A super accurate way to make Flying Geese quilt blocks

I have been a quilt maker for many years and have been designing and publishing patterns since 1997. For the past several years I have designed patterns for new fabric collections from Northcott Fabrics. A recent design required me to make several Flying Geese blocks that would finish at 3″ x 6″. I’m happy to share with you my super accurate way to make Flying Geese blocks. We’ll have fun exploring wonderful possibilities with Flying Geese and the bonus feature of what to do with the leftover half-square triangles!

When making Flying Geese blocks, I always make a slightly larger block than necessary and then trim it to the exact size. Although this takes a little longer, it results in very accurate blocks. When trimming the blocks, I discovered that I had a lot of little half-square triangles left over. The perfect chance to create another project!

Here’s how to make the Flying Geese blocks:

1. For each Flying Geese block, cut 1 – 4″ x 7″ rectangle from your main fabric and 2 – 4″ squares from a different fabric.
2. Using a fabric marking tool, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each square.

3. Stitch on the drawn line to sew a 4″ square to one end of a 4″ x 7″ rectangle, right sides together.

4. Then stitch ½” away from the pencil line.

5. Cut between the stitching lines. Press the triangle away from the rectangle.

6. Sew a 4″ square to the other end of the rectangle. Cut and press as before.

7. You now have a Flying Geese block and 2 small half-square triangles.

A super accurate way to make Flying Geese blocks may take a little more time, but it’s very well worth it! Tomorrow I’ll show how to use a special ruler that helps to square up the block easily, precisely and quickly!