What’s better than being part of the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers? It’s that, PLUS the chance to play with some beautiful Fabri-Quilt Prairie Cloth Solid Fabrics AND take part in a few charity quilts! There are GIVEAWAYS happening today through Thursday!!! (Scroll down for details.)

Our gracious hosts, Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, Stephanie @Late Night Quilter and Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination, along with Fabri-Quilt have provided the opportunity for over 60 of us to develop a custom block with this gorgeous Summer Watermelon bundle of Coral, White, Aqua, Chartreuse, Turquoise, and Lapis Blue.

We were all challenged to create a 12″ (12.5″ unfinished) quilt block with only these 6 fat-eighths and use at least 3 colors.  We needed to provide a full tutorial for all of our cyber quilty friends and make them in time for this hop 😉

The task seemed easy enough…until I had to settle down on my plan. Do I go simple or complex? Paper-piece or traditional piecing? Use all of the colors? Maybe not…but which ones then? I had so many ideas but only so much fabric…

But then I came upon this image of vintage dinnerware from a local upscale thrift shop downtown called Grandview Mercantile.  It was screaming, “Make me into a quilt!” and…I said, “Yes.” 😉  I love the idea of stacking the geese (triangles) right on top of one another with the sashing.  It is a simple design for a beginner (both for quilter and for author!)

For this exercise, I decided on a diagonal layout  of the geese since this block was going to be one of many in the charity quilts.  The spaced out color would be more versatile than my initial assymetrical idea.  I still plan to make a full quilt like the dinnerware eventually…

 

Block instructions:

• Gather the following fat-eighths: Fabri-Quilt White, Coral, Chartreuse, Lapis Blue, & Aqua  ***It is recommended that you launder these fabrics BEFORE cutting to ensure accurate sizing on your block***
• Print 2 Paper-piecing pattern sheets (4 Flying geese templates total) –> Hanging Flags Bock_Geese Template
• Use 1/4″ seam allowance

Cut the following:

 

• (1) 3.75″ HSTs of each color (4 total)
• (2) 3″ x 8.5″ of white
• (8) 3.5″ Half-Square Triangles (HSTs) of white
• (2) 3 x 2.5″ of white
• (2) 3″ x 6.5″  of white
• (1) 1″ x 12.5″ strip of ea color

 

 

 

Paper-piece with flying geese template

• Take one color triangle and place it behind the printed “1” so that there is 1/4″ seam allowance all around the triangle. *It’s ok if there extra which hangs beyond the template. It will be trimmed later.

• Pin in place (This helps the HST from shifting)

• Take a white triangle and match up to edge of color fabric. Sew into place on line underneath where fabric overlaps. Flip it out and press.

• Do the same on the other side of the color triangle

• Trim excess fabric. Flying Geese should measure 3″ x 4.5″ (including seam allowance)

Assemble the block as shown:

• Attach the sides to the geese to make (4) 3″ x 12.5″ strips.  I still have the paper intact at this point.  You can remove at anytime, but I kept them on to sew the sides to keep the geese more stable.

• Add the matching sashing to geese strips. *Go slow and stead to ensure nice straight lines

• Sew all strips together. Iron seams in toward sashing. Give the block a final press.

Voila! You have made the Hanging Flags Block 🙂

vAriations:

 

For more information on the Fabri-Quilt New Block Hop:

*There is an additional Giveaway on Fabri-Quilt’s block today. Check them out by clicking the image below.

To see more blocks using this same bundle, head over to the following blogs:

(These are all amazing designs…Enjoy the block hop and the chance to win some of this fabric on Cheryl’s page!)

Host – Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs

Josi @Avocado Quilts
Stephanie @Quilt’n Party
Cristy @Love You Sew
Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts
Shelly @The Carpenter’s Daughter Who Quilts
Jayne @Twiggy & Opal
Sharla @Thistle Thicket Studio
Adrian @Making It – Family Food Quilts Crafts
Julie @Pink Doxies
Sarah @123 Quilt
Jane @Jolly and Delilah Quilts
Carrie @The Zen Quilter

 

***The blog hop was sponsored and fabric was provided by Fabri-Quilts.  All opinions and block design are my own and have not been influenced by outside parties.