This month is the first of our Modern Blocks QuiltAlong (ModernQAL) over at And Sew We Craft. We have a whole 12 months of blocks planned from the Modern Blocks book by Susanne Woods. The first block is called Follow the Leader and I LOVE it! Yes, it was a little fiddly with a few pieces to cut and piece, but the result is well worth it. If you want some step-by-step instructions with pictures, Amy has written up the tutorial for you. My fabrics are all from Spotlight this time. The white background is actually a white on white print, and the colours are from ranges by Denyse Schmidt. I just hope I have enough of these prints to create the whole quilt!
My Tips
- Accurate cutting is essential with these small pieces. Some of my squares were a little more like rectangles which made for some slightly “off” flying geese!
- Think about ironing the seams to reduce the bulk. I ironed a couple of seams open to reduce the “bumps”.
- Speaking of “bumps”, sew SLOWLY as you go over the bumps in the seams. I’m the first to be tempted to zip along a seam, but going slowly will make the sewing machine foot less likely to stick or swerve around the bump.
- As you are joining all the units, keep laying the block out on your workspace so you are sure everything is in the right place. There is nothing more frustrating than getting to the end and realising you have one flying geese section pointing the wrong way!
Here’s the book we are using for the ModernQAL if you’d like to join us:
Find it on Amazon: Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers
The ModernQAL Blocks so far:
May 2013: Follow the Leader (This Post)
June 2013: Spool
July 2013: Megan’s Star
August 2013: Quatrefoil Block
September 2013: Escalator Block
Want to try quilting and patchwork? Check out this free Craftsy class to get you started (Affiliate link)
so pretty!!
I love the colours! So beautiful.
Your block looks great, Tonya! Love the fabrics
I love this block…it is on my to do wish list…which is growing longer by the minute!,
I think my to do list will never end – there are sooooo many things I want to make!
Very nice. I think if I try, I will alter to make the flying geese made out of squares cut in half, means there is an extra seam, but no tricky piecing. This could be an interesting block made into a complete quilt. Thank you for sharing this idea.
After years of traditional quilting, I’ve been bitten by the modern quilt bug. Thanx for sharing this quiltalong!
I love flying geese and clear bright colors, so this is a winner for me.
gorgeous colours! And thanks for your tips! I did iron a couple of seams open too, but I must admit I think I need to slow my lead foot when I am sewing the seams 😉
Hello, my name is Kellie, I just found your blog and signed up. It is great. I got the freebies too and they are awesome. I wanted to ask about the freebie that is the cross stitch blocks. At the end of it, it had a place to click that said learn to cross stitch and when I click on it, it doesn’t t do anything. I was wondering if I needed to go to a different part of your blog? Thank you so much and I am looking forward to browsing your blog. Kellie
Hi Kellie,
Just below where it says “Learn to cross stitch” you can click on the line that says “Learn the basic cross stitch” and it will take you to the article. I hope you find it helpful!
Tonya