WTC Quiltstitched with care since 2001

Free pattern: charm pack zigzag quilt

Half-square triangles are the building block behind zigzags, pinwheels, stars and chevrons. This pattern teaches the easiest way to make them, two at a time from a pair of squares, and turns two 5-inch charm packs into a bold zigzag throw. The pinked edges of the charm squares don't matter because every triangle gets trimmed.

A quilt with colorful zigzag rows on cream and a navy border draped over a cream armchair by a window
Half-square triangle zigzag quilt: colorful zigzags on cream with a navy border
Finished quilt: 56 × 64 inches. 168 half-square triangles, 4 inches finished, 12 across and 14 down, with a 4-inch border.

Fabric

FabricAmount
Charm packs (5-in squares)2 packs, 84 squares
Cream background1¾ yd
Navy border⅞ yd
Binding½ yd
Backing4 yd
BattingTwin size (72 × 90 in)

Most charm packs have 42 squares. If yours have 40, cut 4 more 5-inch squares from a coordinating print.

Cutting

  • Cream: cut 11 strips 5 inches wide, then 84 squares 5 × 5 inches.
  • Navy border: cut 6 strips 4½ inches wide.
  • Binding: cut 7 strips 2½ inches wide.

Make the half-square triangles

  1. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each cream square.
  2. Place a cream square on a charm square, right sides together, edges matched.
  3. Sew ¼ inch from the line on both sides. Chain piecing all 84 pairs saves a lot of time.
  4. Cut on the drawn line. Each pair gives two half-square triangles (HSTs). Press the seam toward the print.
  5. Trim each HST to 4½ inches square, lining up the 45-degree line on your ruler with the seam. You'll have 168.

Trimming feels slow, but it's the step that makes the points meet. A small square ruler with a diagonal line (6½ inches is a handy size) makes it quicker.

Lay out the zigzags

Each zigzag is two rows of HSTs in the same print family. Within a row, the diagonal seams alternate direction from one block to the next.

  1. First row of the pair: print triangle in the lower right, then lower left, then lower right, and so on across the row. The print triangles form a row of peaks.
  2. Second row of the pair: print triangle in the upper left, then upper right, alternating. These sit under the first row and complete the zigzag band.
  3. Repeat the pair seven times for 14 rows of 12. Change prints from one zigzag to the next, or let each zigzag run through several colors, as in the diagram.

Lay everything out before sewing; HSTs are easy to turn the wrong way. Sew the rows, pressing the seams in alternate directions from row to row, then join the rows, matching the points. The center measures 48½ × 56½ inches.

Border and finish

Join the border strips. Cut two about 56½ inches long for the sides (measure through the center first), sew them on, then cut two about 56½ inches for the top and bottom. Cut the backing into two 72-inch lengths and seam them side by side. Quilting straight lines that follow the zigzags looks sharp; a walking foot handles the gentle angles. Then bind it.

Other layouts with the same HSTs

  • Pinwheels: sew four HSTs into a square with the print triangles chasing each other around the center.
  • Diamonds: turn four HSTs so the print triangles meet in the middle.
  • Stripes: turn every HST the same way for diagonal stripes across the whole quilt.

Need another use for charm squares? Our baby quilt and rag quilt use plain squares. See all free quilt patterns.

You might also like