Triangle Weave Quilt Block Tutorial

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General Instructions

These abbreviations are used on this page:

• SA - seam allowance

• RST - right sides together

• HST - half square triangle

• BitA - Birds in the Air unit

SA are 1/4" unless otherwise indicated.

When instructed to press, first press the pieced unit flat to set the seam.

Then open the patch, pressing from the front.

Seam allowances are pressed to the dark fabric unless otherwise noted.

Whether I'm paper piecing or using rotary cut patches, this is the best 'trick' I've found for getting the flattest quilt blocks. Click the 'blue ribbon' to the right to learn how you can do it, too!

Step 1: Download paper piecing patterns/templates

If you are using only traditional piecing techniques, you can skip this step, otherwise...

...you'll need to print Birds in the Air paperpiecing patterns to complete this block.

You'll need the most current version of Adobe installed on your computer to download the pattern.

On the Adobe Print Menu page, under 'Page Size and Handling' set 'Custom Scale' to 100% before printing for accurate results. Click here to see what it looks like on the Print Menu page.

After printing, use the 1" square graphic on the printed pages to confirm they are printed accurately.

In our example, the 'Geese' are dark, but that doesn't mean you can't change the color values around. To make sure that the points show, choose fabrics with enough contrast. 

Choose your finished block size from the chart below.

Not sure which paper to use?

Check out my review of several of the most popular brands available to us quilters on the market.

Which one will you choose?

Step 2: Cut patches for a Triangle Weave

Triangle Weave design

Sample Block: 6" (6-1/2" unfinished)

Grid: 1-1/2"

Attributed to: Quilters' Newsletter Magazine

In both charts below:

• The dimensions listed are for squares. For example, in the blue chart, for our 6" sample block, Patch 1 is cut from a dark 2-3/8" x 2-3/8" square that is sub cut once on the diagonal.

• Patches 7 & 8 are used to make the small half square triangles. You may wish to cut these patches a bit bigger and then trim the finished HSTs to size as is shown in the instructions. Again, the choice is yours!

Choose your favorite method of piecing and then choose the corresponding chart below. Our Fabric A is a dark and Fabric B is a light, but you can just as easily reverse them for a different look.

			Cutting Chart for a Triangle Weave Quilt Block ~ Includes Paper Piecing Patches #1-#5 ~
Patch	Fabric	Qty	Finished Block Size				Sub Cut
			4”	5”	6”	8”
1	A	1	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”
2, 3, 4	B	3	2-3/8”	2-5/8”	2-7/8”	3-3/8”
5	A	1	3-3/8”	3-7/8”	4-3/8”	5-3/8”
6	B	4	1-1/2”	1-3/4”	2”	2-1/2”	na
7**	A	2	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”	na
8**	B	2	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”	na
Grid Size			1”	1-1/4”	1-1/2”	2”	--
Unfinished block size			4-1/2"	5-1/2"	6-1/2"	8-1/2"	--
**I prefer to cut my patches extra large for HST, stitch, and then trim them to size. If you prefer to do the same, add a bit extra to the measurements for Patches #7 and #8 above. There is a chart further down in these instructions where you need it for trimming them to size.

			Cutting Chart for a Triangle Weave Quilt Block ~ Traditional Piecing ~
Patch	Fabric	Qty	Finished Block Size				Sub Cut
			4”	5”	6”	8”
1	A	1	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”
2, 3, 4	B	3	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”
5	A	1	2-7/8”	3-3/8”	3-7/8”	4-7/8”
6	B	4	1-1/2”	1-3/4”	2”	2-1/2”	na
7**	A	2	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”	na
8**	B	2	1-7/8”	2-1/8”	2-3/8”	2-7/8”	na
Grid Size			1”	1-1/4”	1-1/2”	2”	--
Unfinished block size			4-1/2"	5-1/2"	6-1/2"	8-1/2"	--
**I prefer to cut my patches extra large for HST, stitch, and then trim them to size. If you prefer to do the same, add a bit extra to the measurements for Patches #7 and #8 above. There is a chart further down in these instructions where you need it for trimming them to size.

Confection Batiks by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics ~ Available from Fat Quarter Shop
CLICK HERE for yardage or precuts

HST Subunits

Make 2

Sew a light 2" square to the dark side of a small HST unit you just constructed.

Repeat 3 more times adding the square to the same side.

Press with SAs towards the solid square.

They look like this.

Birds in the Air Subunit

Make 2

Depending on the cutting chart you used above, click on the appropriate link below for instructions for each technique.

Both links open in a new window to make it easier to get back to this point in the tutorial.

• Paper Piecing

• Traditional

Refer to the chart below for the dimensions to trim the unfinished blocks.

Step 4: Assemble the Triangle Weave quilt block

Arrange the units to create the Triangle Weave design. A light HST is in all four corners.

Closely Related Blocks

A handful of patchwork designs share the same basic structure as our Triangle Weave quilt block.

In this first one, the Goose and Goslings quilt block, can you see the difference?

The HST subunits are rotated a 1/4 turn.

This block is know as a Bow Tie Variation, Crosses and Losses, Double X or Fox and Geese.

In this variation, our Triangle Weave is flipped on its vertical axis and two additional fabrics are added to the mix.

It's other names are Hourglass and Old Maid's Puzzle. (The underlined links lead to other blocks by the same name.)

Share your work to inspire other Quilters!

If you use our tutorials to make your blocks and quilts, there are some easy ways to share your creations so other quilters (including me!) can enjoy the fruits of your labor:

• On Instagram please tag your blocks and quilts with the hashtag #GenerationsQuiltPatterns.

• Visit our Show n'Tell page on the website. Click here to share photos and tell your own story, just start typing at 'The name of your quilt is...'. If you'd prefer to submit more photos than the form allows, simply email them to me at julie@generations-quilt-patterns.com.

I love seeing your work!

Our readers do, too!

For even more blocks to make...

For you, are quilt block patterns like potato chips...

...you can't have just one?!!

Check the amazing resources I rely on for the majority of the quilt block designs you see on this website. 

To see if they're worthy of spot in YOUR quilting library, read about them HERE.

NOTE: All the attribution and alternate names shared in the Free Quilt Block Patterns Library came from these four resources.

This article was printed from Generations-Quilt-Patterns.com