Wow, what a mouthful! The question was posed yesterday on my Facebook group Tucker Time With The Quilt Rambler….
Naturally once you have “drank the kool-aid” and work with Studio 180 Design tools you don’t want to go back to any other method!
Always up for a good challenge I had to sleep on it…with the solution coming to mind in the wee hours!
Actually, I was thinking half square triangles instead of the small squares but knew the seam would be a problem…
Without further rambles….here’s my photo tutorial.
Refer to the Wing Clipper® tool instructions for the proper size to cut the (1) large square and (4) small squares for your finished size units, with (2) of each color desired for the “wings.”
As I worked through the process I do have a few notes to add that aren’t on the photos. Step 1 – Draw a line diagonal from point to point on the large square. In hindsight I would do this on both diagonals to make an X – trust me, it will make sense later. Step 2 – I cut my small triangles on the diagonal. In hindsight you may want to draw your normal lines with the Quilter’s Magic Wand ® before cutting, again, this will make more sense as we move through the process.
Step 3 – Determine the color placement. In my example the red wing will be on the left and the beige wing will be on the right of our finished units. With RST (right sides together) place the small triangles along the drawn diagonal line, being mindful of the “smidgen” away from the large square as in the familiar way of using the tool. Pin in place.
Step 4 – Sew 1/4″ away from the drawn line. This is where the tip of drawing lines on the small squares prior to cutting into triangles would have proven handy – you’d have a drawn line to sew on. It’s an added step, unnecessary if you are comfortable with your 1/4″ seams.
Step 5 – With RST pin the opposite color on the opposite side of your drawn line – now this looks familiar to what we are used to with adding two small “squares” to our large square. Note: my original brainstorm had us making a true half square triangle but I figured the seam would be problematic.
Step 6 – Sew 1/4″ away from the drawn line.
Step 7 – Cut on the drawn line of the large square (if you can see it). Basically, we are just cutting down the middle (grin) as per our normal procedure.
Step 8 – Press the units, either toward the small triangle or open. If you didn’t draw an X in Step 1 now you see the logic of it, you have to draw one at this juncture which gives room for error.
Step 9 – Being aware of color placement, pin a small triangle RST on one side of the unit.
Step 10 – Sew 1/4″ away from the drawn line.
Step 11 – Again be aware of color placement, pin the opposite small triangle RST on the other side of the unit.
Step 12 – Sew 1/4″ away from the drawn line.
Step 13 – Cut down the middle to reveal two untrimmed flying geese units. Press.
Step 14 – Repeat the process to add the small triangles to the second “heart-shaped” unit from Step 8.
Step 15 – Following the instructions with the Wing Clipper® trim each of the four units to the proper size for your project.
Now wasn’t that fun! I do suggest that you make a practice set before using your fabrics for your intended project. I found that, due to a little human error, that I was too close for comfort on the trim down. It worked, mind you, but I had to hold my mouth just right (grin). In the future I think I will bump up the suggested sizes about a quarter of an inch bigger to give me more to trim off. This is just a personal observation – again, make a set of practice non-mirror image two color winded flying geese to see if you need the same wiggle room I did.
So there you have it, a complete set of four flying geese made using the Wing Clipper® by Studio 180 Design with a little help of a tutorial by The Quilt Rambler!
I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial, if so, would you share it with your friends? If you aren’t already a member of my Facebook group Tucker Time with The Quilt Rambler now is a good time to check us out! Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and blog! After all, a rambler needs an audience!
Wow! Sounds complicated to me, but I like the result!!
It’s easier than it looks. Took me longer to edit the photos than it did to make the units ?♀️
Thank you! I wish I had seen this 3 days ago! I was really struggling doing this. Thank you
Hopefully it will be a good reference for future projects!
Looks great! Thanks for the tutorial. Would you suggest making both the small and large squares a little larger to start with?
Yes, make both about a quarter inch larger and don’t forget to offset it just a smidgen where you can see the larger square underneath- this will aide in the trim down latter to provide the quarter inch seam we desire. Happy quilting!