Flying Geese Calculator: No-Waste and Stitch-and-Flip Cut Sizes and Yardage

A flying geese unit is a rectangle twice as wide as it is tall, with a large center triangle, the goose, and two small side triangles, the sky. Enter the finished size and how many you need. The calculator gives the pieces to cut and the yardage of goose and sky fabric for both popular methods.

Tools for a quilt full of flying geese

Two dozen geese or more means lots of small squares and lots of trimming. These make both faster.

Intermediate

Olfa

Olfa 17 x 17 Rotating Cutting Mat RM-17S

$100.98

Trim all four sides of each goose by turning the mat, not the unit.

Check price

Intermediate

Creative Grids

Creative Grids 12-1/2 x 24-1/2 Rectangle Quilt Ruler

$55.99

A 12 1/2 x 24 1/2 in ruler for cutting squares from strips without switching rulers.

Check price

Expert

AccuQuilt

AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter Starter Set

$329.99

A folding die cutter that cuts up to six layers of cotton at once.

Check price

Prices change often, so confirm on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

How do you calculate flying geese cut sizes?

Every size here is for a unit that finishes 2 x 4 inches, meaning it shows 2 inches tall and 4 inches wide in the quilt. Before it is sewn into a block, it measures 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches, which includes a 1/4 inch seam allowance on all four sides.

No-waste method, four at a time

1. Large square for the geese: finished width + 1 1/4 inches. 4 + 1 1/4 = 5 1/4 inches.
2. Four small squares for the sky: finished height + 7/8 inch. 2 + 7/8 = 2 7/8 inches.
3. Sets needed: geese divided by 4, rounded up. 24 / 4 = 6 large squares and 24 small squares.
4. Yardage: 5 1/4 inch squares fit 7 across a 40 inch strip, so 6 squares take 1 strip, or 1/4 yard of goose fabric. 2 7/8 inch squares fit 13 per strip, so 24 take 2 strips, 1/4 yard of sky fabric.

To sew, place two small squares on opposite corners of the large square, right sides together, so their tips overlap in the middle. Draw a diagonal through both, sew 1/4 inch on each side of the line, cut on the line and press toward the small triangles. Place a small square on the remaining corner of each piece, draw, sew both sides, cut and press. Four geese.

Stitch-and-flip method, one at a time

1. Goose rectangle: finished width + 1/2 by finished height + 1/2. 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.
2. Two sky squares per goose: finished height + 1/2. 2 1/2 inches, 48 squares for 24 geese.
3. Yardage: 3 strips for the rectangles, 1/4 yard, and 3 strips for the squares, 1/4 yard.

Draw a diagonal on each sky square, place one on a corner of the rectangle, sew on the line, trim 1/4 inch past the seam and press. Repeat on the opposite corner so the two seams meet at the top center, 1/4 inch below the raw edge.

What size do you cut for each flying geese size?

This chart covers the standard 2 to 1 sizes. Each size links to its own page with sawtooth star measurements.

How much fabric do you need for 24 flying geese?

Twenty-four geese make six sawtooth stars, a common block count for a table runner or the center of a baby quilt. Yardage uses 40 inches of usable width and rounds up to the next 1/8 yard.

For small geese the two methods look the same on paper, because yardage rounds up to the nearest 1/8 yard. The difference grows with size. Stitch-and-flip trims away two sky triangles from every goose, which on 6 x 12 inch geese is a lot of fabric in the scrap bin. Some quilters sew a second line 1/2 inch from the first before trimming and turn those offcuts into small bonus half square triangles.

Which flying geese method should you use?

• No-waste is the favorite for quilts with many matching geese. It makes four at a time from one large and four small squares, uses fabric efficiently, and each goose has straight grain on its outside edges. It does need precise 1/8 inch cuts.
• Stitch-and-flip is the easiest to understand and the best for scrappy quilts where every goose has different sky fabric. It uses whole 1/2 inch measurements, but the sewn diagonal can drift and it wastes fabric.
• Oversize and trim works with either method. Cutting the no-waste squares 1/4 and 1/8 inch larger, then trimming each goose to size with a square ruler, is the most reliable path to sharp points.

Flying geese are the frame of the sawtooth star, the backbone of a geese border, and a common unit in larger star blocks. A 3 x 6 inch goose builds a 12 inch sawtooth star. For matching half square triangles, use the half square triangle calculator, and to plan the whole quilt, the quilt fabric yardage calculator adds up every fabric.

Can you cut flying geese with a die cutter?

Yes. Fabric die cutters use steel-rule dies to cut shapes through several layers at once, with the seam allowance built in. For a quilt with a hundred or more geese, that means stacking fabric instead of drawing and trimming every diagonal. The results panel switches to die-cutting and machine suggestions when your count reaches 100. If you are deciding between systems, the AccuQuilt GO! vs GO! Big comparison explains the size and die differences.