Episode 12: Flying Geese, Lattice & Checker Sashings
Episode 12: Flying Geese, Lattice & Checker Sashings: In this episode, we’re diving into some must-know quilting techniques, focusing on Flying Geese blocks and Lattice Sashing! These elements add structure and beauty to your quilts, and I’ll show you exactly how to get them right.
We’ll create Flying Geese with perfect points, using my Sasher tools to ensure crisp, clean edges. I’ll share tips on cutting and pressing your fabric for the best results and how to piece everything together perfectly.
Companion Notes: Flying Geese, Lattice and Checker Sashings
This episode finishes the sashing toolbox with three classics: flying geese units that march along a strip, lattice sashing that frames each block in a tidy grid, and checker sashing built from alternating squares. Each one turns plain joins into structure.
Flying geese that keep their points
- Points live or die at the seam line. When you join a goose into the sashing strip, stitch so the tip of the goose sits exactly ¼ inch from the raw edge — that's what leaves a sharp point after the next seam is sewn.
- Press for crisp, flat edges. Pauline uses the Sasher tools to keep these pieced strips neat; bulky, twisted seams under sashing will show through the finished quilt.
- Make geese in a continuous strip and cut the strip to length, rather than piecing single geese between blocks. It's faster, and the rhythm keeps sizes consistent.
Lattice and checker tips
- Lattice sashing needs consistent strip width above all — cut all lattice strips in one session with the same ruler setup.
- Checker sashing is a two-fabric strip set: sew long strips together, sub-cut them into segments, and join segments with the colors alternating. Nest the seams so the checks align in a true grid.
- Measure the sashing against the real blocks before final joining (as in Episode 10) — pieced sashing handles differently than plain strips.
With plain, appliqued, and pieced sashings all in your repertoire, the joining stage stops being the chore at the end of a quilt-as-you-go project and becomes one more place to design.
