Triangle Trickery

You can download a pdf copy of the original magazine pages for this project here, Triangle Trickery

Method

1. Make a triangular template the size of the largest triangle. Draw round the template four times on your card.
2. Cut out the triangles carefully, ensuring they are all the same size. Glue thin wadding to one side of each of your card triangles. Place the triangles on the fabric which you are using for the outside of your box and, allowing half an inch turning, mark and cut out four triangles from the fabric.
3. Place card, wadding side down on WS of fabric and carefully glue the edges down starting with the point each time.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 with the smaller triangle (middle triangle on the template) and the fabric chosen for the inside of your box.
5. Sew the outside triangles together as shown in Figure 1 using a small over sewing stitch.

Figure 1: Joining the triangles

Adding the details

Before joining the inside and outside sections decide how you wish to finish your box. Pockets, tabs, etc should be added before you glue the sections together. Figure 2 and the colour photos give ideas of how to finish the inside of the box.

Options for a sewing box A pocket, needle case, triangular pincushion, elastic to hold threads or scissors.

Options for a jewellery case A ring cord with poppers at one end so rings can be slid on and off, an earring holder.

1. For the thin straps you can use ribbon or make tubes from matching fabric. Glue in position on the back of the cardboard. Clothes pegs help hold pieces in place while you are waiting for the glue to dry
2. The pocket needs a hem at the top. You could use shirring elastic to make a slightly gathered pocket, too.
3. The pincushion or earring holder made using the smallest triangle template. If you have some plastic canvas and insert it in the centre of the triangle instead of card then the earrings will clip through the spaces. For the pincushion add extra padding to give enough depth for the pins. When the insides have been completed they can be glued to the outer box. Apply plenty of glue – especially at the edges. Leave to dry.

Figure 2: Layouts for the internal detail

4. Sew three large beads in place on the triangles which will form the pyramid ensuring that the hole in the bead is vertical so that the cord can be threaded through horizontally (see Figure 3). Thread narrow ribbon or elastic through the beads to fasten the box. The box size is not critical; smaller versions can be made to fit inside a box this size. Or a larger version could be made, to fit a particular pair of scissors for example. When designing your own version, allow 1⁄2in difference in size between the outer and inner card pieces.

Figure 3: The bead closure

First published in Popular Patchwork November 2003