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Friday, November 2, 2018

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.)


62 comments:

Jewell said...

Looking forward to making this block. Making 4 flying geese at once sounds good to me.
ivybowls@yahoo.com

Jewell said...

Looking forward to making this block. Four flying geese at once sounds good to me! Thank you.
ivybowls@yahoo.com

cmykrgb said...

Thank you so much for providing the 4-at-a time geese measurements and instructions. So much more stable than sewing along the cut bias edges, and that little bit of fabric savings from not trimming away the corners may ensure that I have enough fabric to complete the project!

Jeanetta said...

Love the current challenge and have learned a lot!
Jeanetta Watson
jeanetta1963@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I like the block with the dark red. It just pops. Flying geese are a favourite of mine because I grew up on “Goose Lake Farm”.

Unknown said...

I'm on my way to the sewing machine - I finished all of the second week stuff three days ago - had to work on some of my other projects - this idea of a mystery is new to me - I'm not a patient person but it is really exciting waiting to see what comes next. Now I'm not only looking forward to the next week mystery - but looking forward to the next challenge. So far it's beautiful Toby!!! Thanks for introducing something new to me!

Unknown said...

I found your blog very helpful. I had seen this several years ago but always forget about it. You make it look so simple. Thank you.
Kathyw5037@yahoo.com

Hav4boys said...

Thank you for the short cut for making geese. I am going to try this.

Robin Farmer Siler said...

Thank you for this tutorial. I might try this method for this round. Again thank you for doing this challenge for us and for all of your tips & tricks. Have a wonderful weekend.

Robin Siler
lighthousebeach58@gmail.com

Terri Todd said...

Very instructional, and your blocks are very pretty. Thanks for having the giveaway.

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for this tip! I love this journey with everyone!

carol sierasky said...

Thanks for doing this and showing us exactly how things are to be done. For some reason I didn't know you were commenting on the challenge in a blog like this, so this is the first one I have seen (now to go read the others). I am enjoying doing this quilt even if I have lost some points, it is my first medallion quilt. Can't wait for the rest of the clues.\\ Carol Sierasky

Lazy A Ranch said...

I look forward to your blog weekly.

lvkwilt said...

Just found your blog but I have been following you...love your Kaleidostars class on AQS. If anyone hasn't seen it, I recommend it highly! Thanks for the giveaway!

Zoey Girl Quilts said...

Love these ideas! Can't wait to try them!❤
Rdyck05@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Always helpful. Thank you. Going back to read again before i try this method.

NoSoup said...

Thank you again - Great tutorial!
llachelt@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Always helpful. Diane Coates

Idgie said...

Thanks for sharing this. Im enjoying my first mystery.

Idgie said...

Thanks for sharing the tip. Looking forward to my first mystery quilt!

Idgie said...

Thanks for sharing the tip. Looking forward to my first mystery quilt!

Idgie said...

Thanks so much. Looking forward to the mystery

Unknown said...

I love all these tips!! Thank you for your hard work.
JsManyaMich@aol.com

Unknown said...

Thank you for your tips and sharing your pattern with us. Excited to see what it looks like whendone. Never done a mystrey quilt before.
gailaaron2@aol.com

TerriH said...

I've made the 4 at a time flying geese before but there is always more to learn. Thanks for the tips!
Terri
tsh1959@hotmail.com

merae said...

Toby, thanks for the fun pattern!
maryethelrae@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for the tips. They really help out.This is my first challenge although I've seen for many years Brenda McNath Vigil. brendadmv@gmail.com

nicolesender said...

I appreciate your tips! I am a bit behind but sure like seeing everyone's progress on facebook.
nikilsend(at)outlook(dot)com

Unknown said...

Thanks for the step by step and for admitting that it is okay to change your mind and change fabrics!
brenda90159@yahoo.com

Bayou Quilter said...

I am still on week 1, part 2, but having such fun with this challenge. I did try the 4 at a time flying geese and really like this method. Hopefully I will progress further this weekend! Thank you for this wonderful experience.
cbethlaborde@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the tips. They really help. I am enjoying this Mystery Quilt Challenge. I have fallen in love with quilting again. :)
Haulo@ shaw.ca

Andrea S. said...

Really enjoying seeing everyone's different fabric choices! I haven't started mine yet as I am involved in a mystery quilt with my quilt group, but looking forward to jumping in soon
iquitoo at gmail dot com

Janifer said...

Thank you for showing faster ways of making the FG and the HST learning a lot. Again Thank you
carpenterjanifer@gmail.com

Virginia said...

Many thanks!

Lisa F said...

