Foundation Pieced Flying Geese
Dip your toes into foundation paper piecing with this strip of flying geese designed by @justsewsue to start off this sewalong!
The pattern and instructions below belongs to Sue so please stop by her IG account or her blog too!
Materials:
You will need…
- 5” to 3” squares of background fabric cut into triangles
- Assorted scraps for geese measuring at least 2.5” by 4.5” but don’t cut your pieces down to this size as you will trim as you go
- Foundation paper (or if you prefer regular printer paper). Sue uses Jenny Doak’s foundation paper that you can find on Amazon.
Method:
Download the foundation pattern here.
Print onto your desired paper at actual size (if you use greyscale it uses less ink). Measure the test 1″ box to ensure it’s printed correctly and then away you go!
If you are a planner mark on the paper the colour fabric that for each goose. Don’t use a Frixion pen as you will lose the markings when you press your work. Otherwise just go for it and be random!
Then cut apart the paper patterns leaving a good quarter inch around the dark cutting line.
You are ready to start sewing. The first section is potentially the trickiest but after that you just follow the numbers.
Take your first geese fabric and place it on the wrong side of the foundation pattern, face up. Pin on the right side parallel to the stitching line between A1 and A2. Fold back the foundation along the stitching line between A1 and A2. Trim the fabric ¼” away from the line of the paper.
Place a background triangle of fabric face down on your geese fabric, matching the edge
of the background triangle to the geese triangle. Keeping a firm hold of the fabric, turn over
and pin perpendicular to the line between A1 and A2.
Turn your stitch length down to 1.6 as the paper will be perforated and much easier to remove. Stitch along the line between A1 and A2. Starting in the seam allowance and continuing into piece A4. Press the fabric away from A1 and double check the darker fabric isn’t showing in the background. If it is, this is the time to grade the seam by trimming the seam allowance of the darker fabric.
Now it’s time to repeat your actions for piece A3. Remember the mantra – trim, stitch, press, repeat.
Fold the paper back on the line between A1 and A3. You may tear some of the paper, but don’t worry that will make the removal of the paper easier. If you rip too hard, use a scrap
of foundation paper and a glue stick to repair the tear, don’t use sticky tape, it won’t end well!! Trim the fabric ¼” away from the line of the paper. Place a background triangle of fabric face down on your geese fabric, matching the edge of the background triangle to the geese triangle. Keeping a firm hold of the fabric, turn over and pin perpendicular to the line between A1 and A2.
Stitch along the line between A1 and A3. Starting in the seam allowance and continuing into piece A4. Press the fabric away from A1 and double check the darker fabric isn’t showing in the background.
Instead of pressing you can use a wallpaper seam roller but definitely press with an irononce the unit is completed. Repeat the sequence – trim, stitch, press, repeat until you have sewn all twelve sections. This is a good leader and ender project.
Press the finished block and trim to 4½ x 2½ inches. Sometimes the paper shrinks slightly
when pressing, so just make sure you cut to the correct size.
Wait to sew sections together until you have a better idea of what size you need, but this block would look great as a rainbow.
Visit our designers on Instagram to see our versions of this block : @cotefleurie @getahashtagkim @JustSewSue @lisasew @metroquilter @picosailors @pippaspatch @quirkyhannah @surfseasew @therunninghare
#scrapbagsampler
quirkyhannah 