This weeks block is from Jo Morton and it has Flying Geese in it...I am having way too much fun making Flying Geese units right now. Do you remember that old commercial for potato chips with the tagline, "Bet you can't eat just one?" Well, I am finding it hard to make just one of these blocks and once you give it a try you may feel the same. There are so many looks you can get just by changing the fabric placement and if you have been looking at all of the lovely blocks being shared on Facebook you know just what I mean. You can find the pattern HERE. I am going to use the No Waste method for making the Flying Geese units again. That means I changed the cutting directions for A and B. A-2 1/8" x 2 1/8" (cut 8) B- 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (cut 2) Since I am making two different colors of Flying Geese I cut one B from each fabric choice. We should be getting pretty good at this now...place two A squares on opposite corners of the B square and draw a diagonal line through both. Sew 1/4 inch from each side of the drawn line. I find it helps to have that point on the top A square facing towards me as I feed it though my machine. Cut apart on the line and press towards the triangles. I draw the diagonal line on the remaining A squares before placing them on the unit just made. Just like before, sew 1/4 inch from each side of the drawn line. Again, I like to sew with the unit in this direction so that everything stays nice and flat. Cut apart on the drawn line and press towards the triangles. Voilà! Four little Flying Geese made. We need to trim these to 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" I am using one of my Bloc Loc rulers, but will demonstrate with a regular ruler as well. If you are using a regular ruler line up the 1 1/4 inch mark with the point of the "Goose" making sure that you have 1/4 inch extending beyond. Place your 1 1/2 inch mark along the diagonal seam on the right and 2 1/2 inch mark on the left. Trim the side and top. Rotate the unit and once again place the 1 1/4 inch mark at the point of the "Goose" and the 1 1/2" line of your ruler should run along the edge we just trimmed. Line up the diagonal of the ruler with the seam on the right, and the 2 1/2" line should fall right on the other edge we you just trimmed. Trim the last two sides. Now lay out all of the lovely geese in pairs and sew them together. There is going to be some bulk when you go over this seam so go slow. A stilleto can help to guide it through as you attempt to have your needle land right on the center of the X made by the seams of the flying geese. (see next photo) I tried to zoom in to show how X marks the spot you want to hit with your needle. If you land to the left of the stitches you will lose your sharp point. All my geese are in a row and waiting for me to make the Square in a Square unit for the center. I did not make any changes to Jo Morton's cutting directions for the C and D blocks. She is making this unit the same way I would have chosen. Start by drawing diagonal lines on all four C squares. Place one C square on the D square. This time we will sew along the diagonal line. I have found it is best to place your needle just to the right of the drawn line rather than landing on top of it. Before cutting away the extra, check to see that the triangle covers the square underneath. You may find that you need to move your needle a little more to the right as you sew if any of the D square extends beyond the little corner triangle. Place the 1/4 inch mark of your ruler on the seam and trim away the excess. (Be sure to leave a 1/4" seam allowance.) Now repeat the process with the next C square on the opposite corner. After you have added all four C squares make sure the unit still measures 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" Time to lay out all of the pieces. This will give us a nine patch block, so all we need to do is first join the units to make three rows. There will be some bulky seams so take your time. The center row will have the points of the triangles to watch out for-just go slow and aim for the X. Next we need to sew the rows together. I pressed the top and bottom rows towards the D squares and found the center row did best if I pressed it open. This allowed me to match the seams well when joining the rows. I did place a pin at the seams to hold them in place. I am really pleased with the bees that are buzzing in my Garden Notes blocks. Click here for a pdf version. Thank you for all of the kind words you have shared about how much these tutorials have helped you to have success in piecing your blocks. Thank you too for the questions you ask along the way. I am enjoying getting to know you! Until next time...
