Flying Geese Quilt Block Tutorial
The flying geese quilt block is a classic quilt block. They are not difficult to make when you know a few tips and tricks. This post will walk you through how to create your own flying geese quilt block, plus scroll down for a video tutorial.
Flying Geese Quilt Block Tutorial
Learn to create a flying geese quilt block with this easy tutorial. New to quilting? Check out THIS free email crash course for everything you need to know about quilting!
What does the flying geese quilt pattern mean?
A flying geese piece in quilting is a triangle framed on top by two smaller triangles. They are often put together in groups to make a quilt block.
These blocks can also be put together to create borders for quilt blocks or quilts.
They can be made in varying sizes. Your pattern may call for a certain size flying geese piece or it may give you instructions to create a specific size flying geese piece.
What are flying geese in quilting?
These are quilting pieces where you have one large triangle and two smaller triangles on top. They are often put together in groups. There are MANY different ways to use this one piece.
Check out the flyinggeese hashtag on Instagram for some great inspiration!
How do you square a flying geese block?
A flying geese block can be tricky to square. They do have rulers designed just for flying geese. If you plan to make a full quilt or to make these frequently some of these rulers might be worth checking out. THIS set is a good option as it helps with four different sizes of flying geese.
When sewn correctly your flying geese block should include a seam allowance so that you have perfect points after sewing the blocks or pieces together (you can see the allowance on the block pictured below.
To square the block I like to use the seam line in the middle of the block to line up my ruler. This ensures that the block will look straight. Then if you can you want to leave that 1/4″ seam allowance around all the edges. Check out THIS post on how to cut fabric straight.
These blocks can be tricky to get straight. So you may have to sacrifice a bit of the seam allowance in favor of having a straight square. Or if you simply cannot sacrifice the points you may need to start again and be more accurate in your seams when sewing.
It is important to remember that ultimately the end goal is to have a finished block or quilt where the flying geese have three distinct and sharp points. This is a process that will take practice. (And even if you practice you might miscalculate and make your block too big and have to square your points off….like I did with this finished block :/ )
How do you make a flying goose quilt?
Can you call it a flying goose? Not sure, but why not? I am not too sticky on the names of blocks or patterns. But you might need to know the name in order to find more examples, tutorials, and ideas regarding the block. So technically it is flying geese, but you can call it goose if that feels wrong!
These measurements will get you an 8.5″ finished block. You can find tutorials for making more than one flying geese at a time, but I prefer the control of making one at at time.
Cut your fabric pieces. THESE rulers can be helpful.
Place one of your two squares right side down onto the rectangle. Draw a diagonal line, with a frixion pen, pictured as the dashed line in the diagram above.
Sew along the dashed line.
Trim the extra triangles from the top. Press the seam. I press the seam to the side. You will notice that sometimes pressing the seam one way will leave a bump or a valley on the front of the block, if you find it has created a bump simply try pressing the seam the other way. If this still creates an issue you can press the seam open.
Repeat on the other side.
Your piece should have an overlap, as pictured in the last diagram image above. This will ensure a crisp point. The bottom and sides will line up correctly without an overlap because you will sew 1/4″ on the side and bottom.
Make 8 of these pieces. Line them up in pairs.
Flying Geese Video
Pin Flying Geese Quilt Block Tutorial
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