Four-at-a-Time Flying Geese Using Directional Fabrics

© 2015 Jan Ochterbeck
For an easily printable free pdf, please e-mail me at ochterbeckj (at) gmail (dot) com. Teachers, if you want to use these instructions in a class, please contact me first.


I love Flying Geese.

I’d rather use Flying Geese than Half Square Triangles wherever possible, because there are fewer points to match (or lose) and less bulk due to fewer seams. My favorite method of making Flying Geese is the Four-at-a-Time Method. If you’re not familiar with this method, there are lots of good tutorials on the Web, so go find one and try out this technique. For your first attempt, be sure to use non-directional fabrics.

Much as I like the Four-at-a-Time Method for Flying Geese, there are some challenges and considerations when using this method with directional prints. I've figured out how to make sure both sky pieces go in the same direction. But with the Four-at-a-Time method, you'll always end up with FG units whose prints go in all four directions. In some cases this is great. In others, it may not be what you want in your pattern.

Here we’ll look at four directional fabric scenarios and the results you can expect when using the Four-at-a-Time method with them.  But first, we’ll start with some general notes.

General Directions:

Determine the finished size of your flying geese units.

For the geese fabric, add 1-1/4” to the long side measurement and cut a square this size.

For the sky fabric, add 7/8” to the short side measurement and cut 4 squares this size.

Mark each of the smaller squares on the wrong side on the diagonal; for directional sky fabrics, see specific marking notes below.

Case 1: Directional fabric for the geese, the large square:

 

Note that this is a one way print; in this case the fans are facing upward. When using a directional fabric for the geese, it’s better to choose a non-directional fabric for the sky. You will end up with geese going in four directions.

1-1. Place two of the smaller sky fabric squares right sides together (RST) with the geese fabric. It doesn’t matter which direction the geese fabric print is going.

 

1-2. Sew 1/4” on each side of the drawn lines. Cut on the drawn line.

 

1-3. Press the sky corners out.

 

1-4.  Place a smaller sky fabric square right sides together with each unit and sew 1/4” on each side of the drawn line.

 

1-5.  Cut apart on the drawn line and press sky corners out.

 

1-6. Trim points and square up. Notice that you get geese with the print going in all four directions. If this is not acceptable in your design, then the four-at-a-time method is not suitable for your design.

 

 

 

Case 2: Two-way directional fabric for the sky:

When using a directional fabric for the sky, it’s better to choose a non-directional fabric for the geese. While these instructions and results apply to any two-way directional fabric, we’ll refer to the sky fabric as stripes here for clarity. You will end up with two FG units with vertical striped sky and two with horizontal striped sky. This may be desirable if you’re making star points.

2-1.  When marking your sky fabrics, make sure the stripes are going SouthWest to NorthEast on two of the squares, and NorthWest to SouthEast on the other two.

 

2-2. Place two of the squares right sides together with your geese fabric. Always start with the ones that go SW to NE.

 

2-3. Sew 1/4” on each side of the marked line. Cut on the marked line and press the sky corners out. Notice that the stripes run SW to NE after pressing.

 

2-4. Place the other sky squares RST with each unit. Make sure the stripes are NW to SE, 90 degrees from the first set.

 

2-5. Sew 1/4” on each side of the marked line, cut apart, press the sky corners out, trim and square up. Note that you have two geese units with vertical sky and two units with horizontal sky. If this is not acceptable in your design, then the four-at-a-time method is not suitable for your design.

 

These directional FG units could be very good for star points.

 

 

 

 

Case 3: One-way fabric for the sky:

Again, when using a one-way directional fabric for the sky, it’s better to choose a non-directional fabric for the geese. Here a text print is shown for the sky pieces. You will end up with FG units with sky going in each direction. This is good if you’re making star points.

3-1. When marking your sky fabrics, make sure the top of the pattern is at the upper on left on two of the squares, and upper right on the other two. In the photo below, the ones on the left have the tops of the words at the upper left, and the ones on the right have the tops of the words on the upper right.

 

3-2. Starting with the sky squares with the top of the pattern going up and to the left, align small squares right sides together with large square as shown in the previous instructions.  (Sorry, no photo of this step. Use the sky squares shown in the lower left in the photo above.)

 

3-3. Sew 1/4” on each side of the drawn lines. Cut on the drawn line, and press sky corners out. Note that one unit has the print facing up/left and the other unit has the print facing down/right.

 

3-4. Position the sky squares right sides together with the units so the pattern will go upward or downward the same as in the sewn units.  Here the patches are folded back so you can see what direction the text is going in. Note that on the back side of the fabric the pattern looks rotated 90 degrees from the sewn pieces, but when folded, the pattern goes in the same direction.

 

3-5. Sew 1/4“ on each side of the marked line, cut apart, press the sky corners out, trim and square up. This results in FG units with the sky print going in each direction. If this is not acceptable in your design, then the four-at-a-time method is not suitable for your design.

 

This method is particularly good for star points, since the print is going in the same direction in all of the points. 

 

 

 

Case 4: One Way Prints for Both the Geese and the Sky:

 

Sometimes one way prints are unavoidable, but they’re trickier to work with.  We can make FG units with all the prints going in the same direction, but we’ll get FG units going all four ways. This might be great for star points or background squares.

4-1. Mark the sky pieces as for stripes, on the diagonal on the wrong side.

 

4-2. Lay out the first two sky patches right sides together with the geese fabric, so that the top of the one-way geese fabric faces upward and the tops of the sky patches face to the right. The marked lines should run SW to NE.  To check placement, fold on the marked lines; the sky print should go in the same direction as the geese print.

 

4-3. Sew 1/4” on each side of the marked lines; cut apart on the line and press the sky corners out.

 

4-4. Lay out sky patches RST with the print facing 90 degrees from the prints in the units. Fold back the sky patches to check placement; when folded, the print should go in the same direction as in the sewn units.

 

4-5. Sew 1/4” on each side of the marked lines; cut apart on the lines and press the sky corners out. Trim and square up.

You will have FG units in which the geese and sky prints are oriented in the same direction within each unit.  Each FG unit will have the prints going in a different direction. Note how the prints face up, down, right, and left here:

 

Shown with prints all facing upward

 

Shown in star point layout with prints all facing upward

 

 

I hope this little tutorial will be helpful if you ever want to make Flying Geese out of directional fabrics. If you have any questions, leave a comment or  email me at ochterbeckj (at) gmail (dot)com.