Marmalade ZigZag Quilt

I have seen a lot of different methods on various blogs for creating a scrappy zigzag, and I felt like it was time to try one.  And what better to try it with than a charm pack of Marmalade by Bonnie and Camille using the HST-method.

I have totally been in a reproduction-retro kick. I see these fabrics and I'm immediately taken back to my childhood and playing at my Grandma's house. I love that look, that '50's feel.  This fabric totally hit that mark for me! The fact that it was a charm pack and would create a scrappy quilt, as if I had actually gone thru her old linens and put the set together myself, made it even more special.

Because it's a new twist on an old classic, it made a modern twist on the zigzag pattern an even better fit. I set the quilt on white to create the modern feel, and then added the white borders to continue that trend.  I love the yellow/gray strips in the corner to help frame it. I debated putting smaller ones in each corner, but decided I liked having the one long corner best.

When it came to quilting, I just mirrored the zigzag, and then extended that zigzag into the white border. The corner that has the yellow/gray strips I created long lines that continued all the way to the edges. It was a lot of fun quilting this, but man is it tiring to zig and zag with your quilt.  Goes a lot of slower than you'd imagine. I'm so used to FMQ that can by pretty speedy because you're all over, but with this I wanted straight lines with every turn so I was trying to be more careful. Totally worth it for the final product, though.

I am trying to use my stash and for some reason I had a GIANT piece of this garden fabric.  It's beautiful, but I have way too much and using it for a backing was perfect. I still have a couple more yards to save for another project. You can really see the quilting on the back; it just pops!

I feel like this quilt would be perfect for a baby (I don't know who's yet) but I didn't want to make it super girly with a pink binding, although pink it the perfect color for, like, everything; right?!? So, I went with a green from the same line that has the florets on it.  It creates some interest in the border without getting too busy.

I decided to hand-bind this one.  I'm getting pretty good at that now and can crank out a binding on a quilt this size in a couple days. Cool! The tailored-finish really makes this piece look fancy, don'tcha think?

So, once again it's my signature lap quilt, wall hanging, baby quilt size. That's okay; that allows me to practice and experiment, and that's what I'm really after with all this, right? And, maybe some day I'll know someone who's having a baby that I can give this to. Until then, it's found a nice warm spot on a shelf in our living room with a couple of its buddies.

I'm linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish Friday.  So happy to show off this little guy, and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is wrapping up. Happy 4th of July!