How to Make a Flying Geese Quilt Block ~ Tutorial

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I’m back with another tutorial for a classic quilt block, one that when mentioned often causes shudders and the rolling of the eyes.. and perhaps a little bit of panic added in!

It is a block that I was scared of as well… hmmm… that seems to be a recurring theme for me lately, but the method I am using for this tutorial really is an easy one, and I’m here to tell you that there is no need to be afraid of this block!

​Once again I am not here to share with you a perfect flying geese quilt block…. but I am sharing my favorite method of making flying geese units. It is not the no-waste method like I used in our square-in-a-square quilt block yesterday, although when I made this block with the Accuquilt cutter it was the no-waste method – all triangles! However having the shapes cut with the dies helped a lot with sewing the triangles together, but more on that later in the post. 

What is the Flying Geese Quilt Block?

I suppose technically the Flying Geese quilt block isn’t actually a block – it’s more of a unit or part of a block.  It consists of one large triangle (representing the body of the goose) and two smaller triangles (representing the wings) on either side. Flying geese are often put together in such a way as to resemble a flock of geese flying in formation – for example in a border. Flying Geese units are also often found in star blocks, like in the Sawtooth Star we are making for our “Say it With Flowers” BOM this year.

Methods of Making Flying Geese Quilt Blocks

As with most blocks, there are quite a few different methods to make this geese block.  There are some specialty rulers on the market now that I would like to try… actually, just thinking about it now, I probably have one… somewhere… I really do need to spend a few days in my studio sorting, don’t I?!

We won’t be using a special ruler in this tutorial though, just using my favorite way which I find quite easy to manage. We won’t be dealing with bias edges, just using the easy technique of sewing on a drawn line, and then trimming off the fabric on the sides of the drawn line with a small ruler.

Fabric Requirements for a Single Block – 6 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ Unfinished

• one 6 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ rectangle of background fabric
• two 3 1/2″ squares of feature fabric

~ A quarter-inch seam allowance is used ~

Flying Geese Quilt Block Tutorial

Step 1 ~ Draw lines on the back of the squares

Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the two small squares of feature fabric:

Now you’ll have these pieces ready to sew:

Step 2 ~ Sew a square to the rectangle

Place one of the squares on the rectangle, right sides together, with the diagonal line going from the bottom right corner to the middle of the top of the rectangle. Pin, using as many as you like, I only used two:

Sew on the drawn line:

Step 3 ~ Trim the corner

Place a ruler with the quarter-inch line on the seam you just sewed. On a cutting mat and using a rotary cutter, cut the corner off…

(Scrappy Tip: I like to keep these small triangles – they are the perfect addition for scrap quilts! A great way to use them is in the corners of string blocks!) 

Step 4 ~ Set the Seam

Take the unit to the ironing board and set the seam by placing the iron on top of the seam:

As I said yesterday, setting the seams in a quilt block helps the thread sink into the fabric and makes it better when pressing the seams in whichever direction is needed. It also helps to smooth out any tension issues there may have been while stitching.

Step 5 ~ Press the seam

Press the triangle away from the background fabric:

Your unit will look like this:

Step 6 ~ Add the next square

Pin the second square to the other side of the flying geese unit like this:

Sew on the drawn line:

I like to sew a smidge to the side of the line… so not quite on it if that makes sense… it gives me a bit of wiggle room when pressing…

Step 7 ~ Trim the corner

Trim the corner in the same way as we did above:

Step 8 ~ Set and Press the Seams

Again, set and press the seam away from the background rectangle.

Step 9 ~ Trim the Block if Needed

In this case, it barely needs a trim…. it’s not quite perfect, but almost! I just needed to trim the dog ears….

The unit should be 6 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ (unfinished)

For our quilt block we will need four of these units:

All done and ready to be put together with the square in a square block to make a Sawtooth Star Quilt block!

Make it Easier with Accuquilt!

I used the Qube 12″ finished set to make my flying geese for our Block of the Month this year as well.

If you have the 12″ Qube, here’s what you need to cut:

Cut 1: of Shape 4: GO! Quarter Square Triangle-6″ Finished Square

Cut 2: of Shape 5: GO! Half Square Triangle-3″ Finished Square

This is what you’ll have:

Step 1

Now it’s just a matter of matching up the triangles along the bottom and at the corner:

You can just see a bit of the tip of the larger triangle at the top – don’t worry, this is ok!

Sew, using pins if you like, but I didn’t… I just held it in place…

Step 2

Set and press the seam as we did in the method above:

Step 3

Add the next triangle in the same way, on the other side:

Step 4

Press and it is done:

I love how the exact measurements of the dies made it so that I didn’t even have to use pins… and the result is a very accurate flying geese unit.

And that is it for how to make a flying geese quilt block – two ways!

If you’re making our block of the month you will need four of these flying geese blocks. Next up I’ll be posting the tutorial for putting the flying geese together with the square in a square block….

Now I’m curious… do you like making flying geese, or do you avoid them as much as you can?

Pin for Later!