Let’s have fun creating intricate blocks with stripes!
Do you hesitate to buy striped fabric because you don’t know what to use it for? Well, buy some and I will show you a few easy ways to create lovely blocks with minimum effort.
Lately, I have played a little more with such fabrics and I love them.
The fabric I used for this tutorial is a heavy cotton canvas from Ikea. It is great for sewing bags or pillow covers.
I always pre-wash these fabrics because they shrink. The washing must be done with much care in order to not distort the stripes. I don’t use steam for pressing. Quilt weight fabric – if used – should be pre-washed with the same care.
So, what can we do with these fabrics ? Let’s see…
Cut a square then cut it on both diagonals.
From two squares we can make two blocks like these ones:
Using 2 green squares and 2 red squares,
from half of the triangles, we can make these 2 blocks:
or these ones:
and using the other half ( see the placement of the white stripes on these triangles)
we can make one of these three blocks (hard to choose the favorite, right?).
Seminole patchwork
The next two methods apply to fabrics with stripes of the same width.
From a long strip cut rectangles; the width of a rectangle (Y) = the width of a strip(X) +0.5″ (for seam allowances) ; offset the rectangles and sew them together.
Using more than two stripes
The method described above is called Seminole patchwork. Many variations could be created by changing the number of the strips/stripes, the angles of the cuts and the way the pieces are sewn together.
Making octagons
I used a triangle ruler ( Kaleidoscope ruler from Quilt in a Day) to cut the triangles.
Cut two squares and cut them on the opposite diagonals. Set aside the inner triangles and piece them to make squares. Repeat with the outer triangles.
I used this method for this quilt
Making fans
I used a 15-degree fan ruler (any degree ruler works).
If we don’t close the circle, we can make a beautiful tree skirt (cut out a larger circle from the center if needed). Quilt then bind around the edges.
My piece with center circle added.
But how about beautiful quilt weight fabric like this one ?
There are so many fabrics like this on the market – some of them are beautiful batiks.
Here is how to cut these quarter triangles using a rectangle ruler. May I say that I am a big fan of Creative Grids rulers ?
Align the 45-degree marking line of the ruler with the edge of the fabric and cut.
Rotate the ruler, align the other 45-degree marking with the edge of the fabric; keep the already cut edge of the triangle parallel with a marking line of the ruler.
Making hexagons
– or using the rectangle ruler, in a similar manner used above.
This time, align the edge of the fabric with the 60-degree marking of the ruler.
Other uses of striped fabrics
Bags and more bags…
Pair this fabric with the main fabric of your bags – it is ALWAYS a good idea!
As you see, it works even if your main fabric is a striped fabric, as well.
It works with floral fabrics…
…and even with gingham fabric.
I hope this tutorial is helpful. Imagine all the possibilities!
Happy sewing!
If you love piecing quilts, check out
my collection of patchwork quilt patterns.
You you need new ideas for bags, check out my bag patterns.
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It looks like you are having a grand time with the stripes!
Tutorial fantastic! Ce mult imi plac materialele in dungi… Idei fantastice!
Brilliant ideas, thank you.
Wonderful tutorials Geta! Gets my mind working with new ideas. Thanks!
Barb
Thank you Geta, some really useful ideas here. Thanks for sharing. Janet
You are a genius! Thank you for the tutorial.
Delightful tutorial. Thanks for sharing. I will give your insights a try soon.
SewCalGal
http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
What a lot of good ideas to use stripes!
Geta, thank you so much for the great tutorial. I am not comfortable with stripes, will try your methods and I am sure it will come out great. Happy thanksgiving to you!
Geta – thank you, thank you, thank you!! (((hug))) Wonderful pictures and instructions! Your tutorials are fantastic 🙂
Great tutorials, Geta! Thank you!
Thanks so much for broadening my mind….great tutorials and fantastic ideas 🙂 hugs
Vicki…Oh I didnt win your last giveaway…I was so dissapointed 🙂 Maybe next time 🙂
Thank you Geta for this tutorial, simple but very helpful and inspiring.
Great tutorial.
Thank you for the great tutorial!
Very clever!!!
thank you so much for all your tutorials..you are so generous!!thanks,i have your blog on my list of favourites on my blog!!
WOW so many great ideas. Thanks!
Multumesc pentru tutorial! Te invidiez pentru rigle! Mainile tale dibace fac insa imbinarile atat de exacte!
La cat mai multa inspiratie!
