May Sampler Block

There are so many ways to make a flying goose block.  I will show you my favorite, but then give you links to other methods in case you want to try something different. 

  I like using specialty rulers because it allows both parts of the block to come from the same size strips of fabric.  to get 3.5 by 6.5 inch unfinished blocks, we will use 3.5 inch strips.

 The easy angle ruler is the same one usually used to make HST units.  It is used for the sky behind the goose.
The companion angle ruler is also used for quarter square triangles.  It is used for the goose part of the block.

 Start by folding your strips in half to get two pieces with each cut.  If you are planning to vary the placement of light and dark fabrics in the block, you can square off the end of a fabric strip and then get a pair of background triangles from the end of the strip used to cut wing triangles.

 Now that you are ready to start cutting goose triangles, you will need to switch to the companion angle ruler.  Notice that the center numbers show that you should use 3.5 inch strips and the numbers on the edges indicate that the block will finish at 6 inches.

 Now go back the easy angle ruler and cut pairs of background triangles.  These are your wing or sky pieces.

 Each block will need one goose and two wings.

Sew one wing to the right and finger press before sewing the other wing to the left.    

Remove both dog ears and press.  Make sure that you have a quarter inch seam allowance left at the top of the block.  It is really easy to loose this with an uneven seam allowance.
You will need 24 blocks for the large quilt and 18 for the small quilt.

Here is a link to perhaps the easiest method of making flying geese, the flip and sew.  It does waste fabric, but you can put the extra fabric to good use making bonus triangles if you like.  For fabric pieces of this size, it would be well worth the extra work.  you should cut one rectangle 6.5 inches and two 3.5 inch squares for each block.  

Here is a link to a no waste method that makes four blocks at a time.  You will need to cut your sky squares to 3 and 7/8 and your goose squares to 7 1/4.  There is a cutting chart here which lists many sizes of blocks.
Fons and Porter has a handy PDF of the same instructions for the same method.  Handy PDFs are always nice to save for later.  They also have a specialty ruler which allows you to cut both parts of the block from the same ruler.
Here is a link to another specialty ruler from quilt in a day.  Specialty rulers really can be useful for blocks that you make a lot.
Craftsy has a nice article with non-specialty rulers for comparison purposes.

Do you prefer a different method?  Leave a comment and I will try to add a link to this post.