Block 1 - Year of Scrappy Triangles

Today is the first day of the Year of Scrappy Triangles! It is going to be awesome. Before we get started, let's go over a few things.

The basics
The scrappy triangles finish at 6" square and I will post a link to a new foundation template on this blog every Tuesday morning for at least a year. Please, share a link to my blog if you have any friends who would like to participate, but don't email or mass print the templates for others.

Where can I learn to foundation paper piece?
I've got a tutorial for that! Read The Ultimate Guide to Foundation Paper Piecing and you will be paper piecing like a pro in no time.

How can I be sure I don't miss a post?
There are a couple of options:

1. Sign up to 'Follow by Email' (on the sidebar). It will send you an email notification every time I post on the blog (one or two times a week). 
2. You can also sign up for my newsletter (on the sidebar). I will send out a newsletter every three or four weeks with links to the foundation patterns and other news.
3. Follow me on Instagram @sewnbyleila. I will post pictures of the new scrappy triangle each week and provide a link to the pattern in my bio. 

Please, share pictures of your blocks on social media with the hashtag #yearofscrappytriangles. I would love to see them!

 Let's get started!

Click here to download or print the Block 1 foundation.

When printing the foundation, remember to disable the fit-to-size option. After printing, measure the inner square and verify that it is 6" square. Then get to piecing!

I love the line of small rectangles in the middle of this block. It reminds me of a fence, or railroad ties. The first time I made this block, I used the same pieces of fabric for the end triangles. Not a good look, in my opinion. I didn't bother to remake it because it won't matter in the overall quilt, but the next time I tried a different fabric placement.

I think alternating two fabrics looks much better! 

Then I alternated three colors. It looks scrappier, but in a controlled way. Of course, you could choose a different fabric for each section too. The sky is the limit!

One last thing, before you start digging through your scrap bins. When choosing the background fabric for the solid half of the block, remember to choose a fabric that contrasts well with the pieced half. Otherwise, the two halves of the triangle will bleed into one another. Not cool, unless that is what you want them to do. In this block, the long strip (A7) will need to contrast well with the large triangle (A9).

I think that is it.
If you have any questions, comment and I will respond both by email and in the comment section.

Thanks!

Click here to find links to all of the blocks in the Year of Scrappy Triangles.

Find 1, 2 & 3" Scrappy Triangles in my Craftsy or Etsy shops.