The Stunning Virginia Quilt Block ~
A tutorial for 9", 12" and 15" finished blocks

Instead of calling it the Virginia quilt block, perhaps it should be called the 'stubby star' quilt block. <cracks myself up!> You've got all the pointy goodness of a Sawtooth Star in the center, but none of the points to match at the edges. 

Stacked pairs of Flying Geese are quick and easy to stitch with paper piecing,

But if the idea of paper piecing makes you vomit in your mouth a bit—don't worry, I've got you covered.

Directions for making the Flying Geese 4-at-a-time are also included if you'd rather stick pins in your eyes than paper piece.

General Instructions

This tutorial contains several common abbreviations. They are:

• SA—seam allowance
• RST—right sides together
• FG—Flying Geese

1/4" SA are used through this tutorial. 

Highlighted in yellow, pressing instructions are easy to spot.

To press, first press the patches in the closed position as they came off your sewing machine. This sets the seam, melding the fibers of the threads into the fibers of the fabric.

Then press the SA to the dark unless otherwise noted.

Check your accuracy before moving on to the following units. These are the edge-to-edge measurements for each of the finished block sizes:

• 9" - 3½" x 3½"
• 12" - 4½" x 4½"
• 15" - 5½" x 5½"

Flying Geese Pairs

Make 4   

Anytime a pattern calls for pairs of Flying Geese, my go-to method is paper piecing. No specialty rulers required. It's easier to create perfect points, and there's less trimming. 

These first instructions are for paper piecing these units. 

If you prefer to use a traditional piecing technique AND you cut your patches from the green cutting chart above, CLICK HERE, The link takes you further down in the instructions for that traditional piecing information using the 4-at-a-time FG technique.

Use a small dot of Elmer's Washable Glue Stick to glue the #1 to the unprinted side of the pattern. The dashed guidelines make accurate positioning a cinch.

Repeat this gluing for all four units, so you can put the glue stick away.

With RST, layer the long edge of a #2 with one short edge of #1.

While it doesn't matter which side you sew first, it does help to be consistent, i.e., always start on the left side, OR always start on the right. 

Sew on the solid line between #1 and #2, starting and ending your stitches a good 1/4" before and after the line.

After adding the first #2, press.

Repeat for the second #2 as shown below. Press.

Here you can see how I've stitched a generous 1/4" past both ends of the two solid stitching lines.

Sometimes a stitch or two will pull out before the block is assembled. Those extra stitches keep your seams secure.

Position the edge of your ruler with the solid line between the #2s and #3. Fold the pattern back on itself on this line. 

You'll have to pull the paper away from the stitches a bit—the paper may rip. This is completely normal.

If it rips too much and distorts the pattern, use a bit of Scotch Brand® Magic Tape to repair it from the printed side. (Don't iron on the tape, it'll crud up your iron.)

Align the 1/4" line of the ruler (red arrow) with the folded edge of the pattern, and trim, leaving behind a perfect 1/4" SA.

After the trimming is complete, you have the perfect placement line for #3.

Align the long edge of a #3 (it's the same fabric as the #2s) with the cut edge.

Stitch on the line, starting and stopping beyond the outside dashed lines on the pattern.

Press.

To trim the SAs to create the perfect placement, fold back the pattern on the line between #3 and a #4 like we did before, aligning the 1/4" marking with the fold, and trimming away the excess fabric.

Repeat for the other side.

With RST, add a #4 to each side of #3, pressing between each addition. 

Notice how I've scooched the edge of the orange patch a bit past the edge of the darker #3? I don't want that darker #3 print to show through the top of my quilt (to shadow through).

By positioning #4 this way, the darker #3 won't stick out further than the SA when the patches are pressed.

Remember to stitch, starting and stopping past the outside dashed lines of the unit.

Just like the last seam, you can chain piece the seams of these patches BECAUSE the seam lines extend from one edge to the other. 

Chain piecing in paper piecing?

Who'd a-thunk it!

Once all 4 FGs are stitched and pressed, use your rotary cutter and ruler to trim the FG to perfection.

Beautiful, aren't they. Smooth edges all around, perfect pointy-points ending exactly where they should. 

Paper piecing is a terrific tool to have in your quilting repertoire. I hope this technique becomes a favorite of yours, too!

NOTE: Since the patches to make this unit were precut, all the outside edges are on the straight of grain. After the final pressing of these units, I remove the paper.

Use this chart for the Center measurement and the 'Trim to' size.

FG Dimensions using 4-at-a-time Method
Finished Block Size	Center Measurement	Trim individual FG to	After sewing, FG pairs measure
9"	1¾"	2" x 3½"	3½" x 3½"
12"	2¼"	2½" x 4½"	4½" x 4½"
15"	2¾"	3" x 5½"	5½" x 5½"

Find the Center measurement for the block size you're working on. It's 1-3/4" for our 9" finished sample.

Position the point of the Goose with the Center measurement, 1/4" in from the edge. This is your 1/4" seam allowance. (blue arrow)

The Trim To measurements are used to position the bottom edge of the ruler.  The height of the Goose (the lower number) is directly over the diagonal seam on one side. The width measurement is over the seam on the other side. (red arrows)

Once these three points are correctly positioned, trim away the excess fabric on the top and right sides (if you're right-handed).

Flip your FG with the point at the bottom. Line up the freshly cut edges with the Trim To measurements—2" and 3-1/2" for our 9" sample. (red arrows)

If you're using a square ruler for trimming, the 45° diagonal marking on it should line up with the seam allowance.

The point at the bottom (blue arrow) is 1/4" in from the bottom at a distance equal to the Center measurement—1-3/4" for our sample.

Once all the points are in place, trim away the excess.

At this point, you have four each of the #1/#2 and the #3/#4 Flying Geese units. All exactly the size you need.

With RST, stitch one of each together, matching the top edge of #1/#2 to the bottom edge of #3/#4. 

Press with the SAs toward the #3/#4 or top Goose.

Repeat for the remaining 3 pairs of FG.

With RST, stitch them into rows.

Press.

And finally, sew the rows together. 

With a good final press, your Virginia quilt block looks like this. 

A sparkling success!

Now for a quick look at the backside to see how all those SAs work together.

We were able to press all the SAs with background fabric underneath the star. This will help our Virginia stars to stand out a bit against the background—exactly what we like our piecing to do.