Welcome to Week 2 of the Spring Serenade quilt along!

Time to Complete: 3 to 5 hours (for Spring Serenade QAL) and 1.5 to 2 hours (for bonus project)

Skill Level: Beginner

Project Summary

Hello! This is Wendy of The Weekend Quilter, and welcome to Week Two of the Spring Serenade Quilt Along (QAL)! This week, we're jumping into the creation of our first block design from the quilt pattern. This block showcases flying geese paired with clean, geometric lines to form a vibrant, blooming flower motif. The flying geese positioned in the centre of each block edge symbolize the seasonal return of birds, adding a touch of movement and life to the overall design.

If you're following along, grab your Spring Serenade quilt pattern and turn to pages 5 and 6. If you haven't downloaded your free copy yet, you can get it here.

Now for the exciting part—this blog post includes a bonus project to make the most of your newly mastered no-waste flying geese technique! With the cutting dimensions and assembly steps at hand, you can create a charming flying geese mug rug. The no-waste method generates just the right number of flying geese for you to whip up two mug rugs—perfect for showcasing your favourite fabrics or using up those beloved scraps from your stash. These mug rugs are not just practical; they're a fun, bite-sized way to celebrate your progress on the Spring Serenade quilt! Keep one on hand for your morning coffee or tea while sewing, or gift one to a fellow quilting enthusiast. Each completed mug rug measures 4in x 4in.

This is the second blog post in the six-week Spring Serenade QAL series, with a new post dropping every Monday (starting March 5, 2025). Each week's post will feature tips for completing that week's tasks or fun bonus projects that build on the skills being explored. Even if you're not following the Spring Serenade pattern, these insights can be applied to future quilt projects. Sign up for the weekly QAL newsletter* here to stay up-to-date on tasks, tips, and bonus content. The newsletter will only run for the six weeks of the QAL, so you won't miss a thing.

For a comprehensive overview of what the QAL entails—including the schedule, tools, supplies, and more—check out the previous Spring Serenade QAL blog post here Remember, you're welcome to join at any time and work at your own pace. If you'd prefer, you can save the posts and follow along at a later date.

All weekly tips, tricks, and resources will be centralized here for easy reference, so bookmark it!

*By signing up for the Spring Serenade QAL updates, you also agree to sign up to be on The Weekend Quilter and Brother International email newsletter list. We will not sell your email or spam you.

For More Tips...

If you're looking for additional advice on the no-waste flying geese technique, be sure to check out my previous guest blog post on Brother Stitching Sewcial: How to Sew No-Waste Flying Geese with Directional Fabric.

Supplies and Tools

If you're looking for additional advice on the no-waste flying geese technique, be sure to check out my previous guest blog post on Brother Stitching Sewcial: How to Sew No-Waste Flying Geese with Directional Fabric.

For this week's bonus project on how to make flying geese mug rugs, you will need the following:

• Basic sewing machine - the Brother Innovis BQ3100 from the Quilt Club Series was used in this tutorial
• Rotary cutter
• Quilting ruler
• Cutting mat
• Fabrics, quilting cotton - cut:
  • Fabric A (background): 4 squares, 2⅞in
  • Fabric B (flying geese triangle): 1 square, 5¼in
  • Fabric C (mug rug back): 2 squares, 4½in
• Coordinating thread, 50wt cotton for piecing
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Pins
• Fabric scissors
• Seam ripper
• Iron and ironing board or wool pressing mat
• Batting - cut: 1 square, 6½in
• Basting spray (if spray basting) or safety pins (if pin basting)
• Hera marker or a non-serrated dull knife - to mark quilting guidelines
• Point turner (optional)

Directions

Read through all the directions before you start. Seam allowance throughout the project is ¼in, unless specified. The directions are broken down into two key parts: Flying Geese Units / Mug Rug Top Assembly; and Mug Rug Assembly.

Flying Geese Units / Mug Rug Top Assembly

Step 1: The first step of this mug rug tutorial follows Block A – Flying Geese Units, Steps 1 to 5 (page 5) of the Spring Serenade quilt pattern to make four (4) Flying Geese units.

As outlined in this tutorial, you’ll need to cut four (4) Fabric A 2⅞in squares. These are referred as A5 squares in the Spring Serenade quilt pattern; and the one (1) Fabric B 5¼in square in this tutorial is referred to as C1 square in the Spring Serenade Quilt Pattern.

If you haven't downloaded your free copy of Spring Serenade PDF Quilt Pattern yet, you can get it here.

Step 2: Following the diagram below, sew together two (2) Flying Geese units to create one (1) Mug Rug Top. Press the seam.

Repeat this step to create a total of two (2) Mug Rug Tops.

Mug Rug Assembly

A quilt sandwich (in this instance, a Mug Rug coaster sandwich) usually consists of three layers - quilt (mug rug) top, batting, and quilt (mug rug) back. For this particular project, the sandwich is made up of the Mug Rug Top created in the previous section and one layer of batting. The backing fabric is omitted from the mug rug sandwich and will be added in a later step. This later step will enclose the raw edges of the mug rug.

Step 1: Lay your batting down and place the Mug Rug Top on top of the batting. The wrong side of the Mug Rug Top should be touching the batting. Baste the layers together using your preferred method, and machine quilt on a domestic sewing machine to secure the layers to create one (1) Mug Rug Sandwich.

Step 2: Remove excess batting with a quilting ruler and rotary cutter.

Step 3: With right sides together, pin one (1) Mug Rug Sandwich on top of one (1) Fabric C 4½in square, sew ¼in away from all four edges, leaving approximately 2½in opening to turn the mug rug right side out. Don't forget to reverse stitch at the start and end of the seam/

Step 4: With a pair of fabric scissors, carefully clip the corners, avoiding the seams. This will remove the seam bulk.

Step 5: Turn the mug rug right side out. Use a point-turner or similar tool to get the corners looking crisp.

Step 6: With an iron, press the seams in place and topstitch ⅛in away from all four edges to complete one (1) Mug Rug. Topstitching will help the layers stay in place.

Step 7: Repeat Mug Rug Assembly, Steps 1 to 6 with the second Mug Rug Top created in the previous section to create second Mug Rug.

Step 8: Trim loose threads and enjoy!

Creating these no-waste flying geese mug rugs is a fun and rewarding way to practice your piecing skills while making something both beautiful and functional. Whether you keep them for yourself or gift them to a fellow maker, these little projects are sure to brighten up any sewing space or coffee table. Plus, they're a perfect companion to your Spring Serenade quilt journey, giving you a quick win and an extra dose of inspiration as you continue working through the quilt along.

Seeing your work brings us so much joy! Be sure to share your works-in-progress on social media by tagging Wendy @The.WeekendQuilter and @BrotherSews and using the #SpringSerenadeQuilt #BrotherSews hashtags.

Till next time, happy sewing!