Happy Halloween. Five years ago today Ezri had the first of four surgeries to remove the large hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) brain tumor. She was 22 months old and just a baby. Because of the tumor she could not talk. However, the surgeons said that as they woke her up, she said words for the first time. Then in the ICU that night, she repeated the nurse’s name, Suzie. Except, she said “Suz”. That first 24 hours was a very long day and a very long night. Ezri is now in first grade and to most people, appears to be perfectly normal. What a miracle.
The question was recently asked on the accutquilters Yahoo group as to what AccuQuilt GO die to use to make a chevron quilt. Multiple answers were given. I gave it a lot of thought and decided to do a blog post to summarize some of the ways that one can make a Chevron quilt. However, I may have left something out, so please tell me if you know another way to make a Chevron quilt, and I will add it to the post.
edited to add suggestion of Flying Geese version too
Chevron Quilt made with Rail Fence Blocks
This is my favorite way to make a Chevron quilt because the blocks are square and the only intersections that have to match are the block intersections. I like to use a rectangle that is 3-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ and there is an AccuQuilt die that is that size. Another way to make this is to cut a 6-1/2″ strip across the width of fabric and fanfold that across the 3-1/2″ strip die. The width of fabric will yield approximately 11-12 rectangles.
Another option is the Super Zig quilt by Lecien fabrics. This is a free pattern and the chevron is vertical and uses 4-1/2 x 8-1/2″ rectangles.
Chevron Quilt made with Quarter Square Triangles
This is also a favorite of mine. It works especially well if you want a single row or two of zigzag on a quilt back. On the photo, the bias and straight edges of the triangles are marked. Some think this is harder to stitch because of the bias edges, but when the triangles are cut with the AccuQuilt GO quarter square triangle die (I have 4″, 6″, and 8″), the triangles fit together beautifully. I get a nice long strip of chevron and the long seams are on the straight grain, so they stitch together without any problem.
Chevron Quilt made with Flying Geese Rectangles
This is a great idea and is very similar to the Quarter Square Triangle Chevron quilt, except that the Flying Geese units are a little easier to work with. It is also easier because you can use half square triangles to end the rows.
Chevron Quilt made with a Parallellogram
I have not stitched a Chevron quilt using this shape, but it will work. There is an AccuQuilt die for a parallelogram and it should stitch together beautifully. Have you made a quilt with the parallelogram? How did it work for you?
Chevron Quilt made with Half Square Triangles
All right, I know I’m going to get some Boos on this one :), but it’s my least favorite way to make a Chevron quilt. It looks beautiful when done as a scrappy quilt with all those beautiful half square triangles. Matching all those triangle corners is challenging for me even as much as I love stitching half square triangles together when they’re cut with a die cutter.
Chevron Quilt made with the Chisel Die
When this was mentioned by someone on the Yahoo group, I just had to cut some paper strips to try it out. I have used the Chisel Die to make French braid quilts, but have not used it to make a Chevron quilt. I had to see how it would work. As you can see, without the square in the middle, one gets an irregular zigzag, but it is a very nice effect and would be easy to stitch. The layout would be a little more challenging because the two “braids” are mirror images, so one would have to be careful with that. Have you made a Chevron quilt with the chisel die? I’d love to hear your experience with it.
But even more than that, think of the possibilities. You can never get bored with this pattern. This would be a great place to use half square triangles, quarter square triangles, pinwheels, four patch squares, and nine patch squares. Another option would be to make the squares with a light and dark fabric and reverse the light and dark pieces on half the squares.
