Chevron Quilt Pattern
Flying geese arranged in mirror-image V-shapes — one of modern quilting's most popular geometric designs
The Chevron is modern quilting's signature pattern — flying geese units mirrored and aligned in rows create bold V-shaped stripes that seem to march across the quilt surface. Simple enough to explain in a sentence, beautiful enough to hang on a gallery wall.
History & Background
The chevron or herringbone pattern has roots in ancient textiles — it appears in weaving traditions from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, in the parquet floors of European palaces, and in the tweed fabrics of British tailoring. In quilting, the chevron pattern gained major popularity in the early 2010s, when the modern quilting movement elevated it to one of the defining patterns of the era.
The quilt chevron is typically made from flying geese units arranged in rows — one row pointing left, the next pointing right, creating the classic V-shape. This construction means any technique for making accurate flying geese translates directly to chevron quilts, and the no-waste 4-at-a-time flying geese method makes chevron quilts surprisingly fast to produce.
Designers like Anna Maria Horner and the collective that popularized the "Herringbone" pattern in quilting publications around 2011 brought the chevron from crafting background to quilting foreground. It remains one of the most searched quilt patterns and one of the most produced designs by modern quilters.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Decide on your unit size and quilt layout
Chevrons are made from flying geese units. A common size for a throw quilt: 3"×6" finished flying geese units (3½"×6½" unfinished). Plan your layout — how many geese per V, how many V-rows across, how many rows tall.
Make your flying geese in bulk
Use the no-waste 4-at-a-time method to make large quantities of flying geese efficiently. Sort fabrics into left-pointing and right-pointing piles if you're using directional fabrics.
Create mirrored goose units
For each V in the chevron, you need one flying-geese strip pointing right and one pointing left. Left-pointing and right-pointing units are mirror images. To make a left-pointing unit, simply construct the flying geese with the rectangular piece rotated 180°.
Sew into rows and assemble
Sew geese into horizontal rows: one row pointing right, one row pointing left, alternating. Sew rows together, matching the points of the V precisely. The V-shape emerges where the opposing rows meet.
Tips & Techniques
- Mark your left-pointing and right-pointing units before they come off the cutting mat — they're easy to confuse once stacked.
- Jelly roll strips (2½") cut into 4½" lengths make excellent flying geese rectangles for chevron quilts.
- For a gradient effect, arrange the fabrics from light to dark across each V-shape, or from one end of the quilt to the other.
- A consistent background fabric for all the sky triangles keeps the chevron graphic clean even when the goose fabrics are scrappy.
Color & Fabric Selection
The chevron pattern is most powerful when the goose fabric contrasts strongly with the sky/background. Single-color chevrons on a white background create a bold, modern statement. Ombré chevrons — fabrics graduating from one color to another — create a gradient effect across the quilt. Scrappy chevrons with many goose fabrics unified by one consistent background are also very popular.
Variations & Related Patterns
Herringbone
Chevrons with narrow, closely-spaced V-rows for a denser, more textile-like effect.
Arrow
A single large V pointing in one direction, like an arrow across the quilt.
Zigzag
Alternating single rows of geese rather than paired V-shapes.
Quick Facts
Put it to use
NiftyFifty quilters have been swapping blocks like this one since 1997. Browse our historical archive or join a new swap.
Browse quilt swaps →Related Guides
Flying Geese Quilt Block
BeginnerA classic directional unit with countless uses — from single-row borders to full chevron quilts
Half-Square Triangle (HST) Quilt Block
BeginnerThe most versatile unit in patchwork — master this and you can make hundreds of different quilt patterns
Rail Fence Quilt Block
BeginnerThree strips, one seam allowance, infinite layouts — the fastest quilt you can make