Let’s Make Flying Geese with Templates!

With From Marti Michell Templates, you can cut triangle pairs to make up to 31 sizes of Flying Geese units – just cut the triangles and sew them together, no center seams like there are with half-square triangles, and no drawing lines, no scraps, no throwing away almost half the fabric like there is with other methods!

I made small Flying Geese units (3 ½” x 1 ½”) using Templates in Set A to make a 12” finished block. The method is the same, no matter which 2 templates you use. (You can download a PDF of all the sizes our templates can make here.) 

Cutting
Start with Templates A-4 and A-6, and 2-inch wide strips. If you want to make a lot of Flying Geese, layer and align 4 to 6 strips and cut stacks of triangles at one time. You can work on a small rotating mat and nub the points as work your way down the strip, too. Cut a stack, realign the template and use it to nip the points. Rotate the template on the strip to align with the angled cut, cut another stack of triangles, nub the points, etc.

Sewing
C piece small A-6 triangles to one side of the large A-4 triangles. Before snipping them apart, lay the chain of pieces on the ironing board with the large triangles right side up and press toward the small triangle, regardless of color. Repeat on the second side of each A-4 triangle.

When you want to assemble Flying Geese units into rows, join pairs first, then join pairs, pairs of pairs, etc. Arrange a pair as shown below, so the top unit is wrong side up and pointing downward. This will allow you to see the stitching at the point where the seams for the two small triangles overlap—very important!

You can prepare lots of pairs and chain piece. To preserve the lovely point on the Flying Geese unit, make sure you feed the pairs under the needle as shown, so your stitching line just touches the stitching at the point.

Press
Press the seam allowances in one direction -- the direction the geese are flying.