Flying Geese Units

The block pictured above is constructed with 8 flying geese units in a 2×4 grid. Flying Geese units are a foundational unit in many quilt blocks and can be put together in a myriad of ways to create beautiful borders and unique sashings.

Some examples of blocks that use flying geese units are:

Dutchman’s Puzzle Quilt Block

Tobacco Leaf Quilt Block

Pinwheel Geese Quilt Block

There are at least four methods for making Flying Geese Units. The two most popular are the Quick Corner Method and the Traditional Method (which has no fabric waste). Both are explained below.

Quick Corner (Sew/Cut/Flip) Method
for Making Flying Geese Units

Cutting Chart for Quick Corner Method:

How to Make Quick Corner Flying Geese:

Traditional (No Waste) Method

Determine the finished size you require, then cut your triangles using the chart below.To assemble a goose unit, take one of the smaller “sky” triangles and align the long edge with one of the shorter edges of the “goose” triangle. Sew with a 1/4″ seam.Gently press smaller triangle open, with seam pressed towards the smaller triangle.Repeat for other small triangle on the other side of the goose unit. 

Cutting Chart for Traditional Method for Flying Geese Units
(Makes 4)

Some tips to make it better

When I first started making flying geese units, I noticed that they often had a slight problem. They tended to be just a little bit short, and that “shortness” was usually in the top two “sky” corners.  My blocks often looked something like this:

Notice how the two “sky” corners are not exactly square.  They seem to lean in a bit, don’t they?

I later learned a trick that gave me significantly better results. Instead of sewing directly on the marked center line of my corner squares, sew just a thread’s width to the right of the line.

Now, this isn’t a great picture because I didn’t do a good job of marking the center line. You’ll notice that my center line is a bit off in the upper corner. In this case, I need to be super careful to keep in mind where the “real” center line is and adjust so that I’m sewing just to the right of it.

I know this sounds a little crazy, but it works. Here is why: when you cut and flip the corner, a bit of the fabric gets used up by the fold and the seam allowance. When you give it that little extra bit of width, you add that back into the equation and the unit comes out more precise.

Here is how my geese turned out. Perfectly square corners instead of short, crooked corners.

I hope you find that you get some better results when using this tip!