NATIONAL QUILTER'S CIRCLE MYSTERY MEDALLION WEEK 3

BLOCK 2

Click on the link above for the instructions.

Again I have to remark about how wonderful all of the blocks look! They are all so different. Some of you may have read that I have said on the Facebook page, there are no rules about what fabrics you have to use and where you use them. I also said that if some of your pieces are upside down, as long as they are the same, there is no reason you can't keep them that way. This is your quilt and you can make it any way you want. My pattern and fabric suggestions are a jumping off point. If you want to be creative and put your own spin to it, by all means do it. Make it your quilt! 

By now I'm sure you are all pros at making Flying Geese units! I have read some discussions about making 4 Flying Geese at the same time so I decided I would do a tutorial on that method in case you have never seen it before. The trick is you don't have to cut your squares into half-square or quarter-square triangles. You leave them as squares. You can do this with any pattern that gives you the cutting instructions to cut squares then cut them into HST or QST. The math is already done for you in the pattern. If they use a different method then I will give you the formula.

A Flying Geese unit is made up of 1 quarter-square triangle and 2 half-square triangles. I explained in my first blog of the challenge what the difference was between the two. If you didn't read that blog, go back and read it. For making them you have to know what the finished size of the block is. For example if you are making a half-square triangle square (a square made of 2 triangles) that finishes at 4" you would cut a square that is 4-7/8" x 4-7/8". You always add 7/8" to the finished size of the block. If you are making a quarter-square triangle square (a square made of 4 triangles) that finishes at 4" you would cut a square that is 5-1/4" x 5-1/4". You always add 1-1/4" to the finished size of the block. Am I clear as mud?

Well since a Flying Geese unit is made up of both, you have to use both formulas. Say the Flying Geese unit finishes at 2-1/2" x 5". A Flying Geese unit is always half as wide as it is long. Your big square you would cut 6-1/4" (5" + 1-1/4") and your small squares you would cut at 3-3/8" (2-1/2" + 7/8"). If you need to use a calculator to figure it out the decimals for 1/4 is .25 and for 7/8 is .875.

For this block the finished size is 2-1/4" x 4-1/2". So you will need to cut four (4) 5-3/4" x 5-3/4" (4-1/2" + 1-1/4") from Fabric 1 (your background fabric) and sixteen (16) 3-1/8" x 3-1/8" (2-1/4" + 7/8") from Fabric 5. Use these measurements instead of what is in the instructions if you want to do them this way.

The next step is to draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner on the backs of the small squares. I usually place two squares right sides together to do that so that it stabilizes the fabric when you draw the line.

Then place two of the small squares in the opposite corners of the large square right sides together with the diagonal lines touching in the center. It is important that the corners line up perfectly so put pins in there to hold it together well.

This one little trick will make sewing these on easier. Take a small pair of scissors and clip the corners that over lap in the center of the square. Just put the scissors in where the squares come together and cut straight across.

Now sew 1/4" on both sides of the line. (It is hard to see the stitching lines because the fabric matches.)

Cut apart along the drawn line.

Press the small triangles up.

Place the remaining two squares, lining up the corner of the large square with the corner of the small squares, right sides together with the diagonal line going through the center of the two small triangles. Pin in place well.

Sew 1/4" on both sides of the line. Your stitching line should come out in the groove where the square meets the triangles.

Cut apart along the drawn line and press towards the triangles.

Trim Flying Geese units to equal 2-3/4" x 5". Using a square ruler with a 45 degree angle, place the angle along the edge of the right triangle with the 2-1/2" line in the center of the patch. Trim the right side and top (well actually the bottom) if necessary. Rotate the patch and trim the other two sides to 2-3/4" x 5". Be sure to leave 1/4" from the seam intersection.

You end up with 4 exactly the same Flying Geese units.

Piece the remainder of the block as in the directions. The only tip I have is with the center square-in-a-square. The triangles are cut slightly bigger than necessary so you will square the unit up to the size indicated and you may have a little more than 1/4" from the seam intersections. Here is my center oops! Don't forget to trim off the selvage before cutting your patches!!! 

Had to get out the ripper and fix it.

WINNERS

Congratulations to Bayou Quilter! She won the fat quarter bundle!. I also picked 5 winners to get some half-square triangle paper. Robbie, Cyndi, Deborah Cameron, Donna Coffey, and Cyn Short. I will email all of them for their addresses.

NEW DRAWING

For this week's drawing I will give away a pdf of any one of my patterns to 2 lucky winners. They get to choose which pattern they want. Be sure to leave a comment and a way to contact you. When picking winners for this last week there were a lot of people who did not leave me any way of contacting them so I had to pick other winners.

Here is the first block I made and a fast way of piecing it. (Follow the pressing in the pattern.) Layout the 9 pieces.

Line up the edges of the center pieces, right sides together on the pieces on the left and sew one right after the other as in chain piecing being sure to sew the pieces close together.

Do NOT clip the threads.

Line up the edges of the patches on the right to the middle patches and sew one right after the other. Do NOT clip the threads.

Now flip the top row over the center row, matching seams pin and sew.

Repeat with the bottom section, flip and sew to the center section.

When you sew blocks together this way, the seams can't help but match because they are sewn so close together! Here is my finished block.

I didn't like that fabric combination so I made a different one. Feel free to change things up with your quilt.

Well this blog has been extremely long! Hope you learned a lot!!!!

As always, do what you love and love what you do. Feel free to share this with your quilting friends and have them join along. Thanks for reading. (Don't forget to leave a comment and your email.)