My first two patterns, Holland and Sawtooth Splendor, featured flying geese blocks, and I feel like I became somewhat of an expert at sewing them. Now, I'm sharing my very best flying geese tips.
Use Pins or Change Your Presser Foot Tension
Even with a walking foot, I noticed some shift in the fabric as I sewed along each side of the line. There are two ways to prevent this: pin your fabric or adjust your presser foot tension.
Pinning can be such a pain - I just hate it - that I decided to adjust my presser foot tension. Most modern sewing machines have this feature, and I use it quite a lot when I'm doing any walking foot quilting. It really cuts down on those weird shift wiggles you can get, and it worked great for this too. When I'm quilting, I'll lower the pressure all the way down to zero. For fabric shift, try out anything between 15 and 25 to see what works for you.
Piece Them Four-at-a-Time
Seriously. I don't know why it took writing my own pattern to realize this, but it really does go faster. An added bonus of piecing them four-at-a-time is you don't have the waste you get from the stitch-and-flip method.
Use a Great Ruler When You're Trimming
A great ruler can be anything you want it to be. If you're using a ruler you already have, make sure it's non-slip and mark it up with washi tape so you don't have to think so hard in between cuts. If you're a gadget person, I highly recommend the Ultimate Flying Geese Tool from Creative Grids. [affiliate link] It's super grippy, and it will guide you all the way up to a 3" x 6" flying geese unit. Bonus Tip: Have a TV series and your favorite beverage near by so you can add some joy to your trimming!
Hopefully these tips will make you love flying geese as much as I do. After all, you make hearts at one point in the process!
This post contains affiliate links. You pay the same price when you buy from my link, but I get a little commission to throw into the fabric fund. Thanks for your support!
