Six Geese a Laying

 Happy October, friends!  If you've followed me for a while, you know that this is the time of year that I'm just itching to start decorating for Christmas.  I always start on November 1st and I can't wait!  This year, I"ll have seven trees (not to mention the rest of my house to decorate), so I like to start early, and boy does this QAL really put me in the mood!

This month, we're tackling the sixth block- Six Geese a Laying, and she's a beauty!

Since I knew the swan would be white, I wanted to make the goose in this block darker.  I chose two shades of taupe, one solid and one small print, which gives plenty of contrast.  Her neck has a graceful curve, and since she is "a Laying," she sits atop a festive nest with a Christmas bow.

I added lots and lots of dimension with quilting.  I used free motion quilting to add feathers to the wing, and for everywhere else, I simply followed the outline to add some texture.   I want to point out that when I'm quilting individual shapes, I always match the thread to the shape I'm quilting.  That way, you only see the amazing texture it gives.

This block goes together pretty easily!  The trickiest part is the head, but it's not too tedious!  And, it's such a small part of the block.  Once it's done, the rest is a breeze.

Piecing Tip- When sewing the curve of the neck, sewing the corner squares in the correct direction is very important.  After you sew, open your corner square to check it before trimming off the excess.

Okay friends!  Let's see those gorgeous Geese a Laying!  Remember, I'll leave the link party for each block open all the way through the quilt along.  So, even if you're playing catch-up with your blocks, you can share them!

And of course, if you want to join in, you can easily catch up!  Head over to my Etsy shop HERE to get a signed copy of the book, or you can get it on Amazon (or your other favorite place to buy books).