Monday, June 22, 2009

Zig Zag Quilt

It's time to pull a quilt from the archives. I really love Zig Zag Quilts. Not only are they easy to make, but the this layout of the blocks makes for such a colorful and striking quilt.


I made this quilt late in 2008, using some of my favorite designer fabrics, focusing on the the colors red, orange, green and blue, and alternating each color with a solid white stripe. It was pieced by making Half Square Triangles. (Here is just one of the many great Half-Square Triangle tutorials - this really does help to make the piecing process so much easier).

I also pieced the back using more of the same fabrics and keeping them in their blue/green and orange/red color range. The back of this quilt was inspired by Denyse Schmidt quilts.


The finished quilt measures 49 inches x 63 inches and each finished half-square triangle block measures 3.5 inches. I quilted this quilt by practicing for the first time my "in the ditch" quilting. Not easy, could use some more practice!


For more Zig Zag Quilts and great inspiration check out the newly formed Zig Zag Quilt Flickr group.

47 comments:

  1. As soon as I got the have-to-do things done, I had just pulled a bunch of Nest prints to make a zig-zag! How funny that you shared one at the same time. Your colors are wonderful!

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  2. I love this quilt...especially that it is only made from a few colours..almost like a colour wheel quilt. Quilting looks great and I am just about to check out that tut!

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  3. This is Stunning....Love the Colours..they really Pop Out...love the way you do your backs...TFS..
    cheers

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  4. Just gorgeous, 2 quilts in one... where do you buy such beautiful fabric in Melbourne? I find it's really hard to come by... Great blog Lx

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  5. Stunning zig zag quilt! Love the colors! And the back is great too, in fact it would be a great front.

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  6. love it - front or back - doesn't matter much with this one - they both look great!

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  7. That is really lovely. both the front and the back are equally gorgeous. I love that you didn't try to match up prints for the zig zag, but it totally flows. Beautiful!

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  8. Love your zig zag quilt -- and the back is as pretty as the front! I have never made a pieced back before, but your quilts have inspired me to give it a try.

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  9. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this quilt. Are you getting tired of me telling you that yet??? I think I'm going to do this with some of my pink, oranges and pick some other colors. I like the ones you went with. Looks GREAT!!!! WONDERFUL!!!

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  10. Very striking! I would love to make a zig zag quilt at some point.

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  11. Absolutely stunning as usual!! You are so very clever. I love the colours and that it is truely reversible.

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  12. Your use of white sets of the colours very nicely. A striking quilt.

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  13. Gorgeous!! Front and back!!!
    Andi :-)

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  14. Beautiful - the colors are so vibrant!

    Have you seen the no half triangle method? There is a tutorial here: www.crazymomquilts.blogspot.com

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  15. You have a fantastic double sided quilt! When you get bored of one side just flip it over. But I can't imagine you will ever get bored of it. Love it, very cheerful and you quilting is perfect.

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  16. i really like how this simple quilt features the different colored fabrics so well... add another one to the wish list!

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  17. my 4 year old saw this and I am now committed to making him a rainbow zig-zag quilt. This is stunning!

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  18. I love the colors in these quilts!

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  19. Your zig zag quilt it great. I love the back too!

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  20. I love this quilt - every time I see it, I want to make one for myself! And thanks so much for plugging the Flickr group. :-)

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  21. Stunning colourful quilt!

    I love zig-zag quilts, every time I see one, I like to start one!

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  22. This double sided quilt is great, pretty fabrics and fresh colors. I like the way the zigzag quilting is showing through to the backside. Big inspiration!

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  23. Your fabulous quilts and clever use of colour never ceases to amaze me.

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  24. Oh Rita you are amazing...the back looks just as good as the front too. I LOVE zigzag quilts and this one is stunning. I have to make one! thanks for the flikr link too xo

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  25. I love the colours in this quilt and thanks for the flickr link :)

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  26. stitching in the ditch is very hard! i've found stitching a quarter inch from the ditch looks better and it's much more forgiving. (but i'm sure you already know that...your machine quilting is always so gorgeous!)

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  27. I'm loving all that zigging and zagging. You're color choices are stunning.

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  28. I do love zig zag quilts myself! I love the one I made for Christmas.

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  29. Those are both beautiful quilts. I love the striking colors too! Super cute. Jenn

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  30. The colors in this one is stunning. And the back is just as great as the front.
    Gorgeous!

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  31. I love both sides of this quilt. I am in love really. I think this is one of the coolest quilts I have ever seen.. the colors really give it some awesomeness. :)

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  32. I would love to just keep turning this beautiful quilt back to front to back to front...it would be really hard to decide which side I like the best. It really is a totally exquisite quilt!

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  33. Another beauty! And the back is as stunning as the front! Off to check out the tutorial...

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  34. I can't believe I like every quilt you make. But this is another winner. You really do have a way with color (:

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  35. How striking is that, I would love to try one of those.

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  36. I love this! It's absolutely gorgeous! The colours, the strikingness despite the simplicity, the design, and most of all the fact that you essentially have two quilts for the price of one! I WISH I'd seen this a few weeks ago when I was making the plans for the quilt I'm currently making, as I would have done something like this instead. As I said, GORGEOUS!

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  37. oh and also, do you have any tips or instructions or anything for how to ensure that your front and back line up properly (ie how to put the 'sandwich' together) if you're doing something like this where you have a pieced back as well as front? I've only ever done a solid back that didn't really matter... and even then didn't manage to make my seam (from making the fabric big enough) straight in comparison to the top

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  38. Yeah for half-square triangles! And what wonderful use of colour. Well-done.

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  39. Beautiful. Love the motion of zig zag so much. And your fabric and colors are spot on!

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  40. Wow.

    That zigzag quilt is Gorgeous. Love. the. Colors!

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  41. So, so beautiful.

    One of the things I love most about quilting is that sometimes the simplest patterns give the most striking results!

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  42. I love how the stitch in the ditch on the front gives you a totally different result on the back.

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  43. I just found your blog and I am so glad I did! You make really pretty quilts, thank you for the eye candies!

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  44. I was searching for quilt designs for my daughter's quilt when I stumbled on your blog. I really love this chevron quilt!! I am making it for my daughter out of reproduction 1930's vintage prints, I can't wait to get started and get it on her bed! Thanks for sharing your pattern!

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