Tuesday, July 2, 2019

How Many Triangles Does It Take to Make a Quilt?

 It's no secret that I have a LOT of UFOs. I'm trying to correct that but sometimes I don't know which ones to work on. So sometimes I play some games and let others decide for me.  This year in addition to calling UFO numbers to work on each month, Stephanie, from the Stashbusters Yahoo group,  also calls a precut or shape each month that might trigger us to use stash or finish a UFO.  

This month the shape is TRIANGLE.  And I have this UFO that I'm going to work on. 

I have six rows of triangles sewn together so far that are 84 inches long. That is the width of my quilt.  I want a quilt that is at least 88 inches in length so I need about 44 rows. 
 Several years ago I made a small box of these units as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project that used 2.5 inch scraps. I followed a tutorial at Molly Flanders blog.  I never did count them but when it looked like I had a lot of them I decided to start sewing them together. I made three rows and then quit and put it all away until now. A couple of days ago I added three more rows. 
Each row consists of 36 or 37 units (two triangles). I decided that the way I will tackle this UFO is to sew all my units together into rows of 36 and then see how many rows I have. After that I can decide if I need to make more units before I start sewing those rows together again. 

I'm anxious to see how many rows I will have when the box is empty. I don't think it is enough for my quilt but time will tell.  I'm too darned lazy to count them all if you want to know the truth. 

This is some nice mindless sewing that I really need right now when I'm feeling stressed to the max and trying to keep the blues at bay. 

An empty box of triangles and ? amount of rows is my July OMG (One Monthly Goal). 

I'll be blogging about a few more games and goals soon that should keep me motivated and moving things forward. 

18 comments:

Quiltdivajulie said...

Sorry to hear about the stress and the blues . . . no fun at all. Good for you for letting your fabrics help keep you balanced as best you can be. (and I agree about counting parts - tedious and boring).

Libby in TN said...

I'm kinda on the same page -- pulling UFOs off the shelf and either discarding them by reshelving the fabric and putting blocks in the orphan bin, or moving them on to a finish.

audrey said...

Mindless sewing can definitely help beat the blues. Love the idea of this scrappy quilt! You must be crossing a lot of UFO's off the list this past couple years! You're a true sewing 'machine'.:)

Louise said...

I hope that stitching triangles relaxes and refreshes you! No need to count them all when just making rows for a while takes care of most of the math :)

MissPat said...

It took me a few minutes to figure out how you were piecing the rows together, but the light bulb finally went on. Sorry you are feeling low and hope it won't last too long. Rote piecing is a good diversion.
Pat

Ada Plouvier-Kopitopoulou said...

I wouldn't count the triangles, too much work. Just going with the flow and see till where it takes you.

Linda said...

So sorry to hear you’re not feeling so good at the moment. I’m sure your sewing therapy is a great choice of medicine. All those triangles...... no wonder you don’t want to count them. Waste of time when you could be sewing them up into a quilt. Enjoy the process.

mangozz said...

Sounds like a plan! Mindless sewing always helps with stress and depression. Thanks for the link to the tutorial. It doesn't seem like she blogs anymore though. I'm also using the 60 degree triangle right now but for a different block design. They are framed squares set in a wonky, tilted setting. I am using 1930s repros on a solid white background and I'm loving how it's turning out. I saw the quilt on Pinterest awhile ago and followed it back to Little Miss Shabby who gave a link to the free pattern. I hope that you are feeling better soon and if you ever want to talk to someone, you have my e-mail.

Sharon in Mass.

SandyPA said...

I have been working on my own triangle quilt, but thankfully my units are 5 inches tall which means fewer will be needed. Nevertheless, I cut 796 triangles plus a bunch of half triangles from the start and end of fabric strips. This one is a quasi leader-ender project as I move from UFO to UFO. (Eventually I may actually finish one.) It's fun to look at your variety of scraps. I spot many Connecting Threads prints that I have in my own collection. The name of your triangle quilt could be "Tri-Gone" (trigon = ancient term for triangle). Sandy at sewhigh.blogspot.com

Jeanne said...

Thinking of you Cathy -- hope you're OK. Sending hugs!

Emily said...

I hope the triangle sewing will help keep your mind off of whatever is troubling you. Good luck and thinking of you!

Ann said...

Mindless sewing sounds like a good plan for the month. I should use these triangles to clear out some of my scraps, too. Yours will be lovely. I hope your situation improves soon. Thinking of you.

The Joyful Quilter said...

You and your endless supply of projects are a constant source of inspiration!!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

That sounds like a great plan. You are much farther along with your triangles than I am. So far I have only chosen the fabric!

Patty said...

An empty box - great goal! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck with your project!

Carol E. said...

I'm eager to see this one as a finished quilt (or flimsy). I already know it'll be gorgeous. And your quilt photos are second only to Louise whose pics are against the ocean or various bays. I love yours with the barn and the various weather conditions.

Carol E. said...

P.S. Go away, blues. Cathy deserves some peace.

Kaja said...

Mindless sewing sounds like a good way to try and alleviate your stress and blues. I hope it helps and that things improve for you soon.