This week we are making four at a time flying geese to accent those cute little stars that swirl around the middle block. We will need 32 flying geese to frame up those stars. Since we are making them for a time, we will need to make eight geese units.
Trimming the assembled geese makes them perfect to add to the setting star blocks. Please note the direction of your star blocks if you used directional or fussy cut fabrics.
We are in the home stretch of this series. We are down to some of the last setting pieces. This week, we are making 22 pieced variable stars.
In the cutting document, I provided a chart for one star OR (in the second chart) 22 stars. You will need to make adjustments based on your color choices and scrap selections.
Remember that this is a free printable pattern. Enjoy!
Here it is! The center block for this layout! I used several techniques to make this nice, big block. Please take your time and enjoy the process of making this block! You have the skills to create this!
Here is my original graph paper design. I am including this to help you with unit placement!
Last, but not least, here is everything from above in a printable PDF:
Please remember to contact me in YouTube comments or through gmail. Comments are turned off here. Sorry if you are a spambot!
I love to see and share pictures of your finished work! (Even if they are not necessarily the blocks or the quilt in this series!) We all love eye candy!
I hope you are enjoying this series! Have a fantastic day!
This is the third block in my YouTube Patriotic quilt block series. This block is quick to assemble because it contains only a few pieces. (See the cutting chart at the end of this post.)
I started by speed strip piecing the three 4-patch blocks.
These units are quick to sew, cut and reassemble into 4 1/2″ blocks…three of them.
I chose to make these blocks in red and blue. The blue squares will line up on a diagonal in the finished block.
Now for the four half square triangles. I use the two at a time method. I draw a line on the back of the background square.
I sew a scant quarter inch seam on both sides of my drawn line.
I use scissors to cut blocks apart. You can use a ruler and rotary cutter if you wish.
I am incredibly lazy. Not only do I speed piece, but I speed press, too. (I am making the 12 blocks for the layout all at one time!)
Trim blocks to 4 1/2″ for a perfect fit!
Lay the block out. Assemble in typical nine patch fashion…a row at a time.
These pictures were taken at the Northern Shenandoah Valley quilt show held in Berryville, VA on April 13, 2024. My friends and I had a great time. I saw many, many beautiful quilts. It was well worth the $10 admission fee. This year’s theme was “My Favorite Color is Plaid”.
I only took a few pictures as I traveled along. Let me tell you why I took each picture…
I love the main star block in this quilt…scrappy…easy to assemble with “standard” parts…probably 16″ squares with sashing and cornerstones. Beautiful!
The blue jars for these flowers remind me of the Estee Lauder perfume that my grandmother wore…because of the color. The flowers are a simple with sew and flip corners on the piecing. One would be a great wall hanging.
Adorable little fat winter birds…do you see the beak of the one that does not line up with the slope of the forehead? I did not notice, but my friend did! I actually like it that way even better.
The border on this quilt sucks you right in. Then you start to notice details. This was a scrap quilt. Every colored piece in the center is different…and even brighter than they appear here. Each quarter circle is custom quilted. This quilt was a “for sale” quilt.
I love the colors on this quilt… a classic combination. The floating nature of the block makes me smile. There is also the secondary design element where the blocks meet. Nice quilting, too.
The nine patch blocks have 1 1/2″ squares…I love this setting with alternate applique blocks. Every applique block was unique. Sometimes setting makes thee quilt.
The sashing in this quilt made the setting seem like an impossibe piecing feat! (The sashing is a “dog bone” looking piece with a small star as a corner stone!) I love the choice of spring green and bright colors for this beautiful sampler.
I love mandalas! This quilt is available in a pattern book…a very detailed book. This would be a great idea to make a personal story quilt! There is so much to love about this quilt…birds, flowers, trees, lighthouses…and quirky little houses, too.
For the record, I am not touching this quilt. It was made up of 3 inch blocks…there were 180 blocks. The quilter made this block during Covid to help get through the isolation of quarantine. My finger is there for size reference. I love those itty bitty pieces!
