Streak of Lightning quilt block
A bold vertical zigzag built from mirrored half-rectangle triangles — the dark fabric runs down the quilt in a single continuous bolt.
Also known as Zigzag, Lightning Streak, Rick Rack.
Streak of Lightning is a very old setting name; nineteenth-century quilters used it for any arrangement that put a jagged vertical line down the quilt, most often with plain triangles or with the zigzag rows that separate columns of blocks. Amish quiltmakers in Pennsylvania made it famous in solid fabrics, where the zigzag is the entire design and the contrast does all the work.
Streak of Lightning cutting chart
Cut sizes include a ¼″ seam allowance: ½″ on squares and rectangles, ⅞″ on half-square triangles, and 1¼″ on quarter-square triangles. Pick a finished block size:
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 4" × 7" | 2 | finishes 3" × 6" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 3½" × 6½" |
| Background | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 4" × 7" | 2 | finishes 3" × 6" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 3½" × 6½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 4" × 7" | 2 | finishes 3" × 6" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 3½" × 6½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 4" × 7" | 2 | finishes 3" × 6" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 3½" × 6½" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 5½" × 10" | 2 | finishes 4½" × 9" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5" × 9½" |
| Background | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 5½" × 10" | 2 | finishes 4½" × 9" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5" × 9½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 5½" × 10" | 2 | finishes 4½" × 9" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5" × 9½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 5½" × 10" | 2 | finishes 4½" × 9" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5" × 9½" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 6" × 11" | 2 | finishes 5" × 10" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5½" × 10½" |
| Background | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 6" × 11" | 2 | finishes 5" × 10" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5½" × 10½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 6" × 11" | 2 | finishes 5" × 10" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5½" × 10½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 6" × 11" | 2 | finishes 5" × 10" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 5½" × 10½" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 7" × 13" | 2 | finishes 6" × 12" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 6½" × 12½" |
| Background | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 7" × 13" | 2 | finishes 6" × 12" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 6½" × 12½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 7" × 13" | 2 | finishes 6" × 12" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 6½" × 12½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 7" × 13" | 2 | finishes 6" × 12" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 6½" × 12½" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 8½" × 16" | 2 | finishes 7½" × 15" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 8" × 15½" |
| Background | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 8½" × 16" | 2 | finishes 7½" × 15" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 8" × 15½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “/” diagonal | 8½" × 16" | 2 | finishes 7½" × 15" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 8" × 15½" |
| Dark | HRT rectangle, “\” diagonal | 8½" × 16" | 2 | finishes 7½" × 15" — sew the diagonal, then trim to 8" × 15½" |
How it goes together
Four HRTs in a 2 × 2 arrangement, the top row and the bottom row leaning opposite ways. Join into rows, press the row seams in opposite directions, then join the rows.
Tips
- Keep the value contrast high and simple. This block is a silhouette, and any third fabric muddies it.
- Because every block is twice as tall as it is wide, plan your column count first and let the row count follow — FourPatch refits the layout for you when you pick the block.
- Press the horizontal seam toward the darker side so the zigzag does not shadow through a light background.
How much fabric for a Streak of Lightning quilt?
Yardage for a whole quilt of Streak of Lightning blocks, computed the way the studio does it — every piece packed across a 40″ usable width with 10% added for waste.
| Quilt size | Blocks | Finished | Top fabric | Backing | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby 36×48 | 6 | 36" × 48" | Background 1¾ yd · Dark 1¾ yd | 2½ yd | ⅜ yd |
| Throw 60×72 | 15 | 60" × 72" | Background 4⅜ yd · Dark 4⅜ yd | 3⅞ yd | ½ yd |
| Queen 90×108 | 40 | 96" × 120" | Background 11⅝ yd · Dark 11⅝ yd | 10¾ yd | ⅞ yd |
What it looks like in a quilt
A single block only tells you half the story. Set sixteen of them together and the secondary pattern appears where the blocks touch:
Streak of Lightning questions
Is Streak of Lightning a block or a setting?
Historically it is a setting — a way of arranging pieces across the whole quilt. Drafting it as a repeating block is the modern shortcut, and it produces the same top.
What size should the blocks be?
Anything, as long as the zigzag has room to travel. A 6 × 12 inch finished block across a throw gives roughly five points down the quilt, which reads well from a distance.