Old Town Mystery – Part One!

Pivot the ruler, placing that fourth green line at the top of the
strip, ON the fabric. Cut.

 Cut 4 matching base triangles for each set. Cut 25 sets.

Fold a 2 1/2’’ strip with right sides together so you are cutting through two layers. Right sides together is needed as we are cutting in mirror image pairs.

Square off one end of the strip set. 

Using the third red line for 2’’ finished half-square triangles,
place the red line ON the fabric at the top of the strip set (Don’t place the
line on the mat above the fabric or you will be one line width too small.) and
make a cut.

Pivot the ruler, placing the 2’’ finished red line on the bottom
of the strip set and cut.

 Pivot the ruler again and cut for the third
and fourth pair of matching triangles, right sides together. 

Trimmed corner to trimmed corner!

All of the notched corners go at the top of the unit – the flat
spot on the top of the base triangle becomes a placement guide. 

Start with the right wing first! 

Place the right wing triangle on top of the base triangle with
right sides facing.  Align the bottom
edge and the diagonal. 

Stitch. Gently press toward the
neutral base triangle so as not to distort it.  Trim dog ears. 

Be consistent with always stitching
the right wing triangle on first and pressing that seam allowance under toward
the base triangle. 

As blocks are joined together in the
quilt top, this pressing will help distribute the bulk that happens during quilt assembly. (You can also always press everything open if that is your choice.)

Add the left wing triangle in the same manner.  Press toward the wing triangle.  Remove dog ears and trim to 2 1/2’’ X 4 1/2’’
as needed.  Make 25 sets of 4 matching.

I know that folks love to talk “scant” – but be careful when sewing these. Seams that are “too scant” will not leave you with a 1/4” seam allowance at the top of your unit. You’ll lose your point in the next seam. Or your unit will be too big and you’ll lose it when you trim.

The only scant that is the “right” scant is the one that takes you to unit size without losing your margins.

More Flying Geese Options:

(Without Essential Triangle Tool)

“I don’t like to sew triangles, is there another way?” “My machine
EATS triangles! What to do?” 

You can make flying geese units with neutral 2 1/2’’ X 4 1/2’’
base rectangles with 2 1/2’’ aqua/turquoise squares to become wing triangles in a
stitch & flip method.

This method creates quite a bit of waste, but
if it works for you – GREAT! Please remember that you may need more fabric yardage if you use methods like this.

Drawn Lines or Simple Folded Corners Method:

For each set:

Cut 4 neutral rectangles 2 1/2” X 4 1/2”

Cut 8 aqua/turquoise squares 2 1/2”

Cut 25 sets.

Draw a line from corner to corner on
the back of each of the 8 squares.

Place a square in the right hand corner of the rectangle with
right sides together. 

Place the sewing machine needle just barely to the RIGHT of the
drawn line into what will be the seam allowance. 

The drawn line is not the seam line.  It is the FOLD line where your fabric has to
fold up and over the thread to reach the edges of the base unit.  DO NOT SEW ON THE LINE. Sew next to it. 

Sew slowly, and carefully. Press.  

*Pressing Tip! *

Instead of pressing blindly from the fold toward the corner, align
the edges of the triangle you are pressing even with the edges of the base
rectangle FIRST.  Once these are even,
press down on your unit.  This will block
your unit to help it keep its shape and size. 

Once pressed correctly, fold triangle back and trim seam allowance
1/4” from stitching.  

Remember to start with the right wing triangle and press the seam
allowance under toward the neutral rectangle after trimming to press.

Repeat to add the opposite corner, pressing the trimmed seam
allowance toward the left triangle just added.

Repeat the process for the remaining
side of each unit.  Make 4 matching per set. Make 25 sets.

Don’t like drawing lines? 

This is where the Simple Folded Corners or Simple Folded Corners Mini come into play. 

Start as with the basic Stitch & Flip method above, but
instead of drawing a diagonal line, place the 1/4” line on the diagonal of the Simple Folded
Corners ruler (mini shown) on the diagonal of the corner square and trim
leaving 1/4” seam allowance. 

Remember to sew just shy of 1/4” because the FOLD has to happen
on the diagonal of the square for the triangle to reach where it needs to
go.  A couple of tests should help you
adjust where you need to sew to achieve unit size.

After the first corners of all the units are sewn on and pressed under, take them back to the cutting table to put the next corner squares in
place, trim, sew and press toward the left wing triangle. 

View from the back side.

There is more than one way to make a successful flying geese unit! 

Repeat after me:

25 sets of 4 matching.

Units will measure 2 1/2” X 4 1/2” at this point.

If the method you use creates more fabric waste, you may need more fabric.