Every block in this quilt is the same block. One hundred and sixty eight half square triangles, twelve across and fourteen down, and not a single plain square or strip of sashing anywhere in it. What makes it look complicated is the color placement: eighteen different pairings of nine fabrics, arranged so the triangles stop reading as triangles and start reading as diamonds standing on point, with the light and dark halves chasing each other across the whole top.
The construction has a trick in it, and it is the reason this one is worth downloading even if you have made a hundred half square triangles already. The triangles are not cut from squares. You cut 5 inch strips, then subcut them with a square ruler into isosceles triangles that measure 7 inches on their two equal sides, alternating point up and point down so almost nothing is wasted. Two of those triangles sewn together along the long edge give you one block, cut generously at 7 inches and squared back to 6 1/4. The blocks finish at 5 3/4 inches, which is where the 69 by 80 1/2 comes from.
That generous 7 inches is not the pattern being careless. Cutting the triangles this way puts the straight grain on the diagonal seam and the bias on the four outside edges of the block, which is the opposite of the two square method most of us learned. Bias edges move. The three quarters of an inch you trim away is what buys you a block that is square at the end, and it is why the instruction says to square every one.
The pattern is from Robert Kaufman Fabrics, who designed it in house, and it was drawn to show off a batik collection. The PDF gives two full colorways, a bright one and a dark one, with the fabric list for each.
Pattern details
Pattern name Striped Squares
Brand Robert Kaufman Fabrics
Designer Robert Kaufman Fabrics, in house
Finished size 69 by 80 1/2 inches
Size category Twin, at twin width with a shorter drop at the foot
Difficulty Confident beginner, the level printed on the pattern
Block Half square triangle
Technique Half square triangles cut as triangles from strips, then squared to size
Colorway Shown in PARK, with a second DARK colorway on pages 6 and 7
Fat quarter friendly No, it calls for 2/3 to 1 1/4 yards of each of nine fabrics
Jelly roll friendly No, the strips are cut 5 inches wide
Layer cake and charm pack friendly No, the triangles need 7 inches of length
The pattern is free to download as a PDF, seven pages, direct from Robert Kaufman: Striped Squares quilt pattern. It includes the cutting list, the eighteen block pairings with quantities, and the full assembly diagram for all one hundred and sixty eight blocks.
One small thing we noticed adding up the cutting list: the quantities for fabrics B through I come out exact, and fabric A asks for forty eight triangles where the block list uses forty seven. You will have one spare.
Fabrics and palette that serve this pattern
This is a design that needs value contrast inside every single block and almost nothing else. Each block is two triangles, so if the two fabrics in a pairing read the same from across the room, that block disappears and takes a piece of the diamond with it. Squint at your nine fabrics in pairs before you cut. It is the only test that matters here.
The original used batiks, and the reason shows in the photograph: a batik reads as one color from a distance and as texture up close, which is exactly what a quilt made entirely of triangles wants. Prints with a clear direction fight the diagonal seams, and a large scale floral gets cut into unrecognizable pieces at this size. If you want that same effect from what is on the shelf now, solids do it with the cleanest edges, and anything with a small tonal texture does it with more life.
Nine fabrics at 2/3 to 1 1/4 yards each is a yardage pattern, not a precut one, so fabric by the yard is where this one starts. You need 7 1/4 yards for the backing as well, which is worth knowing before you fall in love with the front.
Two tools earn their place here. The pattern asks for a 9 to 12 inch square ruler, because that is what you line the 45 degree mark against to subcut the triangles, and you will use the same ruler again to square all one hundred and sixty eight blocks. Ours are in the rulers collection. And a fresh blade, because a dull one drags on bias edges and pushes the triangle out of true as you cut.
If the block is new to you, or if you would rather make these from squares than from strips, our guide to half square triangles has the three methods side by side with the cutting formula for each and a printable size chart. The numbers in it will take you from this pattern to any size you like.
