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Use the No-Waste Method to Make Flying Geese Quilts

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Introduction to the No-Waste Flying Geese Quilts Method
Flying Dutchman Quilt Block Pattern

Flying Dutchman Quilt Block - An example of eight Flying Geese units sewn in two different color combinations.

Janet Wickell
The unit we call flying geese is a rectangular shape with a 90-degree triangle sewn at each of its two ends, creating a peak at the unit's midpoint. Flying geese can be used alone to construct an entire quilt (they're most often used in borders and accents). The units are also used to construct hundreds of patchwork quilt blocks.

Flying Geese Quilt Examples

Quilt Blocks Made with Flying Geese

The units for flying geese quilts can be made in several ways:

  1. Using a quick-pieced flying geese method where squares are sewn to the corners of rectangles. After sewing, the outermost portion of each joined square and rectangle is sliced away, leaving the triangle we see at the edge of a geese unit and a pair of unused small triangles.

  2. Using rotary cutting techniques and/or templates to cut shapes and sew individual pieces together to create a flying geese unit.

  3. By foundation (paper) piecing the geese, a popular method for these units, especially when you're working small.

  4. By sewing four small squares to a larger square, a method that produces four flying geese, but no wasted fabric.

Number 4 is the no-waste geese method explained in this tutorial

Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of the no-waste method flying geese method, and I still use the other quick-pieced technique when I need just a couple of geese, when I'm adding geese-like triangles to the ends of longer bars, or when I'm using small pieces of scrappy fabric. But the no-waste method is perfect when you need lots of geese -- it truly is easy, and very accurate.

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