Variation 2 - Narrow Separator Strips, Success! Sort of.įor my second variation, I thought out what would fix the missing narrow strip problem. Also, it ended up 14-1/2 by 14-1/2 inches instead of 16 by 16 inches. I like how it looks it just isn’t what I was expecting. The oops part is that there isn’t a separator strip between two of the wider strips. Then I sewed the edges closed, cut the triangles, pressed them open to make squares, and sewed the squares together. I tried making the two strip sets as follows: Variation 1 - Narrow Separator Strips, Oopsįor my first variation, I thought it would be cool to have narrow separator strips between the wider strips.

I decided to try some variations to see what other block looks I could come up with. Sew the 2 block sets together to create two 4 block sets. Sew the blocks together, 2 at a time, matching seams along the edges.

I prefer the light color in the center but you may prefer the dark color in the center.ġ2. Lay the blocks out, 4 at a time, to make a design that pleases you. Press the seams open on all the triangle sets.ġ1. Repeat steps 3 through 8 for the other two strip sets.ġ0. Repeat steps 5 through 7 to cut 3 more triangle sets.ĩ. Lay the 45 degree line along the top seam and cut as shown.Ĩ. Cut along the right edge of your ruler.ħ. The red arrows point to the bottom seam and the 45 degree line.Ħ. Using a ruler that has a 45 degree angle, lay the 45 degree line along the bottom seam. This creates the tube that gives this method its name.ĥ. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along each long edge. Pin two strips sets, right sides together, with the dark color of one set matched to the light color of the other set.Ĥ. Sew strips together in sets of 3, from dark to medium to light or whatever order pleases you.

In my case, the front and back of my tote bag will be different so I have 2 sets of 2-1/2 inch strips of each color combination.Ģ.

Dark, medium, and light work well but you can use whatever you want. Assemble or cut 2-1/2 inch strips, 4 of each of 3 colors. The following instructions assume you are making two 16 by 16 inch blocks. If you draw a line from corner to corner on a square, this marks the 45 degree angle. One of my favorite rulers is the Creative Grids Perfect 10 Ruler. Many, but not all, quilting rulers have a 45 degree angle line on them. So I started thinking, what’s fun? I’ve always liked the look of striped half square triangles made into squares, and then assembled in interesting ways. When I started making quilted tote bags, it occurred to me that the front and back can easily be blocks of any type as long as they ended up about 16 by 16 inches.

Accordion method half square triangles