This story quilt was simply pieced, but those simple blocks add up to a big wow factor. There are pieced and appliqued blocks. Something for every skill level in this beauty! This would be a great scrap buster!
This quilt is the ultimate scrap buster. I think that the churn dash blocks are 6 inches. The more you look, the more your eye travels around the quilt to another fabric color choice. This would be a great leader-ender project.
This is the end of my mini quilt show. I enjoyed looking at all of the beautifully presented quilts on display. Great job by the sponsoring quilt guilds! (I think this is a yearly event. I am looking forward to next year’s show!)
I hope you enjoyed my quilt picks…and my logic for taking these few pictures. Please remember, if you would like to comment, return to my YouTube video and comment there.
Another block with half square triangles! These triangles will spin and swirl their way into your heart!
Yankee Puzzle is made from 16 half square triangles. If you are making the two color version like the one below, you will need 12 units for the big swirl and 4 for the contrast color.
Here is the YouTube video. The cutting chart is toward the bottom of this post. It is a free printable.
The example below and the red, white, and blue example are both made from 2 1/2″ half square triangles.
My inspiration is coming from this old EQ5 book again this week…best quarter I ever spent at a yardsale!
Here are the units layed out. Notice that three of the blocks, starting at the left, go the same direction. The last block on the right is turned a quarter turn to make a flying goose.
Continuing along the right side of the block…
Along the bottom…are you seeing the pattern yet? Three in the same direction, then goose…
The rest of the outside frame…next add a pinwheel to the center (scroll down a little more to see…)
This block can be sewn in quadrant pieces. Here is the stacked pile of quadrants ready to sew…zoom, zoom, baby!
After the quadrants are sewn, lay out is as simple as a quarter turn. A large swirling pinwheel will form in the center when pieces are layed out correctly.
Sew the quadrants together…then sew the halves together…
Ta-dah! Ta-done!
Now for the example made from 1 1/2″ pieces. It finishes at 4 1/2″. (You know I couldn’t resist!)
Finished reveal of this little beauty will be at the end of the post!
Now for my version of the 2 color layout! I creat the large swirling pinwheel (12 half square triangles) with one color.
I add in the second color…
Or maybe this version…
Or this one?? Oh, the decisions!
Here they are finished and ready to use in a beautiful scrap quilt!
Here is the printable cutting chart:
I couldn’t resist adding this beautiful dogwood picture from the post office in Inwood, WV.
And now for a close up…
Simba is enjoying a nice nap on my sewing chair. (The green fabric was put on the chair to prevent her fur from becoming a permanent part of my upholstery!)
Here is the “rough copy” from my video from back in October. I showed the block layed out, but never sewed it.
For this block, you will need:
16 (bonus) half square triangles, 5 darks, and 4 lights. These blocks should all be the same size. The ones shown below are the 2 1/2″ blocks. The picture below shows all seams pressed open for ease of assembly.
Here is the completed block. It finishes at 10 1/2″. Love those colorful birds!
Here is a smaller 5 1/2 inch version made with 1 1/2″ blocks.
Again, all seams are pressed open.
Here are both examples the 10 1/2″ and the 5 1/2″. As you can see in the picture below, it changes the look of the block when it is on point. (I didn’t notice this until I sat down and started typing the text than went with this post!)
Now for the cutting charts I have been promising:
The cutting chart above is printable, but you will need to download it and save it in your downloads file first.
I hope you enjoy making this great scrappy block! Please contact me on facebook or at my gmail account. Comments have been turned off because I am not interested in black market viagra!
Glad to see you here for my weekly Build a Block post! This one is going to be short and sweet because this block is so easy to make…and has so few pieces!
This block finishes at 8 1/2″ square. It is constructed from the following pieces:
Center: 2 1/2″ x 8 1/2″,
outside strips: Two 2 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
Bonus triangles: Sixteen 1 1/2″ bonus half square triangle blocks…8 on each side of the center strip…look closely at the placement below (both pictures are a little different…you decide it is your block!)
