More Quilt Squares

I barely figured out the 4 Patch/9 Patch for my quilt. Now I am working on the Flying Geese Star. Flying Geese are basically a pattern with a large triangle of one color surrounded by two small triangles of another color. We learned a technique to make it faster and easier...ostensibly. Even though Doris and I get right to work, we never seem to finish a square while in the class. This means we have to go home and try to remember how we are supposed to do it! Even with pictures and notes and a book, it isn't easy. Hey, if it was EASY, ANYBODY could do it! At least, that is what I keep telling myself.




You cut a 7 1/4 inch square of the main fabric. Then cut (4) 3 7/8 inch squares of the background fabric. Mark all the small squares with a diagonal line from corner to corner and then mark a line 1/4 inch on either side of the first line.




Place the large square facing up and then lay a small square facing down in one corner, aligning the edges. Do the same thing in the opposite corner so that they overlap in the middle.

Pin in place and then stitch on the two outside lines. This is where it gets tricky. I can barely see the lines due to the color of the fabric and the multiple floaters in my eyes that make close work a struggle. Once you cut the two apart on the middle line, there is no going back. Suffice it to say that I had to do one over and it's still not as good as I would like.




After cutting on the diagonal line, you press it open and then place the another small square in the only other unoccupied corner with the line pointing towards the gap between the sewn triangles. Once again sew on either side of the diagonal line and then cut them apart on the line. Do this for the remaining piece. You will now have four Flying Geese.




To make these into a star you will need (4) 3 7/8 squares of the background color and one square 6 1/2 inches square of the main color. We learned how to do a fussy cut. Basically you lay out the fabric and pick the part you want to be centered and then cut it out. This leaves weird holes in the fabric, but most patterns should allow for this. If not I'll be buying more fabric!




I sewed the top and the bottom geese to the center and then assembled the sides. Then I stitched the sides to the center, ironing the seams each time.

So this is what I ended up with. I hope Someone can make it magically become a scoosh bigger because it isn't QUITE 12 1/2 inches square. But at this point, I am not doing it over. I figure there has to be a trick to making it fit or no one would get past their first quilt. RIGHT????