No Waste Flying Geese Tutorial

I’ve been really excited about the new quilt I’m making, and I hope you guys aren’t tired of me talking about it. The top is finished, I’m just waiting for my red backing fabric to come in the mail, then I’ll be able to quilt it all together. This is my 3rd quilt, and it has been the fastest one yet. I’m learning!

I love how easy and fun the flying geese were to make and piece together. Today I want to share the method I used to make 4 flying geese quilt blocks at a time. This technique doesn’t waste any fabric like some flying geese methods, and it’s so simple!

To make 4 flying geese blocks, start with one large square, and four small squares. My large square is 6 1/2 inches. The four small squares are 3 1/2 inches. I liked the finished size this made. This website explains the math in more detail if you are looking for a different sized block. They say:

You need one square, the size of the finished width you desire the flying geese to be + 1 1/4 inch, and four squares that are the height of the finished unit you want plus 7/8 inch.

Here are the five squares I started with.

Place two of the smaller squares face down onto the large square, lined up with two opposite corners. Use a ruler, and mark a line diagonally across the squares.

Head to your sewing machine. You can pin the squares down if you want, but I don’t really find it necessary. Just be gentle when you are running it through the machine! The fabric doesn’t typically move around at this point. IMPORTANT – sew 1/4 inch away from the line you drew onto the squares. DO NOT sew directly on the line you drew. You can see in the photo that my presser foot is even with the line. After sewing one line, turn it around, and sew down 1/4 inch away from the other side of the line you drew.

Once you’ve sewn the two lines, cut down the line you drew. You’ll have two identical pieces.

Use your iron to press the small triangles outward.

Draw a diagonal line across the back of the two small triangles that you have left. Place it on the corner of the large triangle, with the line running down the center of the two flaps.

Take it to your sewing machine, and use the same method as the first part of the tutorial. Sew 1/4 inch from the line, down both sides.

Repeat with the remaining squares, and cut down the line that’s drawn down the middle like you did in the earlier steps. Use your iron to press the small triangle flap outwards.