How can I create a circular zig-zag pattern?

Question

I'm trying to create something that looks like this:

I can do the blue lines easily enough but I can't seem to get the grey 'circular diamonds' right.

No matter what I do, be it a diamond shape cloned and rotated around a circular guide (first example) or a circle with zigzag applied then cloned and rotated a bit (second example) I can't get the blue lines to match each 'point' and 'dip' like my example. My 'circular diamonds' come out a bit wonky too.

I tried making it using two pattern brushes to start with but pattern brushes seem to distort everything too much.

Can anyone give me any pointers on what else I could try to achieve this effect?

Answer 1

You need 2 pattern brushes - one for the diamonds and one for the hash marks.

When you create the pattern brush for the diamonds you want to ensure you select "Approximate Path" for the fitting method. This will prevent stretching and distorting to fit the path. Fitting method for the hash marks isn't as critical.

This is a quick mock up.....