Traverse BOM: Flying Geese

Timeline update:

As many of you know, we have hit the dreaded manufacturing delay, and some folks do not have fabrics in hand for the September 1st start date. Don't worry, we have you covered. We will basically extend month 1 of the Sew along through October, so whenever you get your fabrics, you can dive right in, and you will have plenty of time to sew! We will resume a regular monthly schedule with Row 2 on November 1st, and post new content on the 1st of every month thereafter.

On to the fun stuff!

If you know me, you know I love a good traditional quilt block, and Flying Geese are one of my favorites. The possibilities with this humble block are many, and they are easy enough to make too, though they do require some trimming. When I was creating the Traverse quilt, I thought a lot about scale and complexity from row to row. I wanted some rows to read as simple and bold, and some rows to add that little zingy detail. This first row we are making with Flying Geese fills the latter role, with a lot of small repeated units that bring sparkle and interest to the quilt design (and that's why there are actually 2 of these rows in the quilt). They act as a little filler to enhance the design, but it's the type of block that stands on its own too.

There are so many ways to make these blocks, and while in the end they look very precise and polished, I like to make them oversize and trim them down afterwards. This makes the sewing easy, and allows for some wiggle room to get them to always finish to the correct size. So as we set about on our first month (although we are stretching it out a few more weeks than that!) it might be nice to pace yourself. I am making two more Traverse quilts (in both color ways), and I decided to make and trim all the geese by breaking it down into manageable chunks. So I have outlined a schedule for you all below, but feel free to go at the pace that works for you! Maybe you are like me and can't stop once you start, or perhaps you steal away 10 minutes here and there to sew as you find time. The sewing becomes a little mindless, which lends itself to listening to a podcast* or audio book but the trimming should be done carefully and without rush. In any case, enjoy the process of watching all these little gems pile up as you go.

Suggested Schedule:

• Week 1: Cut & Sew the Geese for the first set.

• Week 2: Cut & Sew the Geese for the second set.

• Week 3: Trim those Geese!

• Week 4: Sew the rows together

Then celebrate your beautiful rows, take pictures and dazzle your friends with your Flying Geese prowess. don't forget to post on Instagram or Facebook, because we all want to cheer each other on!

While there is some extra fabric in your kit to allow for miss-cuts, it's no fun to have to re-sew something because you've trimmed it too small. Additionally, like we'll talk about in the videos over on Thinkific, we do have some wiggle room when geese end up too big or too small, but our goal is just right, like Quilty Goldilocks.

*right now I'm loving the Lore podcast with Aaron Mahnke (it's about dark history and is super fascinating).

Monthly Sponsors & Prizes

Giveaway #1:

We are doing a bit of a different thing for the start of the BOM, due to the fabric delays. We have our kickoff giveaway with Oliso running until September 30th, so there is still time to participate in that! I truly love the Oliso iron, and it's the one I use everyday. It gets hot, the steam function is just right, and I love the auto lift feature.

How to win:

• Post the I'm In! Traverse Sew Along images in your colorway on Instagram using hashtags #traversequilt,#traversebom and #artisancottons.

• You must have a public Instagram profile to participate so we can see your photos

• Date Extended! Photo must be posted by September 30, 2022

• A winner will be chosen randomly on October 1, 2022. Winners will be announced on Instagram and contacted via DM.

• This giveaway is open to ship in the US only. But other months will be open to all participants!

Giveaway #2:

We are excited to also be partnering with Sewtopia for our second giveaway! Amy runs the show over there and I first met her about 5 or 6 years ago when I taught at one of the retreats. Let me tell you- she is a gem of a human being. If you don't know about Sewtopia already, here's a bit of their story. Sewtopia was born in 2014 from an idea of taking the online sewing community and connecting in person. Sewtopia’s first creative retreat was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The twice yearly retreat features a Fall open sew style retreat and a Spring educational, teacher hosted retreat. Now Sewtopia has traveled all over the country with over a dozen locations under its belt.

In 2018, Sewtopia branched out from events and opened an online shop selling notions, patterns, and an ever-growing collection of fresh, modern fabrics. We love teaming with extraordinary and influential designers from the modern quilting and sewing world to offer customers a unique selection. Sewtopia opened its brick and mortar location in Murray, Utah in the Summer of 2020 and with the support of its wonderful customers and attendees will continue to grow.

Sewtopia is generously offering a $75 gift certificate to the online shop, which will definitely come in handy in the following months!!

How to Win:

• Post progress photos of your flying geese on Instagram using hashtags #traversequilt and #artisancottons.

• You must have a public Instagram profile to participate so we can see your photos

• Photo must be posted by October 31, 2022.

• A winner will be chosen randomly on November 1, 2022. Winners will be announced on Instagram and contacted via DM.

• This month's giveaway is open to international participants.

See you on social media!

Part of the fun of a sew-along is interacting with other quilters! There are a couple of places we're loving seeing your BOM progress:

• Post photos of your progress on Instagram using hashtags #traversequilt and #artisancottons

• Join my Facebook Group to share photos and chat with other BOM and workshop participants

Traverse Block of the Month Sewing Schedule

• Sew Along Intro

• Month 1: Flying Geese

• Month 2: Pluses

• Month 3: Half Circles

• Month 4: Square Dots

• Month 5: Hourglass

• Month 6: X's & O's

• Month 7: Diamonds

• Month 8: Hexagons

• Month 9: Half Squares

• Month 10: Triangles

• Month 11: Finishing the Quilt
  
  

Have not received your login info for Thinkific?

Please contact the shop you purchased the BOM from for your registration information.

Questions about assembling the block?

Post a discussion inside the Thinkific platform to get help from me! My goal is to respond within 3 business days.

Having technical difficulties logging in to Thinkific?

I'd love to help you! Just send an email to info@tarafaughnan.com