My latest finish is my spiral of geese mini quilt for Fab Little Quilt Swap. It measures 20″x 20″ and consists of 50 paper-pieced flying geese on a reverse appliqued background.
I quilted it on my Juki using both my walking foot and free-motion foot. The fabrics are all from my stash and the background is Kona White.
Can you see the tiny, embroidered triangles in the middle? Those were hand-sewn with pearl cotton.
I can talk a bit later about how I came up with my idea, (once my partner receives the mini) but for now, I’ll write a bit about how I developed the pattern. It is very low-tech here at my house. I have photoshop, but not a quilt design program.
Here is my first little drawing I did in my Moleskine sketch pad.
Then I scanned it into photoshop and colored it in (I was too lazy to get up and grab my kids markers).
Then it was time to make my pattern. I googled “spiral” and found this one. I printed it out about 18″ inches wide and then I hand drew the pattern onto it. The geese were 4 different sized templates that I drafted and traced around. It’s pretty messy and my daughter even drew on the paper while I was working on it.
Next, I made a clean tracing of the pattern in ink, numbering each goose and marking where I would cut my sections. I kept this one intact and photocopied it, so I had a pattern to paper-piece on.
This was my sample coming together. It was pieced in 8 sections.
The sample being appliqued. I machine sewed most of the curves and then appliqued the curviest parts. I made the rainbow mini 20% smaller than the original, so I decided to applique the entire background.
My rainbow geese before they were appliqued to the background.
The background is basted on in this photo. I decided to do reverse appliqué, since it would be bulky to try to turn the seam allowances on the geese. You could probably just machine stitch it down at this point, and it’ll blend in with the quilting. I hand-stitched it with a slip stitch.
This is going to be a difficult little quilt to part with, but I do love participating in swaps. My partners always inspire me to try something new, that I never would have thought of without them.
this is just an amazing little quilt – I love your post and how you explained step by step – I think its even more amazing now 🙂 can’t wait to see who your very lucky partner is !
Incredible! Thanks for sharing your process.:)
Oh my this is just fantastic! Love the colors and the spiral and the quilting!
This is really something else! Thank you for sharing your process of drafting your pattern, I’m quite intrigued and inspired by this post.
Stunning! I am in awe.
I like how the quilted triangles are pointing opposite the appliqued triangles. It creates a cool sense of movement on the quilt.
So very beautiful!
absolutely gorgeous, and thanks for sharing your technique!
I love it and I love seeing how you designed it.
oh wow – just gorgeous!
This creative and beautiful quilt is amazing. You have a great ability to come up with fresh ideas and turn them into attractive quilts. Your machine quilting is equally fab!
Thanks for sharing your process. I’m super impressed!
UH-mazing! You’re partner is one lucky person! Dang!
Totally amazing!
You know I am completely crazy about this mini. I am ready to baste mine and will let you know how it goes. I’m kind of nervous, but your instructions are so clear, I can’t wait. Mine is for a swap too and i really want to challenge myself to make something fab for my partner.
This is so so gorgeous. Beautiful design, love the circling geese and the rainbow and the quilting.
Wow wow wow! I have a personal soft spot for making rainbow curved geese quilts and this is simply amazing!
Oh it is amazing Janice! I loved seeing the entire process from design to completion.
Absolutely stunning! I don’t think there’s anything else that can be said!!
Wow. Saw this coming together on Ig and was amazed. This is really lovely and so cool to see your process!
wow!!! Its absolutely stunning! Its lovely to see how it all came together…very inspiring! x
Truly amazing, Janice–you are! Thanks for explaining your process on this beauty. Makes me really stand in awe of you–more than ever! 🙂
Wow, I love it…you did an amazing job of explaining it too. But the little quilt is wonderful..wish I had a pattern like it!!!
Too fab for words! Your swap partner will fall off her chair when she opens this package. Fabulous x
Wow!! I’m awestruck. Any plans for a pattern to buy?
This is just so beautiful, I want to make one too. Your partner is very lucky, I sure wish it was me.
Absolutely stunning.I wish I could figure out how to make this.
I wish I was your swap partner. 🙂
Wow, this is lovely.
That is so cool! Love it! And no template is complete without your kids putting at least one mark on it;)
This is an incredible piece of work. Even with you showing me how you did it, I still marvel at the skill and patience.
I absolutely love this. Do you think that I could humbly ask for someone to make a p_d_f of this? I wish I knew how to do that. This is really really gorgeous
WOW!!! are you going to do this as a pattern? I would love to buy one if you are. Just awesome and the quilting is breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.
I love this!! Its going to be fun to try!
I love this! I wish there was a pattern for the spiral.
Me too RoseMary! I am not good enough to draw this freehand and it s beautiful….
I agree with RoseMary I cant draw for the life of me wish there was a pattern
I just adore flying geese and never thought you could actually do this with them thankyou for showing us
thank you! If you click on “my store” at the top of my blog you will find the pattern!
2:08.
I love this. Thanks for showing us how you can make something. Your friend will love it, I would!
Stephanie
WOW!!! Your spiral flying geese is fabulous. I just completed an hand embroidered piece. The thread is neon on black fabric. I was wanting to make neon flying geese to go around it some how. Your spiral geese really intrigue me. My brain “sees” things that I’m not able to figure out how to do. I’d love do something like your spiral.