Welcome back! I see I have not scared you off yet. I apologize in advance because this block has more flying geese…. but I think it’s really pretty! I promise that block 6 is “geeseless”. If you are just joining, all the block of the week blog posts are still available for you to read and get the patterns. Just click on the ones you have missed: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4. Since flying geese have points that you want to keep sharp when piecing them into a block, I am going to cover some tips on doing this. So let’s get started!
Block #5 – Starburst
More flying geese fun!
Back to the “hot” colors for this block. As soon as I made this block, I thought the appropriate name was “starburst” because it looks like some fireworks that look like stars spreading out in the sky. Well, maybe it’s just me that sees it. LOL! Here is the pattern for this block: Block of the Week – Block 5.
Tips for Crisp Points
Sometimes when we’re rushing to complete a block or a quilt top we don’t pay close attention to the points in units and blocks. That’s when you end up with chopped off points. Now, sometimes it’s just at the very tippy top and not too noticeable, but other times it’s very noticeable. Hopefully these tips will help you achieve sharper, crisp points on all your projects.
When you are ready to stitch the flying geese unit to another piece in a block, keep the flying geese unit on top when you are stitching so you can pay attention to the point. And pin the pieces together. This keeps them shifting during stitching. Here’s how I do it:
Pay attention to the point and keep an eye on it while you are stitching. I want to keep my stitching above it. Hopefully, if I made my geese unit correctly, the top of the point is 1/4″ from the edge of the unit.
I am using a pin to show you where the point is as I am stitching. In the photo below you can see my needle is going to pass the stitching above the point but still be an accurate 1/4″ seam (see where I am pointing with the pin). You want the stitching to stay above but not too far. If your stitching touches the very tippy top of the point, that is still OK.
Here is ideally what your seam should look like:
And when you flip the unit over and open it up, there it is… a crisp point!
I hope these tips help you to make sharp points. The key is to make sure you are first piecing the flying geese unit correctly to create a 1/4″ distance from the edge to the point as viewed from the back. If it measures that way on the back, it will also measure that way on the front too!
So, have fun making block 5! Leave a comment below and be entered into a drawing for my pattern Star Struck:
Definitely lots of geese for you to practice on there. The drawing will be on Monday, May 25th.
Happy Quilting!
Deanne
