Doll Quilt Tutorial Using the Triangle Jitters Pattern
If you have a kid who loves dolls, you know it's a lifestyle choice for them. For some kids, dolls become more than toys. They are companions that go everywhere. If you know a kid like this, we have the perfect gift idea — matching quilts! This doll quilt tutorial uses the popular Triangle Jitters quilt pattern, which is an excellent pattern whether you're making your first quilt or your twentieth quilt.
Kids love matching their dolls. Some doll companies even sell matching kid and doll outfits! (Ok, ok, I may have had one of those outfits as a kid.) So if you're a quilter, this matching set makes the perfect gift. You get to make something from the heart, and any kid will feel so special to match their favorite doll!
Keep reading for instructions on how to use the Triangle Jitters quilt pattern to make a doll quilt, plus our favorite tips for making your doll quilt the best that it can be.
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Get a kit to make the Triangle Jitters throw quilt and matching doll quilt shown in this tutorial! You can even get the same backing and binding fabric!
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How to Use the Triangle Jitters Quilt Pattern to Make a Doll Quilt
First things first, make sure to buy the Triangle Jitters quilt pattern if you don't have it already! Triangle Jitters is one of the most popular Suzy Quilts patterns, so it's a good investment. This pattern is fast and beginner-friendly, which means that quilters tend to make this quilt more than once — it's perfect for gifts!
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This doll quilt tutorial shows you how to create a small quilt that is sized to fit on an 18" doll bed. The scale of these beds is about 1/3 of a human-sized twin bed. So, for the doll quilt, follow the instructions in the Triangle Jitters pattern to make a twin quilt.
For the coordinating kid quilt, you can choose to follow directions either for the throw or twin quilt. This tutorial shows the throw size.
To get fabric for a matching doll and kit quilt, just add the fabric requirements listed below to the Triangle Jitters size you want to make, and you'll have your full yardage requirements!
Doll Quilt Tutorial Fabric Requirements
The great thing about making a doll quilt is that it requires very little fabric. Here's what you need to make a twin-sized doll quilt. Note that the fabric requirements are the same whether you are using 42" or 57" width of fabric (like Suzy's Wildflower Wovens collection). If you want to make the exact same quilt shown in this tutorial, use the fabrics listed below:
- Color 1, Wildflower Wovens Dots in Sweet Pea: 1/4 yard
- Color 2, Wildflower Wovens Slub in Wild Rose: 1/4 yard
- Color 3, Duval in Boho Leaves Haze: 1/4 yard
- Background, Wildflower Wovens in Speckled Cloud: 1/2 yard
- Backing, Slow Summer in Color Blocks Haze: 3/4 yard
- Binding, Slow Summer in Tiny Moon Rain: 1/4 yard
And below are the fabric requirements for Triangle Jitters:
Doll Quilt Tutorial Cutting Instructions
Triangle Jitters is the perfect quilt to downsize for a doll because the quilt pattern comes with a chart that tells you what size half square triangles (HST) to make for different-sized quilts! The chart can be found on the top of Page 4 of the Triangle Jitters pattern, and it is what makes this pattern our easiest to size down for any doll.
The unfinished HST column lists what size HST you will have before it is sewn into the quilt. That means that the finished size is 1/4" smaller on each side. For example, an unfinished HST that is a 2 1/2" square will measure 2" when sewn into a quilt.
To determine what size Triangle Jitters quilt you want to make for your doll, multiply the finished HST size by the number of blocks wide and the number of blocks long.
This tutorial uses a 4" square size to make 2 1/2" HSTs. When sewn into the doll quilt, the HSTs are 2". Because the twin quilt (layout shown in Fig. 4 of the pattern) is 9 blocks wide by 13 blocks long, the finished doll quilt is 18" x 26". If you want a doll quilt that is smaller or larger, you can use the chart to adjust your HSTs up or down!
Here are the cutting instructions for the 18" x 26" doll quilt, made using 2 1/2" unfinished HSTs:
- Color 1: 9 - 4" squares
- Color 2: 12 - 4" squares
- Color 3: 10 - 4" squares
- Background: 31 - 4" squares
- Binding: 3 width of fabric strips
Note that you will have seven leftover HSTs.
Now, just follow the instructions in the Triangle Jitters quilt pattern to create your matching quilt set! Keep reading for our top three tested tips to help make your doll quilt shine.
Tip 1: Choose the Right Batting
The smaller the quilt, the harder it is to achieve a quality drape. Small quilts like wall hangings often lay perfectly flat, which is perfect for hanging on a wall. But if you want your doll quilt to drape down the sides of a doll bed, you want to be sure that the batting you choose doesn't make that harder.
Avoid cotton or poly batting. Instead, use bamboo or wool. These types of batting create a better drape in both full-sized and small quilts!
Here are some blog posts that can help you make the right batting choice:
Tip #2: Choose the Right Quilting
Another issue that can directly impact the drape of a doll-sized quilt is the quilting. The more dense the quilting, the flatter the quilt. You've probably experienced this with a regular-sized quilt — if a quilt has very dense quilting, it tends to bend and move less.
So our best advice is to keep the quilting simple. Use simple straight lines or try hand quilting. Both of these options will help your quilt move more. Tying a doll quilt is even a great option, particularly if you are making a quilt for a doll with a historical background story.
Here are some blog posts to help you with whatever quilting style you choose:
Hand quilting an Adventureland quilt.
Tip #3: Use a Tailor's Clapper
Patchwork areas with seams come together can make a doll quilt look bumpy. The seam allowance is the same whether you're making a large quilt or a small quilt, so those spots that look small on a regular-sized quilt can be amplified on a doll-sized quilt.
One way to combat a bumpy doll quilt is by using a tailor's clapper to get flatter seams. It may seem like an extra step that can be skipped, but I swear by my clapper and feel like it should be required, especially for doll quilts!
Here are some blog posts to help you learn more about how tailor's clappers work and why they can make a huge difference in your doll quilt:
Using a tailor's clapper to get flat seams on a Thrive quilt.
Have You Made a Doll Quilt?
Have you made a doll quilt before? If you did, share your best tips in our comments! And tell us if you've ever made a coordinating doll a throw quilt set. Was it the best gift ever? We think so!
Share your Triangle Jitters doll quilts on Instagram and tag us @suzyquilts so we can celebrate and share your work!
