Featured fabric: FreeSpirit Fabrics Log Tavern Road by William Reue

Pattern design by: Lindsay Conner

Sewn by: Lindsay Conner

Summer is the perfect time to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a meal outdoors with someone you love. Sew this modern picnic blanket for your next lunch outing in nature! Flying geese are a classic quilt block design, and these oversized flying geese blocks provide a fun backdrop for your picnic quilt. The bright and colorful prints are a feast for your eyes.

This is the perfect quilt for beginners! Sew large quilt blocks to quickly put together a quilt top, then use wavy line quilting to draw the eye away from any imperfections in the piecing. We’ll also teach you how to make your own quilt binding to complete the edges. You’ll be so proud of yourself after finishing this satisfying beginner quilt project!

Technique: Machine piecing, pin basting, quilting, binding

Skill Level: Beginner

Finished Size: 54” x 54” (1.37m x 1.37m)

Fabric Requirements:

Background fabric (includes binding): 2 yards (1.83m)

• CSFSESS.SPGLD Solids - Spark Gold | FreeSpirit Designer Essentials

6 assorted fabric prints: 1/3 yard each (.30m)

• PWWR027.BUTTER Friends & Neighbors - Butter
• PWWR024.SCARLET Bunchberry - Scarlet
• PWWR022.AUTUMN Crop Circles - Autumn
• PWWR020.SUMMERSUN Mill Town – Summer Sun
• PWWR016.ATOMIC Model Home – Atomic
• PWWR031.SPECTRUM Sunrise to Sunset – Spectrum

Quilt batting: 62” x 62” (1.58m)

• CSFSESS.SPGLD Solids - Spark Gold | FreeSpirit Designer Essentials

Suggested Backing Fabric 44” (1.12m) wide: 3 ¼ yds (2.97m)

• QBTHOO6.NEUTRAL Dictionary - Neutral | Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements

Equipment needed:

• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Fabric cutting tools (scissors or rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat)
• Pencil
• Safety pins
• Fabric clips
• Spray starch (optional)
• Walking foot (optional)
• Quilting gloves (optional)

Cutting Directions

Background fabric: Cut (5) 10” x width of fabric strips. Subcut a total of (18) 10” background squares. From the remaining background fabric, subcut (6) 2½” x width of fabrics strips for the binding.

Print fabrics: Cut (1) 10” x width of fabric strip from each of the 6 prints. Subcut (3) 10” squares from each print, for a total of (18) 10” print squares.

Sew the Flying Geese Blocks

1. Use a pencil and ruler to draw a diagonal line on the back side of each 10” background square.

2. Stack a print square and background square right sides together and pin. Sew ¼” from each side of the line you drew. Cut along the drawn line to make two half-square triangles. Finished block size 9" x 9" (22.86cm x 22.86cm).

3. Press the seams toward the print. Arrange the matching half-square triangles so the background forms a large triangle in the center.

4. Sew the half-square triangles together to make a flying geese block. Repeat with all of the 10” background and print squares to make a total of 18 flying geese blocks. Finished block size 9" x 9" (22.86cm x 22.86cm).

5. Press the center seams of all blocks open. Optional: Use spray starch prior to pressing to make the seams lay flatter.

Sew the Quilt Top

1. Arrange the flying geese blocks as shown to make 3 columns of 6 blocks each. The prints can be arranged in the same order (and arrows in the same direction) in all columns; however, you will flip the second row before sewing them together. Sew the blocks in each column, and then press the seams in alternating directions.

2. Pin or clip the columns together so the seams align. Sew the columns together. Press the vertical seams toward the center column.

3. Make a “quilt sandwich” with the backing fabric on the bottom (wrong side facing up), the quilt batting, and the quilt top (right side facing up). Smooth out the layers and use safety pins to baste the layers together. Begin basting from the center of the quilt and work out, placing pins every 3” to 4”.

Note: For best results, your batting and backing should be 4” larger than your quilt top on each side. (My batting shown here is smaller because I pieced together batting scraps to fit my quilt top.)

4. To quilt the layers together, use your sewing machine’s straight stitch. Starting near the center of one side of the quilt, start sewing along a seam, gently shifting the quilt to make a gentle, wavy line. Repeat along each of the major vertical and horizontal seams.

Optional: A walking foot is great for holding the layers together while you quilt straight or wavy lines. I also like to use quilting gloves to make gripping the fabric easier.

Add more quilting between each of the wavy lines until your lines are about 2” to 3” apart.

Trim the edges of the batting and backing with a rotary cutter and ruler to square up the quilt.

Add the quilt binding

1. Take the 6 strips of 2 ½”-wide fabric you cut from the background fabric. Place the ends of two strips together on top of each other at a right angle as shown, right sides together, overlapping each end by ¼”. Stitch a diagonal line across the strips, backstitching at each end.

2. Use scissors to trim ¼” past the seam. Repeat to join all of the binding strips in this way, making one long strip. Press each of the seams open.

3. Press the long binding strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.

4. Starting in the center of one side of the quilt (and leaving about 12” of binding fabric unstitched), begin stitching the folded raw edge of the binding to the raw edge of the quilt front, keeping all raw edges even. Sew ¼” from the edge, stopping just before you reach a corner.

5. Stop sewing the binding when you are ¼” from the corner. Pivot the quilt and sew a diagonal line directly into the corner. Stop and cut the threads.

6. Fold the binding strip back along the diagonal line you just sewed.

7. Keeping the previous diagonal fold, bring the binding back down and place the raw edge along the next unfinished edge of the quilt. Starting at the top, continue sewing ¼” from the edge of the quilt. Repeat steps 5-7 at each corner.

8. Stop sewing when you get about 12” from where you first attached the binding. Take both loose ends of binding, open them up, and fold the right sides toward each other. Pin the opened strips where they would meet against the quilt front. Trim all but ¼” of fabric from each end you pinned. Sew the ends together, pressing the seam open.

9. Refold the binding strip in half. Backstitching at each end, sew the remaining binding ¼” from the edge of the quilt front.

10. Fold the binding around to the back of the quilt so it just overlaps the previous stitch line. Pin or clip in place. Stitch the binding to the back of the quilt using a thread color that matches the background fabric.

11. When you get to a corner, fold the binding in a mitered corner as shown. Stitch until the needle drops into the corner of the new fold, lift the presser foot, and pivot the quilt 90 degrees to continue sewing on the next side. Repeat to sew down all four edges of binding to the back of the quilt.

There you have it! We hope you enjoy making this beginner-friendly picnic quilt from flying geese blocks. This is a great pattern to sew for your summer road trip!

Fabric Details:

To view the complete FreeSpirit Fabrics Log Tavern Road by William Reue collection click here.
To find a retailer near you click here.

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Learn more about Lindsay here.