I'm really enjoying the mystery challenge - and I appreciate the info on making fast flying geese. I love a good shortcut, thanks!

Unknown said...

Thanks for this information. I am going to try this method.

propswife said...

I'm enjoying this mystery quilt, I have always been a fan of stars so this is making for a happy mystery.

linda_collum@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

Doing this Mystery Quilt along with my daughter. Our first, loving it. Excited to see our final quilt.

Thank you,
Mary
mvt2008@live.com

Unknown said...

I can not thank you enough for helping me grow my skills! This has been so rewarding. I really love this quilt so far.

Unknown said...

I’m loving this challenge for all the ‘new to me’ tips and ideas! I’m anxious to try this method for flying geese. You make it look so easy. Love your second colour choice. Sylwhalen@icloud.com

DebbieT said...

Thanks for all your tips. You have excellent instructions! Meldeb88@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I like the clear cut way you describe the process. I am not a new quilter but I have a friend who is following this MQ who IS new and she had no problem understanding.

p_klaiber@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

i am going to try this method of doing flying geese (with "scrap" material first) ! thank you
possumum2001@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Thank you for all the time you have put into this mystery! I love that so far each week has not been a huge time commitment. Since I began late, I was still able to catch up. Also, thank you for reminding us that we can make changes to the fabric selections if we find a better choice for us and that those changes can be made at anytime!
yknotdale@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Toby you make it look super easy!! Do you think you or Ashley willposting a video on this peicing method. ?
Rose Grace
rose.grace3740@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I'm loving this MQC Thanks for all your tips. They are much appreciated. maryecoombs@hotmail.com Mary

Unknown said...

I'm loving this mystery. thank you for doing this free project. My email is debsweet13670@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Headed up to try this method. Skipping block one for awhile! Lol
Wbartlett65@gmail.com

Susan Stitch said...

I am absolutely loving this quilt and all the beautiful variations being shared in the facebook group. We've had some family crises due to Hurricane Michael, so I haven't been able to start yet but I'm saving the patterns. Thank you so much for putting this gorgeous quilt together for us.

Susan. stitch(at)sbcglobal.net

Unknown said...

thanks for all the tips and shortcuts, especially with explanation :) It is very helpful for us newbies. moreland.gayle@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips on easy flying geese. I followed it and my first block came out perfect. Very helpful to someone who is relatively new to quilting. This is a challenging pattern but I'm enjoying it and can't wait to see how it all comes together. jeannine.bonhoff@gmail.com

chrisknits said...

Thank you for this mystery pattern. I have fabric chosen, just not had time to start the cutting!

Shirley Blackall said...

Thank you so much for introducing new methods for old standards. Sure does make life easier. SCR1837@YAHOO.COM

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for your tips and pictures to help explain those tips. My mom kept saying she knew there was a way to make multiple HST but couldn't remember the pattern, then you put yours out on the blog and it worked awesome!!!! I can't wait to try and make the FG with the tips you offered. I will be sure to share them with my mom too. By the way we both love the design of the Mystery Quilt (what we know of it so far. ;) ) Can't wait to see what it looks like in the end. Thank you for sharing your tips and design with the rest of us. We are not only having a great time, but we are learning so much at the same time.
dserigne@dequeenleopards.org

Betsy said...

Thanks for taking your time to do this mystery block challenge. I am enjoying th e project! Betsyjones55@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Thank you so much - I hadn't seen these tips before and are very useful! Love the Mystery aspect to the pattern! Mahalo from Kauai.

Kathie Masters
kamasters83@gmail.com

Melanie H said...

I have so enjoyed this journey. It has given me much to think about in my future ideas of quilts. Thank you! mel_eidson@hotmail.com

Tinkerbelle007 said...

I wait until the tips come out before I start the next block...
v.alabanza.jones@gmail.com

juliajoslyn said...

I had lots of trouble with the flying geese in the medallion; but by now they are coming out perfect every time, whatever method I use to make them. I feel much more confident now. Thank you for the opportunity to get better at making flying geese.
juliajoslyn@icloud.com

Unknown said...

I am really enjoying this quilt and have been working hard to follow the instructions in the pattern each week... this week for a change I am going to cheat and try this method instead! Fingers crossed it is as easy as you make it look Toby! Thank you for the awesome challenge.
Jane janehansen8@gmail.com

Melanie said...

This has been a challenge for all of us...to keep up with the blocks and medallion and make it all come together well. Thanks for all your help!
Melanie
melanieh@optonline.net

Melanie said...

This quilt has been a challenge for many if not all of us... challenging us to be better quilters! Thanks for all your tips.
Melanie
melanieh@optonline.net