3-D Flying Geese-Tutorial

This is a post I ran in 2008, but decided it needed to be it's own page as a tutorial...here it is.

One of the great things about the GHQG Sharing Day event (see post below), is learning new techniques. One of which I'll try to post a tutorial for... 3-D Flying Geese. There was no copyright on the handout, so if anyone sees there is an infringement, please alert me and I'll remove the 'instruction sheet".

Hopefully, you can read this sheet. I'll explain it as I go along.

First, you figure what size you want the flying geese block (I picked a 4" x 8" rectangle-blue w/ stars-, although I should have added my 1/2" for the seam allowances to make it 4.5" x 8.5").

Too excited to try this technique! But whatever size you use, make 2 squares that are the same width as the rectangles width (I made mine 4" squares - orange/yellow stripes)

Fold your rectangle in half, wrong sides together. Put the two squares right sides together, then lay the folded rectangle between them, lining up the raw edges, putting the fold at the top. The folded edge of the rectangle should be 1/4" down from the top of the two squares. (You'll see why at the end.)

 Be careful with directional prints to make sure they are going in the same direcion. The fold should be 1/4" down from the top of the 'sandwich'. Very important.

Sew on the right side of the 'sandwich', encasing the folded fabric's RAW EDGES in the seam.
 
Open the 'sandwich' and press the top fabric, then open the 'rectangle' and press to flatten.
See below.

Now, what I didn't check on (I was sooo anxious to try this out when I got home), was that the 'fold' of the fabric (which will be the point of the geese) was 1/4" BELOW the raw edge of the two squares! As you can see, my point was too close to the top and will get cut off in the top seam.
 
Which also led the bottom to be too high on the front edge. I will be off to the sewing room to 'fine tune' my technique... This was the first of many geese to come.