Geese on the Edge - easy peasy!

Sometimes it's worthwhile to take a class. I take classes to learn new things, to update my skills and to see how other educators present material. I often say that I'm a bad student. I always seem to want to do something more, or something less than the class.

I remember one of my first Free Motion Quilting Classes I took. I told the instructor that I really didn't want to sew, I wanted to see how she did things. The instructor was very gracious and the whole class spent most of the time watching how she created a variety of designs and the techniques she used. As a result of that class, I've always made sure that (when I can) I demonstrate the techniques with needle (and machine) and thread as well as drawing and explaining.

I am a certified instructor with Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design tools. I am really enjoying the process and using these fantastic rulers. So with my brain on "studio 180 design", I saw that one of the other instructors was teaching a class on the Geese On The Edge technique. I took the class this spring. It was 2 one hour zoom classes. Phyllis Fay from Tucker University offered the class. Tucker University has created a series of Toolbox Blitz patterns. This Geese on the Edge class was based on their Toolbox Blitz-Geese on the Edge pattern. The pattern includes instructions for 3 different sized blocks (4", 6" and 8"), 5 quilt sizes and 9 different block layout ideas......do that math. That's 135 different quilts from a single pattern. Pretty good deal!

Because I'm such a bad student, I wasn't prepared to sew during the class. I didn't realize I needed the pattern until the night before the class....shipping to Canada from US is not an overnight process! So I watched, listened, took lots of notes and ordered the pattern after class. Actually I ordered all 5 of the Toolbox Blitz patterns. You'll need to watch for classes soon.

I sewed up the 8" blocks pretty quickly using a variety of light and dark scraps. Once the cutting is done, it's just sew, sew, sew. The pattern told me how many blocks to make for the size I wanted. In a lot of ways, a very efficient assembly line.

I used the Floral Infustion pattern from Quiltable.com for this lap size quilt. The green thread really doesn't show much on the front, but the back sure it fun! This was a great Edge to Edge design to stitch.

Once the 8" block quilt was done, I still had some fabrics left, so decided to make the same (similar) size quilt using smaller units. The block starts with a Half Square Triangle in the light fabric and dark fabric. Light coloured strips are added to only 2 sides of the starting square. And Triangles are added to the corner. Repeat and done!

In addition to be a certified instructor with Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design tools, I'm a Handi Quilter National Educator. So, all my quilts need to be class samples of some sort. The 8" blocks were quilted using my Pro-Stitcher Premium and the 6" blocks were quilted in a free hand feather design.

These quilts don't have a pieced border, but you can see that creating a border with quilting creates an interesting visual border to the quilt. Many of my quilts have solid reading backings, especially class samples so the quilting can show!

Studio 180 Design has a technique sheet for Geese on the Edge blocks. It's a different result but the process is the same. Watch for that class this summer!

Well, I'm off to do some more piecing and quilting and continue my scrap quilting adventures!

Happy Quilting.