TRIANGLE TILES

DIFFICULTY:

Some of my favorite string art designs are the abstract ones, such as this grid of triangle tiles. In this project, we are going to walk through the basic steps of duplicating and expanding a pattern to fill your space. By taking multiple copies of the same pattern, you can easily trim and align portions of it to create your own unique design. You can also use this basic pattern to make larger triangles or mix and match different sizes.

Materials

Pine board: 1" × 12" (2.5cm × 30.5cm), cut to 23" (58.5cm) long and stained (Shown: Minwax Wood Finish in Classic Gray)

5⁄8" (1.6cm) silver nails

Embroidery floss in 8 colors (Shown: DMC 907/Light Parrot Green, 910/Dark Emerald Green, 992/Light Aquamarine, 3844/Dark Bright Turquoise, 824/Very Dark Blue, 823/Dark Navy Blue, 915/Dark Plum, 891/Dark Carnation)

2–3 photocopies of pattern (page 92)

Picture-hanging hardware

2 felt furniture pads

Tools: Hammer, needle-nose pliers

Basic supplies: Superglue, scissors, thumbtacks, transparent tape

Techniques Used

Preparing a board (page 8)

Applying a nail pattern (page 9)

Stringing basics (pages 10–11)

Double-wrap technique (page 13)

Finished Size (h × w)

23" × 11.5" (58.5cm × 29cm)

Note: These steps describe and show the general method of connecting triangle tiles in whatever pattern you choose. Shown on page 93 is just one of many possible designs.

  1. Tape one photocopy of the pattern to your board where you’d like to start. I started in the top right, with my board vertical (see photo 1).

  2. Use thumbtacks through the nail marks to align the top of the second pattern with the bottom of the first. Here’s how: On the second copy, put a thumbtack through a top triangle’s corner nail hole. We use the corner nail because it is shared with the adjacent triangles, making it easier to align. Now align that thumbtack with the bottom tip of a triangle on the first taped pattern (see photo 2). Don’t worry about putting a hole in the wood; you’ll be nailing there later anyway.

  3. Repeat this process with the opposite corner, successfully lining up your second pattern with the first (see photo 3). Secure the pattern to your board with tape and remove the thumbtacks.

  4. If you want to customize and add a few more triangles, trim them from a third copy and use the same thumbtack alignment technique (see photos 4.1–4.3).

  5. From here on out, it’s business as usual. You may want to mark which triangles you’re going to be using, so you don’t lose track while adding the nails. One suggestion I have is to not hammer the triangle corner nails too deep. If it’s a corner that is shared with another triangle, it will get pretty thick with string layers. You can always tap the nail in further once the project is complete. Once all the nails are in, remove the paper and debris.
  6. I chose to string in rainbow order (from greens to blues to purple, in my example), so I could blend some of the strings from triangle to triangle. Remember to seal the knots with superglue as you go. Have fun with it! This is an abstract design, so go with the flow. Aside from blending, I also went with a double-wrap border.
  7. Attach your picture-hanging hardware and felt pads to the back. Sign and date your work, and you’ve successfully expanded a string art pattern.

Triangle tiles pattern

Enlarge at 133%.