Passing the Days: Day 70

I am sharing this block out of order as today is Memorial Day and I want to get this one out there as I remember the sacrifices of those who have chosen to serve our nation over the years.  I have named today's block: Remember. I used a red, white a blue color scheme to represent with the colors of our nations flag.

This block does have some small pieces and there are lots of points to match, but it is amazing what one can do with a little patience and few tips, and a little spray starch.  
When sewing this part of the corner units the seams lock together nicely to give a nice, sharp point where the two fabrics meet.

I find that I prefer to flip the units over so that I have the seam at the top as I sew.  In this photo the unit under my needle has been flipped and the one at the bottom of the photo is before I flip them over.  Looking at the piece on the bottom you will notice that the seam faces away from my needle and so to keep things lined up nicely it just helps to sew those locking seams first thing.

It has been awhile since I shared photos of my favorite method for making the Flying Geese units.  The General Instructions sheet I provide takes you step-by-step through the process but sometimes it is helpful to see it in photos.  So the first step is to lay out two of the small squares on top of the larger square, draw a diagonal line down the middle and then sew 1/4" on each side of that drawn line.  Notice here that the top small square is pointing away from needle-I make sure that it is lined up this way when sewing both sides of the line.

Next I cut these apart on the drawn line.

Press them open and lay the two remaining small squares on top as shown here.

It all looks pretty funny as you are sewing them-repeating the process of sewing on each side of the drawn line.

When these are cut apart and pressed you end up with four Flying Geese which then need to be trimmed to size.  I just love Bloc_Loc Rulers for this process.  The indentation in the ruler fits snuggly against the seam and "locks" the ruler into place for trimming.  So I first trim two sides...

Then rotate everything and trim the last two sides for perfect Flying Geese.

For this block we have some points we need to match.  One little trick is to use a dab of glue from a glue stick to hold those points as you sew.  Another is to use a pinning method I have shown before.  Start by sliding a pin into the very tip of both points you are matching; coming in from the back of one, then out through the front side and into the front side of the other and out the back.

Then you slide the two pieces up on to the pinhead so they are snuggle together.

With that main pin in place, slide two pins, one one each side of the main pin, close beside it as shown here.  I slid one pin in a little further than needed just so that it was easier to see both of these pins in the photo.

Before sewing, remove the main pin.  Then sew until you reach the first pin, stop with your needle in the down position and remove the first pin before continuing to sew your seam.  Take just a couple of stitches and remove the second pin in the same way.  I have broken a needle or two in my time by sewing over pins so am very careful not to do that.

The other tip I have as you sew this block: sew SLOWLY.  Very SLOWLY.
For a copy of the pdf for this block visit my Passing the Days page by clicking on the link.

I hope you all have a blessed day as we celebrate this day of remembrance.

Happy Quilting!