Fast Patch Flying Geese

I've had this book since 1991. I decided to finally try one of the quick piece methods on a small scale to see if I might want to use it for a Community quilt.

I chose colors from my 21/2" strip bin. That made cutting out go fast!

 

I pieced the dark (geese) fabrics alternately with background fabric.

Then I cross cut and sewed the strips back together, off-set by one and a half units. Spunky was sitting in the window checking my work.

Then I trimmed off the end squares.

I carefully drew a line through what the book calls 'the two centers' of the background fabric and cut it apart with scissors. At this point I'm really wondering where this method is going!

 
Next I sewed the pieced units created in the last step into what's called an 'S panel'. I never did learn why it's called an 'S panel'.

Then I cut this apart to create strips of Flying Geese .

I have to say there are three things about this method that leave me less than enamored with it; in each row the Geese are all the same color, the Geese are in strips, so I can't rearrange them into alternating columns of Geese flying up and down and most of all, this method puts the entire strip on the bias. (!)

Usually speed piecing methods are created to sew the bias side(s) of a piece first to stabilize them and then cut the units apart. All I can figure is that the age of the book shows how much speed piecing methods have changed. I don't need to finish this and I won't be using this method for a larger quilt, but it was a good mental exercise!