I hope you are having as much fun with these as I am!  Every week I look forward to making another of these mini quilts.  I love that they go to gether so quickly too-they make for a quick gift when you get invited over for dinner unexpectedly.
These are a couple of photos that were shared on my Facebook Sew Along Page this week.

I love this method of making Flying Geese.  I was pretty skeptical when I did it the first time, wondering how on earth this was going to turn into Flying Geese.  But it works out beautifully.
Begin by laying two small squares on top of the large square, right sides together, and draw a diagonal line down the middle.

Sew 1/4" from each side of the drawn line.  I prefer to have the top square facing so that the point is going away from my needle.  

Cut apart on the drawn line and press towards the smaller triangles.

Draw a diagonal line on the back of the remaining small squares and lay them right sides together onto the unit just made.

Once again sew 1/4" from each side of the line.  

Cut apart on the line and press-​voilà!  We have Flying Geese units.

To trim these with a regular ruler you need to line up the 1" mark on your ruler with the point of the "goose."  You also need to make sure you have 1/4" above that point for seam allowance.  At the bottom of the goose you need the 1 1/4" mark to land on the diagonal seam lines-both sides. (On the left side this will be where the 2" line crosses as well. Trim the first two sides.

Rotate the unit and line up the 1" mark the same way at the point of the goose.  Now the 2" mark and the 1 1/4" marks are along the edges you just trimmed.  The diagonal line of your ruler is also laying on the seam.  Trim these two sides.

With the Bloc Loc ruler I do not have to do any math to figure out the middle, or worry about where my various points of the ruler need to be.  These rulers have a groove that lock into place at the seam.  I just trim the first two sides...

rotate the whole thing and trim the last two sides.

And I have perfectly trimmed Flying Geese ready for the next step.

I made a little video demonstration using both rulers:

Next I moved on to joining the Flying Geese units with my A rectangles.  I sewed these with the Flying Geese on top so I could keep an eye on that point where I want my needle to land as I sew over it.  With this perfect trim giving me a 1/4" seam allowance I am pretty condident that when I sew this 1/4" seam my needle will land right at the point of those intersecting seams.  That is the sweet spot that gives me a perfect point when I press it open.

To join these together to make my block I match up those diagonal seams.

For my final seam I fanned it open.  If I just press it one direction like usual I will end up with a very bulky middle to my block.  By opening up the seam in this way the center lays quite flat.  Before you press use your fingers to force one seam up and the other side down-they will naturally want to go a certain direction so let the seam decide which side goes which way.  You will know you have acheived a fanned seam when you see the little pinwheel appear at the intersecting seams.

That's it...now on to the quilting and binding.  If you are new to these blocks you will find my tutorials on quilting and binding these mini quilts helpful too.  They can be found on my Tutorials Page

Join me next Friday for another Nordic Christmas ornament...until then
​Happy Quilting!

Before we jump into the new block for this week let me announce the winner of the tiny
Bloc Loc Ruler....

Jeannette Ashleigh, who commented "6 inch Block for me. Now to try tiny tiny!!!" in answer to the question about the smallest block you have ever made.  Congratulations Jeannette!  I will be contacting you to find out where to send your ruler.  I know you will enjoy this ruler in some future ornaments I have in mind.

Now onto our new ornament.  This week's block is the Friendship Star.  It goes together very quickly with its simple piecing.  I did two versions of this, one with a different red in the center square and one where all of my red fabrics are the same.  Click on the photo to get a copy of my pattern.

I started by making Half-square Triangles just like we did for the Churn Dash ornament
​ in week 2.  Draw a line down the back of the B squares and sew 1/4" from each side

Line up the diagonal line of your ruler with the seam line and trim.

The only tricky part of this block is when you sew the rows together.  Just take your time, sewing slowly over the seams.  I aim right for the place where the two previous seams come to a point.  If I sew to the left of that point I will lose the point of my star on the front side. (see arrow in photo below.)

As I mentioned, I tried out two versions of this one.

Last week I made a couple of video tutorials showing how I quilt and bind these. 
​I am including them here again for you.

I have enjoyed seeing all the little blocks that are being made and shared on my Facebook Sew Along Page.  Here are a few that have given me permission to share with you.

​

Have you gotten brave and given these little guys a try yet?  If so, share your success story in the comments to let others know that they CAN do these. And if you share a photo on my facebook page your little block can be featured here next week...so until next time...
Happy Quilting!

Did you have fun with the first block in this series?  If you missed it, just click on the photo below and get your copy of the pattern.  You can also enter to win the Bloc Loc ruler again this week by leaving a comment below about your favorite Christmas Color Scheme. (so that is two entries you get!)  The winner of the 3/4" x 1 1/2" Flying Geese ruler will be announced next Friday!  I will be using this ruler to make some itty bitty Flying Geese soon.

This week's mini quilt is the Churn Dash block.  Despite its tiny size it goes together easily.  Be sure and check out my videos on how I quilted mine, and how I do the binding found later in this blog post.

Get your copy of this free pattern here: Churn Dash Ornament pdf
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