When I first started quilting, I really wanted to make a specific quilt for our bed. Except it was a throw size. Unsure of how to proceed, I emailed the designer and asked for her help. She suggested I add borders to the quilt to make it the size I wanted.
While that was great advice, I took it a step further by resizing the block and adding two borders. (In hindsight, this might have been the exercise that starting me down the quilt pattern design path.) Funnily enough, that quilt never got made. I made a few of the blocks, and packed it up to move across the country, and never got it back out again. It has been in my WIP pile for 5 years. Oops!
All that to say, adding borders IS the easiest way to increase the size of your quilt. Other reasons to add borders to your quilt? Borders can help square up your quilt if it has gotten a bit wonky, and add a nice frame to your quilt top.
First, lay out your quilt top on a flat surface.
Measure the length of your top in three places: the left edge, the middle, and the right edge. Take the average of the three measurements. That is what you will cut (and/or piece) your strip of fabric to.
When you have the appropriate length of fabric for your border, fold it in half and finger press to find the center. Do the same with your quilt top. Line up the two creases and pin in place.
Line up the end of the fabric strip with the end of the quilt, and pin in place. I use as many pins as I can to pin the entire length of the border in place. If you have a smidge extra fabric on one side, that's okay! As long as you pin the center and the edges, you can work the rest in. This is what will help square up your quilt top.
Do the same to the opposite side. Sew down both strips and press.
Repeat the exact same process for the remaining two sides of the quilt.
And done!
Now your quilt is nicely framed, a little bit bigger, and square!
Taking the extra time to line up the centers of your border strip with the center of the quilt top is worth it. It's faster to just start at one edge and sew the strip of fabric down, but that increases the likelihood of having wavy edges and a less than square shape.
Half Square Triangles (HSTs) are the most basic of quilt blocks. It is one of those buildings blocks in quilting. Once you master this one, it opens up a whole new world of blocks to make. I’m just guessing here based on my own experience, but it is probably one of the first quilt blocks attempted after a 4-patch.
There are many, many ways to make an HST. They can be made 1 at a time, 2 at a time, 4 at a time, 8 at a time, on a roll, with the perfect HST paper method, etc. Today, I’m going to focus on the 4 at a time method because it is the method I used to make HSTs in my two latest quilt patterns (Eternally Yours and Square Burst).
The upside to this method is that it makes 4 HST at a time. The downside is that it yields units with bias edges which make the blocks more prone to stretching and distortion. But, don’t let that scare you. That is nothing a little starch and light handling can’t solve.
An HST is two right triangles of contrasting colors/fabrics in a square. Because the final result is a square, these can be made in any size needed. The handy reference sheet includes a chart with common sizes and the math formula if you want to calculate your own.
To get started, you need your two contrasting fabric squares, a rotary cutter, and pins (if you use them).
Take your squares and place them right sides together. You can pin them in place if you would like, but I find that I don’t need to.
Sew a 1/4” seam down one edge. Tip: I like to chain piece these by sewing the first edge of all units at a time.
Sew a 1/4” seam down the second edge. I like to sew the opposite side next. I have found that it helps prevent the top square from shifting. (I should have used a contrasting thread that was easier to see, but I didn't think about it until this very moment.)
Continue sewing a 1/4” seam around the remaining edges.
I sew all the way to the edges so my seams overlap at the corners. This is a non-issue once you cut it apart.
When all 4 sides have been sewn together, it’s time to head to the cutting table. If you have a rotating cutting mat, it is especially helpful in this step. Line up your ruler from corner to corner and make a cut.
Before moving the pieces, rotate your mat (or carefully rotate the squares) to make another cut from the opposite corners like shown.
You now have 4 HST units!
Press seams open or the side - whichever you prefer - but be careful to lift the iron in an up and down motion to prevent distortion of the blocks.
They come out a little bit to allow you to trim them down to the appropriate size.
That’s it! You’re finished!
Yep, I have a few final thoughts for you:
Download your reference guide, grab some fabric from your stash, and get sewing!
I have three patterns set to release soon (I know I've been saying that forever, but bear with me, I promise it's happening!). All three patterns feature the flying geese quilt block prominently, so I wanted to give you a more in depth tutorial. I also created a handy reference chart for myself so I wouldn't have to keep looking up the block sizes, and you can download it for free here!
The Flying Geese block is a fantastic one to have in your toolbox. It is a basic and versatile. It can stand alone, or can be found in other blocks like the Sawtooth Star or the Dutchman Puzzle block. Basically, you need this one.
It is twice as wide as it is long and is generally made with two contrasting colors for the main body and the points (or the goose and sky parts, if you will) to get the best effect. The best thing about the easy dimensions of the flying geese block is that it can be made in any size. The handy reference sheet has a chart with some common sizes, and also the simple math so you can calculate your own.
This is my favorite way to make Flying Geese blocks. There are a couple other ways to do it, but I always come back to this one. The No Waste Method makes four Flying Geese at a time with no extra fabric that has to be thrown away (hence the "No Waste" name).
So lets get to it. You will need [1] large square and [4] smaller squares. This handy, dandy download has common sizes for you to reference. Also needed: a rotary cutter, a marking device (I like Frixon pens, they ink comes off with the press of an iron), and pins if you use them (I do).
Step 1: Place [2] of your smaller squares on opposite corners of [1] larger square right sides together. There will be some overlap of the smaller squares. Pin into place, and draw a line down the center as shown.
Step 2: Sew 1/4" seam on either side of the drawn line. I moved my needle one notch to the right to make my seam juuuuuust a little smaller. I have found that my accuracy improved when I started to use the scant 1/4"seam.
Step 3: Use your rotary cutter, and cut on your down the middle on your drawn line. You should now have [2] units that look like this.
Step 4: Press seams towards the smaller triangles. Repeat [2] times
Step 5: Take your remaining [2] smaller triangles. Place one smaller square, right side down, on the corner of each unit. Draw a line down the center.
Step 6: Sew 1/4" seam on either side of the drawn lines. The 1/4" seam should line up with where the yellow triangles overlap. See picture for example.
Step 7: Using your rotary cutter, cut each unit on the drawn line. This should give you [4] units.
Step 8: Press seams towards smaller triangles.
LAST STEP! Trim the dog ears and square up each unit. I square my units in a specific order every time. First, I measure 1/4" from the point and cut off the excess yellow fabric. Then, I flip the unit and trim as needed on the opposite side. But, it is usually really close to the correct height already, so not much more is needed there. Last, I make sure the unit is the correct width and not wonky. Then I trim the dog ears and any excess of the short edges. I didn't think to take pictures of that part, so I hope it makes sense.
WOOHOO! Just like that you will have FOUR flying geese ready to go! Quick and painless right?
Yes! I have three tips for you:
Download your reference guide. Pull some fabric from your stash. Start sewing!
I can't wait to see what you make!
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