What direction do the geese fly? Geese fly north in the springtime or summer. The flying geese pattern served two purposes for the slaves. They indicated the direction to travel, and the best time of year for their escape. The slaves were to take their cues on direction, timing and behaviors from the migrating geese. Much like how they followed the bears paw tracks to find food and water, the Geese would also stop at waterways along their journey to drink and eat.
This pattern is also known as Wild Goose Chase and Duchman’s Puzzle. The geese point in all four directions, north, south, east and west. The quilter would simply use a different color in one corner of the block to indicate which direction to travel. This could be used as a sort of compass.
Flying Geese is a common design that can be found in many many patterns. A search of the internet will find directions to make this block using half square triangles, or other methods such as two-at-a-time and four-at-a-time flying geese. There is no right or wrong, just find the technique that you like best and enjoy.
