Flying Geese

These are the minis I worked on the other day for the WINTER GOLFERS quilt. For some of you, this just looks like a pile of fabric scraps. There are many methods out there for the construction of this very common block, and I do keep watching the tutorials and trying their suggestions. Accuracy is such a high priority in quilting. Do these carefully, and the results are almost exhilarating to behold.

I am a fast-moving person, taking pride in that almost to being a bit arrogant that I can get so much done and have this incredible gift of high energy. To be accurate in this fabric art means to go just a little bit slower, to be thinking of what is happening, planning, calculating.

I also enjoy history, mythology, folklore and fairytales, and quilting holds much of these.

Some controversial legends say that quiltmakers in the Underground Railroad helped slaves leave the South and escape to Canada. 

It was illegal for a slave to be taught to read or write, so it made sense that messages had to be passed along in codes or symbols found in quilt patterns, which were draped over porch railings or window ledges. Is this a myth or folklore? Is there truth to any of the quilting histories or are they just good stories we like to tell?

The Flying Geese pattern is only one used in that era and for that purpose. Clearly, say the storytellers, it pointed to the initial road people needed to take on their way to freedom. I like this story and whether it is true or not, it provides a layer to work with here.

I haven't begun to make the other pattern blocks or quilts that reflect our rich folklore history other than the Log Cabin, and that is a story for another time. 

This Flying Geese pattern is extremely versatile and for the while that I work with it, I cannot help but realize that by making it, I am pointed in the right direction. 

This WINTER GOLFERS quilt is resting in my UFO bin and is on my 2014 list to complete. So many steps in it.

I found a pattern & picture online called the Flying Dutchman Puzzle that I may try to use when I create my Mug Rug Swap. The geese on it will need to be smaller to work on the 6" x 10" size. We are to make 2 of them, so if I do use this pattern, it will give me plenty of practice, and allow me to consider the direction of my life. The mini geese I just made are the size that will work on a MugRug and I plan to get started on it today!