Stash Bee: Hive 3 March Tutorial

Hello Hive 3! My name is Carolyn and I live in Lanoka Harbor, NJ, along the Jersey Shore. I hope that you are all doing well and looking forward to spring. I know I am so over this crazy cold winter. It’s been below freezing more this year than above here in NJ. I have been quilting on and off since a teenager, making my first quilt in 1998 when I worked at a fabric store. I blog over at Sweet Boater Chick, the name is from being a white water kayaker. You can read my full bio here from last year at stash bee.

Me with Flight of the Seagulls

This month I am super excited to have you all create a flying geese block. Flying geese are my favorite block. I love that they can go any which way and still all work together. I have made a number of flying geese quilts already, my favorite is Flight of the Seagulls, but there is always room for one more.

I found this block on Displacement Activity. She does have a tutorial, but I have switched up the 2.5” x 4.5” geese making method to make it easier and faster with the 4 at a time method with no trimming at the end.

For the geese I would like the colors to be lime, turquoise, chartreuse, teal, and dark gray. For the background I would like you to use a variety of light gray prints with a white base. There is a section of 4 mini geese and I will make that optional for you. With the 4 at a time method to make the geese you make enough to fill the space where the mini geese are, otherwise you have one extra goose.

You will need

Geese fabrics

3 - 4.5” x 8.5” rectangles

5 - 5.25” x 5.25” squares

*optional 4 - 1.5” x 2.5” rectangles

Background Fabrics

3 pairs – 4.5” x 4.5” squares

5 sets of 4 – 2 7/8” x 2 7/8” squares

*optional 4 pairs – 1.5” x 1.5” squares

I would love the geese to be different fabrics. I would also love a scrappy background, but would like the sets and pairs to be the same fabrics so the geese don’t have different background in the individual blocks. (I hope I explained this well)

I started by drawing a line on the diagonal on the back of all the gray background squares. I used a number 2 pencil.

The first of two methods for the block is the stitch and flip. Using the 4.5” x 8.5” rectangles and the 4.5” x 4.5” squares we will create the large geese. Place one background fabric on top of the rectangle with right sides together, lining up on one side. Stitch on top of the drawn line. Trim .25” from the stitch line and press the background out. Then add the next background square, sew, trim, and press. This is the same method if you choose to make the optional mini geese.

Since you cut the corners of the large geese after you made them, I would love it if you would create one into a half square triangle and sign the block with your name and where you are from in the background fabric so I can add it to the back of the quilt.

For the four at a time method, take one goose square and two background squares (keep the sets together). Put them face down on the diagonal. Pin in place. Stitch on either side of the pencil line, .25” away.

After they are sewn, cut the block in half along the pencil line. Press the background squares out, they will look like a heart.

Now take the same background squares and place on the goose fabric corner of the heart with right sides together. Again, stitch on either side of the pencil line .25” away.