I sewed the half square triangle blocks in strips first. Then I pressed those seams open to reduce bulk. You could press then any direction you want. There are no points to match, so it is really your personal preference…as always. (I read in a quilt book yesterday…whatever you do is right…it is your quilt. Amen to that!)
I think this block would also look good as a six in block, using a 2 1/2″ strip in the middle and 1 1/2″ strips on the outsides and only 6 bonus half square triangles in those strips.
I can also envision this block as part of a row in a row quilt…with alternating blocks turned so one goes side to side and the next goes up and down. That would be a great way to use scraps and those half square triangle blocks, too.
On a happy note, this is my 100th blog on this platform. (I had a blog on another platform before…it crashed and burned…time to start over in a new place with the help of my son. I appreciate his help more than he realizes!
I hope you have a great time making this easy block! As always, Enjoy!
This is yet another block to use up the bonus half square triangles. I made an quilt early on in my quilting experience using this block. It was a gift to my mother-in-law. Sadly, I do not even have a picture of it to share…maybe next time I visit I will have her get the quilt out!
I made two sizes today: 7 1/2″ and 14 1/2″. These blocks go together quickly, especially if you have the half square triangles already to use. The cutting chart is at the end of this post.
Here is the purple version:
You will notice in the picture above that I, ooops, forgot the background corner blocks!
Here is the corner block…layed out to sew four at a time…
Please notice the placement of the “claws”. They are sewn in opposite directions. You can NOT stack all 8 sets together and sew!
Here I have assembled the paws and have them ready for the final assembly. The center sashing is pressed towards the larger sashing pieces. When the paws are added to the sashing, those rows are pressed towards the sashing strip in the middle.
Here is the pressed block.
Ta-dah! Ta-done! This is the little 7 1/2″ block. Cute, eh?
Now for the bigger version. Here are my pieces:
It is assembled the same way…just twice the size!
Ta-dah! Ta-done!
Both blocks!
Another block snuck in there!
Please note the number of pieces in ( ) at the top of each column.
Here is the cutting chart:
I hope that you are enjoying the Build a Block blogs…especially for the cutting charts. They are PDF’s, so they should be printable.
I love hearing from readers and viewers, but unfortunately, I keep receiving unrelated comments…and inappropriate advertisements. So, consequently, comments are turned off for this blog. You can contact me through my YouTube channel or Facebook group. (I am sure you can figure out the name of those places, if you are here reading…hint, hint.)
This week I am using bunches of bonus half square triangle blocks…20 to be exact! I am showing you this block in two sizes (12 1/2″ and 6 1/2″) and two different color ways (same pinwheels and scrappier pinwheels). Construction of both sizes and colorways is the same.
This block is constructed like a standard nine patch once you have made those swirling, little pinwheels. Did you realize that the pinwheels can swirl clockwise or counter clockwise? Somehow I did not realize this! That fact completely passed me by! For more information on making the pinwheels, please see the video above.
Here are the “organized” scrappy blocks:
Here is the 6 1/2″ super scrappy block:
Here is the 12 1/2″ super scrappy block:
Looking at the above picture, I realize that some of my scrappy pinwheels stand out a little better than others, but then again, I am using up my scraps. C’est la vie!
I can’t resist tempting you more about the flat pinwheel technique. Look at how flat this one is…yes, it really does lay flat. I did not pin or fuss overly much to get it that way.
Here is the back center of that block. Look at that little mushed mess of seams. That is what makes this all work!
The video shows you how to pick out about 6 stitches (3 on each side of the connecting seam) to get this little pinwheel nest…three stitches! So worth it! This is coming from me…one of world’s biggest slackers!
If ever a product should sponsor me, this one is it! The “cadillac” of seam rippers!
Here are the cutting measurements for a variety of sizes:
Thank you for reading and watching! I am having great fun creating and sharing with you!
Just to let you know, I am turning off comments here on the blog. I am tired of the Russian manifesto and viagra comments…or just plain phishing comments. Please comment on my Facebook group or on individual YouTube videos. I do love hearing from you, but…
Have a wonderful day! Hope you are creating something fantastic from your scraps!
