November's Flying Geese Borders

[Pat L.]

Am I missing something?! I have been waiting for the video that is usually played with each month's block and have not seen one for November. Is this where we are to see Sue's bikini method? ...or is it somewhere else on the site? Please let me know so I can start my geese. Thanks, Terrina

[Pat L.]

Sue's Bikini Method to make flying geese is on page 5 of this months download and it is really easy, this is another site

http://www.quilterscache.com/H/Howtomakegeese.html

Dorothy UK

[Pat L.]

I wish they would get the video up to it is the 5th day I think it
should be ready for the 1st day Happy

[Pat L.]

Sue's instructions are always complete in each month's download. Some months the videos really don't have much to do with the actual downloaded lesson anyway - like last month it was about making your quilt into various sizes - which I found very imformative as thinking about making it a king sized - but it really didn't affect my getting the Oct. BOM stuff done.

[Pat L.]

I totally agree with you.

Sue's instructions are always complete in each month's download. Some months the videos really don't have much to do with the actual downloaded lesson anyway - like last month it was about making your quilt into various sizes - which I found very imformative as thinking about making it a king sized - but it really didn't affect my getting the Oct. BOM stuff done.

[Vicky M.]

I found a way to make those geese fly at warp speed. I am doing the pp method, and do 2 or 3 strips together, i.e., do three rectangles, then cut all three seams, then press all three, etc. Saves time going back and forth between the sewing, cutting and pressing steps. Made 5 strips in an hour 20 minutes! Was taking 30 min per strip to do one strip at a time. Hope this helps others.

[Annis C.]

That's the way I would be doing them if I were paper piecing. But I would probably chain piece 14 at a time. Lucky me, I don't have to make any more flying geese because I strip-pieced extras while making them for my sawtooth stars and had more than enough to use on my lap size quilt that is posted in Show & Tell. All of my geese are white and the background colored, but I decided to make do and they look fine for my remake of the quilt.

[Annis C.]

I used the No Math Ruler. I had all my squares cut and marked before beginning to sew. I would make 16 geese at a time, and I found that I could make 16 in 20 minutes! I hope to have the borders completed and sewn on today and tomorrow.

Maggie in E. Central Illinois

[Annis C.]

I finished about a third of them before reading your comment. Now why didn't I think of that. DUH!! Just did a bunch more and you are right. Thanks so much. Jan

I found a way to make those geese fly at warp speed. I am doing the pp method, and do 2 or 3 strips together, i.e., do three rectangles, then cut all three seams, then press all three, etc. Saves time going back and forth between the sewing, cutting and pressing steps. Made 5 strips in an hour 20 minutes! Was taking 30 min per strip to do one strip at a time. Hope this helps others.

[Marion D.]

I used the bikini method, except I added 1/8 inch to the dimensions, and then trimmed it. Now I have to put everything together. When I have a large clean area, which doesn't seem to happen often around my house!

[Kathryn S.]

I'm doing 3 strips at a time also, but it's taking me a lot longer. However, it's still faster than one at a time. You must be a power sewer! Kathy

I found a way to make those geese fly at warp speed. I am doing the pp method, and do 2 or 3 strips together, i.e., do three rectangles, then cut all three seams, then press all three, etc. Saves time going back and forth between the sewing, cutting and pressing steps. Made 5 strips in an hour 20 minutes! Was taking 30 min per strip to do one strip at a time. Hope this helps others.

[Kathryn S.]

I finished my flying geese and posted a picture in Show & Tell.

Maggie in E. central Illinois

[Kathryn S.]

I'm using the bikini method after attempting unsuccessfully to use the paper piecing method. The disadvantages to the paper piecing method are that it waste more fabric, the paper more quickly dulls your machine needle, and most frustrating is that this method screws up the tension in my sewing machine. Oh, I forgot to mention that you waste all of that paper and printer ink.

I was very familiar with the bikini method, since I used it for the sawtooth and border stars. Frankly, I'm getting a little bored of making flying geese and stars.

[Kathryn S.]

I Draw the flying geese on freezer paper- then stacked 7 layers on top of each other and mark all the layers by sewing through them (with out thread in the needle. (Had to repeat this twice to mark enough) Three of these strips will give me 39 geese- so I kept 12 pieces and cut the other up in 2 X 5 and 2 X 3 geese.
Now I have 16 strips and I piece all of them, then press and then sew all 16 again. (Was glad when the short once were finished and I only have 12 left)
I do not sew through the paper when piecing but fold it out of the way and piece right next to it (use it as a guide) then I iron(press) the fabric onto the waxy side of the paper. In the end I will not have paper to tear off- it just lift away. I also do not have to fiddle to look through the paper for correct placement, and I trim the patches when necessary. (After I fold the paper out of the way- I can see if the seam allowance are over sized.)

Tis method is described in Judy Mathieson's book on Mariners compass

[peg j.]

I used the paper piecing method also and thought it worked well. I did 4 strips at a time - one for each side of the quilt. As soon as I finished a set of 4 I sewed them to the previous set of 4 strips , so had all the strips put together as I finished the last geese. It does waste more fabric but I save all my scraps and use them as fill for dog beds or toys. A friend on another site suggested this - seems much better than actually throwing away fabric! You can use batting scraps also.