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The Flock of Geese block is Month Three!
The Flock of Geese block has to be a part of our River Heritage Mystery Quilt. Geese are seen throughout the year flying near and over the river.
Pictured above is Tower Rock (Grand Tower) on the frozen Mississippi River. Tower Rock is impassable except when the river is extremely low or frozen over.
This photo, taken by Jake Pohlman in January 2018, shows people crossing the frozen river to the landmark island and rock formation usually only accessible by land during extreme drought.
Tower Rock
Tower Rock is located in the Brazeau Township, Perry County, Missouri, near the town of Wittenberg, Missouri, and across the river from Grand Tower, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Jacques Marquette, a French explorer, mentioned this island in 1673 when he passed by this formation. Tower Rock has been known to instill both fear and poetry in river pilots due to the force of the whirlpool effect the water hitting the formation creates.
Flocks of geese are common near the river.
A flock of geese is a common sight in our area, especially in the fields adjacent to the river line. Therefore, it is fitting that this Flock of Geese block be a part of our River Heritage quilt!
Flock of Geese Block
Welcome to the third month in the River Heritage Block-of-the-Month Mystery Quilt!
Flock of Geese is made with two easy components but, as with Railroad Crossing, it can be used to make a stunning quilt by itself or with a secondary block.
As I mentioned in the introduction, I am making my quilt blocks very scrappy, so where it calls for one large dark and one large light square, I make two to achieve a scrappy look. I toss my extra squares in my BOM scrap bin to grab for future blocks.
Check your values!
The Flock of Geese block uses dark and light fabrics. It is an easy block made with two four-patches of half-square triangles (HS) and two large half-square triangles.
Flock of Geese Block Printer Friendly Version
Chain Piecing for Four Patches
To speed up your process, use a chain piecing method for the four-patch units.
Finally, share your Flock of Geese using #riverheritage on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Wow, does this ever hit home. My family lived the first year of my life just north of Tower Rock on the river bank. The dangers of the water behind Tower Rock almost claimed my father’s life as he navigated the Mississippi to work at the Grand Tower power plant. This prompted our move to Grand Tower where I lived the next 18 years though we maintained farming in Missouri utilizing a boat. Many riverboat captains, including my brother, spoke often of the Tower Rock as they navigated the Mississippi.
Wow, Jewel, that is so interesting! Thanks for sharing that – wonder if you could share that at guild?
Want me to share at Guild tonight?
Sure!