Quilt Out Loud yesterday (?, Saturday maybe) where the door Knock artist had her scraps divided by color. Mine are all heaped into a, now, overflowing pile and it is not working for me at all, so I am thinking of changing systems. I need something to keep them in, though.

    I am the same way. I have several scrap quilts going and work on them as I get the scraps. One day there are enough bits to put a top together and I do. I like working that way. Very efficient.

  3. Stupid is not a word that belongs in quilt design conversations. I have on occasion seen “misguided” quilt designs, but this isn’t one of them.

    I love those designs. I’d like to see one with red triangles. And I do think you can it. The most obvious way to construct it looks like it would be straight rows, but if you do rows on the diagonal you can break it up into three or four chunks.

    My scraps are (somewhat) organized by color – red/pink, orange/yellow, blue, green, purple, black/white/brown/grey, multicolor, plus thirties/forties reproductions and dots – and also by size (remnants, chunks, and smaller than ~5″ square.) I say somewhat organized because my equivalent of your now-overflowing pile is a couple of big baskets where I throw stuff until I can get it sorted into the categories. Right now there is no room in the bins/baskets that are organized, so I’m doing a fair amount of picking through the big baskets to find things. It has its benefits. I discover some interesting fabric combinations when looking at all the stuff jumbled up together.

    1. I think the construction of this quilt is very similar to the Eye Spy, which my sleeping mind had to put together last night. Eventually, I think they end up like big diamonds, so you are right that chunking would work.

  4. I am intrigued by the Twirling Triangles quilt too. I love how the secondary pattern emerges. I’m a beginning quilter but I do seem to have plenty of scraps to attempt this already! They must multiply! I am enjoying your input on Sandy’s podcast as well as what Frances shares.

  5. ,,, thank you for the twirling triangle quilt photos . i make
    4 triangles ( 4 ” squares ) folded in half & put together
    into 1 square . a single bed would have maybe over 500
    4Triangle squares . i make them with batik . i’ll try a twirling
    triangle quilt with my scarps , 2013 will be my target ,,,

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