Mihaela
am I awake ?? or I dream ??? is this really true ??? I can't believe it!
please don't call me, don't write me, I'm extremely busy putting in practice all those GREAT ideeas. :)))
hugs? no way !isn't enough;). I must say a big THANK YOU. :))
do you have more ? :)))I must find a way to lock myself in home this week-end…
wow, I will never look at stripes the same way! Thank you for sharing I'll have to try out a few things!
You are so creative! Wonderful tutorial!
Creativa ca intotdeauna! Si ne oferi atatea idei!Tutorial din care intelege oricine din orice colt de lume!
oh my! what else can i say in front of this perfect show of …quilting genius!
Excellent ideas! I'm going to have to find some striped fabric soon so I can test some of them out.
Thanks Geta, what great tutorials you done for us. I have to say I couldn't do many of these without your tutorial.
I'm going to look for striped material today. I still haven't had time to try your shadow trapunto, but after this weekend I am itching to try it. Thanks for all your fun ideas!
Hola he llegado a tu blog a través del de Victoria (España)geniales tus tutoriales. Yo tengo hecho uno sobre como hacer un Cuenco/Bol, distinto al tuyo, es otra forma de hacerlo. Besos
Hola yo también he llegado a tu blog a través de Victoria (España), es muy bueno tu blog!!!.
He puesto un post con tu dirección del blog en el mio y he puesto la foto de tu trabajo.
Espero no te moleste, en caso contrario me lo dices y lo borraré.
un abrazo
Geta,
Thank you so much for this tutorial on using stripes. I appreciate your lesson. You have done the calculations, so we can cut our fabric without wasting any! I can not wait to get started.
Thank you! Very useful and illustrative tutorial. Just as many new ideas emerged.
Great stripe shortcuts, Geta!
Love this tutorial, great ideas. Thank you so much for sharing.
so simple but simply effective Geta. I love what you do with fabric, and I will never look at a striped fabric the same way again!!
Geta-You are very talented and make it look so easy. Thanks for sharing your talents!
What fun….now I won't shy away from stripes….I'll be looking at them in a whole different way…Thanks!
Great ideas, Geta! So much easier using striped fabric than piecing for stripes.
Squares and triangles are such fun to play with.
Thank for the great tutorial and show how fun is play with spuare and triangle.
Mil gracias Geta!
fantastico tutorial!
Haces unos trabajos muy bonitos.
Saludo!
all the pictures really help to visualize the possibilities. very inspiring!
what a fabulous tutorial! I never knew how many options there were from using stripes. I really have to go give this a try! Thank you so much!
This is the first I have seen of Trapunto! I LOVE IT and hope to do it some day. Your work is GORGEOUS and you look like you have so much fun!!! Wish you lived near me here in FL!!! Warm hugs.. Janet
What a fantastic tutorial for stripes. Thank you so much.
This is quite amazing! Thank you for sharing all these ideas.
Geta, you are one very talented lady!!! Very creative! Thanks for the great tutorial! Barb W in MN
WOW, I love what you did with stripes!! You are one talented lady~ Thanks for sharing with us, I aim to try these!!!
WOW! Those are AWESOME! I can't wait to find the time to try some of those patterns!
Wow your use of stripes is amazing. So many possibilities.
This was wonderful! Thanks so much for the great tutorial and excellent ideas!
hola !!!
me encantan tus ideas, son absolutamente divertidas !!!
un beso !!
buna!!!
mi-au placut ideiile tale,sunt foarte distractive.
pupici!!
Great Tutorial!!! Will try it soon! Thanks,
Cherry
In primul rand doresc sa va felicit pentru blog. Am gasit lucruri utile si practice pt. mine.
As dori sa va intreb ce masina de cusut Pfaff folositi?
O masina de quilting specializata?
Eu doresc sa achizitionez o masina de cusut casnica si am o dilema daca sa cumpar o masina de quilting sau o masina obisnuita care are program de quilting si ca accesoriu se poate achizitiona separat un dual feet.
D-voastra ce tip de masina recomandati?
wow! you are fabulous! i cant wait to try some of these
thank you!
A great tut!! Thank you. I love how you make stripes 'work' for you. Very impressed. Will be thinking of some of those designs for my own quilts. (I am VERY new to it all.) Thank you again!
maravilhosa demonstracåo! obrigada eu amei!!!
Thanks for the very interesting and informative tutorial. As a new quilter, I'm always looking for variety to save and try some day.
Thanks again, Kathy.
I love (and collect) striped fabric! Great tutorial!
Thank you so very much for all your tutorials, you explain things in a way that is easy to understand. Now I can’t wait to try working with stripes.
You can take any fabric and make it look spectacular! Thank you for sharing. And I love your bags!
You always have such great ideas!
Thank you for sharing this tutorial, it was very helpful. You have given so many creative ideas.