Happy Quilting!!! It's Betsy Chutchian's turn this week and she brings us Block 20-Devil's Claw. Betsy posted a photo of the plant on her blog and also gives us lots of options for putting this block together. You can read her post HERE. I decided to make flying geese units using two different methods and a quick hourglass method that I like. You end up with two hourglass units, but I will use the extra one in another block. Of course that means I have different pieces to cut so here is my list. From Light Fabric: A (cut 1)- 4 3/4" x 4 3/4" C (cut 4)- 2 5/8" x 2 5/8" E (cut 2)- 2 1/4" x 3 3/4" From Dark Fabric: B (cut 1)- 4 3/4" x 4 3/4" D (cut 1)- 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" F (cut 4)- 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" I am going to start with the A and B (4 3/4" x 4 3/4") squares; draw a diagonal line through the A square and lay them right sides together. Now I just stitch 1/4 inch from each side of the line. Cut on the line and press both units towards the dark side. Lay one of the Half-square triangles on top of the other, with dark sides opposing each other. The seams will nest together now. It is a good idea to check and make sure you can see the hourglass before actually sewing. Draw a diagonal line down the middle. Sew 1/4" from each side of the drawn line. I like to have the seam pointing away from the needle as I sew. Just like before, cut apart on the line and press open. I am only going to trim one of these Hourglass units since that is all I need for this block. To do that I place the 1 3/4 inch mark on my ruler at the middle intersection and make sure the diagonal line on my ruler follows the seam. (1 3/4" is half of the trimmed size of the block which is 3 1/2") I want this block to measure 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" so again, I place the 1 3/4" mark in the center- the 3 1/2" lines are on the edges I have already trimmed, and the diagonal line is sitting nicely on the seam line-all is good for a final trim. Setting the Hourglass unit aside I move on to the No-waste method to make four Flying Geese units just like I did for Block 19. First lay two of the C squares onto the right side of the D square and draw a diagonal line through them both. Sew 1/4 inch from each side of the liine. Cut apart on the line and press towards the C triangles. Draw a diagonal line on the remaining C triangles and place one on each unit as pictured. Sew 1/4 inch from each side of the line. Cut apart on the line and trim to 2 x 3 1/2 inches. I am using a Bloc Loc ruler, for directions on how to trim using a regular ruler read over my directions for Block 19 by clicking HERE. For our block we need to sew two Flying Geese units together. Here they are complete along with the Hourglass unit. Since I only need two more Flying Geese I decided to show you another easy method for making individual geese using my E and F pieces. Start by drawing a diagonal line on all of the F squares. Place an F square on top of an E rectangle; being careful with the direction of the diagonal line. Sew right along that line, I am a needle width to the outside of the line. Before trimming, I always check to make sure that the triangle piece covers up the rectangle underneath. Trim leaving 1/4" for the seam and press towards the dark side. If you are making any of Betsy's minis, these leftover triangles are perfect. Place another F square on the other side of the rectangle, again making sure that the diagonal line is going in the correct direction and sew as before with the needle just to the outside. These get trimmed just like the other Flying Geese units and are then ready to be added to each side of the Hourglass unit. For this block it is important to make sure the Hourglass is facing the correct way-with the light colored fabric on top and bottom. I pressed these towards the Hourglass unit. The final step is to add the Flying Geese units we made earlier to the top and bottom of the Block. I decided to press these final seams open as it just seemed like less bulk. And here is Block 20 with the other blocks I have completed so far. Some exciting news for me is the completion of my first pattern- a little Mug Rug that is perfect for beginners. To celebrate I am giving away one kit with the fabrics I used in my sample. So hop on over to my Facebook page and enter for your chance to win. Just go to the post about the Mug Rug and in the comments tell me what your favorite summer flower is. The winner will be selected by a random number generator and announced on Monday July 24th. Until next time...
Happy Quilting!! A few months ago I was approached about writing quilting tutorials for the National Quilters Circle. To celebrate my very first pattern designed for that purpose I am going to give away one kit for my Purple Coneflower Mug Rug. This was a pattern designed with beginners in mind and my complete tutorial can be found on the National Quilters Circle website. The free pattern and a limited number of kits made up of the same fabrics I used in my sample can be found on the My Patterns page.
To enter for your chance to win the kit you need to go to my Facebook Page and tell me what your favorite summer flower is. A winner will be picked at random and announced on Monday July 24th. |
Welcome to the site of Debra Davis-a woman who loves the Lord and loves to quilt.
My other blog where I share about my walk of faith:
Sitting at His Feet This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of Cookies |