Scrappy Zig Zag Quilt Along

Leaving off the S in Scrappy doesn't work here...........

OK.  Thanks Patty and Charlene for responding.  I know there are more because I have some good friends who are dedicated lurkers who are dying to play along as well.  You know who you are.......LOL.

So here's the deal.  There are two totally different ways of making a zig zag quilt.  We need to choose which way to go.  Neither of these quilts are mine, I have them saved as examples of what I like.  For some reason both are brights and I normally don't work in brights.  Maybe that is what attracted me to them in the first place.  I do like the white in between though.


One involves half square triangles.  Lots of them.  This method allows for some flexibility in color options or scrappy-ness.  As long as you adhere to the "dark/light" principals you will do fine with this method.  Half square triangles can be tedious to make if you have to make so many though.  I think these quilts tend to have greater value opportunities because you can add value "shadows" to make it appear the line is twisting or has a shadow.

The second way is to use the rail fence method.  This is just a pair of strips, light and dark, sewn together then placed perpendicular to each other.  It gives you the same visual in a totally different way.  You don't have to have it go on a diagonal, you can Do it straight as well.

This one appears to have two color strips and one white divider strip.  Let me find another example.  Can you see it working in this one?  Two rails, a light and a dark, and horizontal rather than diagonal.  Make it larger so you can see it better.

I kinda like the easier rail fence way.  I get tired making all those HSTs.

Now the size.  I guess that is determined by what you want to do with it and how many scrap strips you have.  You need to get a general idea of what you would like.  I want at least a lap quilt.

Here is my rendition of the quilt in EQ.  This is 53 x 64 and says it takes about 2 yards of lights, and maybe a half a yard or so of any given color grouping for two rows.  I used the green as a measure.  The strips are from my 2 1/2 inch stack.

So the next thing I will do is to sort out my 2 1/2 inch strips into dark and light of course.  Then the darks into colorways.  Like all the greens, blues, reds, yellow, oranges, purples, blacks, browns.  Is that all the colors?  If not, wing it from there.

Then start to put your similar greens together, similar pinks (see there is one I left out) together, etc, etc, etc.

I think that should keep you busy for a few nights.  And of course I have to leave time for you to get lost in your stash scraps.  Finger the materials.  Remember what you used it for.  Who has that quilt now?  Is it still in your UFO pile?  Did you love that quilt?

I am sure I left out some questions there too!  LOL.  I will pull some strips out and start sorting tonight and have some pictures for you tomorrow of the mess I made!

glen: any questions?  I am making this up as I go along.