Flying Geese Calculator
Enter the finished size of your geese and how many you need. The calculator returns the exact squares to cut for the no-waste 4-at-a-time method, plus a fabric estimate.
Tip: use URL parameters to pre-fill, e.g. ?gooseWidth=4&gooseHeight=2&gooseCount=8.
How the cut sizes work
In the no-waste method, one large square of goose fabric and four smaller squares of sky fabric make four flying geese at once. The large square is the finished width plus 1.25 inches: a 4-inch finished goose uses a 5.25-inch square. Each sky square is the finished height plus 0.875 inches: a 2-inch finished goose uses 2.875-inch squares.
Sew the four sky squares onto the corners of the large square, cut the unit apart along the marked diagonals, and trim each goose to its finished size. The allowances above include the 1/4-inch seams and the small amount trimmed when squaring up.
What each input means
Finished width: the visible width of one goose after the quilt is sewn together, before any seam allowance. This is the number in your pattern.
Finished height: the visible height of one goose. Standard geese are half the width, so a 4x2 or 6x3 pairing is the classic look.
Number of geese: how many geese your project needs. The fabric estimate is area-based, so a 4-at-a-time unit that produces four geese counts as four here.
Fabric estimate
The estimate adds the area of every large and sky square, adds 10% for layout waste, and divides by a 42-inch usable fabric width to get yards. If you are mixing fabrics, split the yardage between your goose fabric and sky fabric by the ratio of large squares to small squares.
For the math on half-square triangles used in other blocks, see the half-square triangle calculator.
Common questions
Do I trim my geese after sewing?
Yes. After cutting the unit apart, square each goose to its finished size plus a 1/4-inch seam on all sides. Trimming to the exact finished size keeps your rows aligned.
What if my pattern uses a different ratio?
Enter whatever finished width and height your pattern calls for. The cut-size formulas still work; only the classic look changes.
Is the 4-at-a-time method always no-waste?
It produces four geese with no leftover triangles, but you still trim a little from each unit. The 1.25 and 0.875 allowances account for that trim.