How to Calculate Flying Geese: A Complete Guide

Quick answer: how to calculate flying geese

A flying geese block is a rectangle made from one large triangle in the centre and two small triangles on the sides, with two different fabrics. Its finished width is twice its finished height, for example 6 by 3 inches, or 4 by 2 inches.

For the no-waste method, large square cut size equals finished width plus 1 and 1/4 inches, which is 1.25 inches, and small square cut size equals finished height plus 7/8 inch, which is 0.875 inches. One no-waste set, with 1 large square and 4 small squares, makes 4 flying geese.

For example, finished 6 by 3 inch flying geese need 7.25 inch large squares and 3.88 inch small squares, which is 3 and 7/8 inches. If you need 18 geese, you need 5 sets, 5 large squares, 20 small squares, and you make 20 geese, with 2 extra geese.

Use the Flying Geese Calculator with your own finished width, finished height and geese count, to check cut sizes and sets needed before you cut.

How to calculate flying geese

What you need to measure

You need three inputs: finished flying geese width, finished flying geese height, and flying geese needed. Finished width and finished height are sizes in the finished quilt, after seams are sewn, not cut sizes. Finished width must be twice finished height, for standard flying geese. Flying geese needed is a whole number, greater than zero. Count flying geese by fabric pair, not by quilt, if different fabric pairs use different finished sizes.

Formula and calculation rule

Large square cut size equals finished width plus 1.25 inches, for the no-waste method. Small square cut size equals finished height plus 0.875 inches, for the no-waste method. The extra sizes cover seam allowances and trimming to finished size. Sets needed equals flying geese needed divided by 4, rounded up to a whole number, because one no-waste set makes 4 flying geese, and a partial set cannot be sewn. Large squares needed equals sets needed times 1, because each set uses 1 large square. Small squares needed equals sets needed times 4, because each set uses 4 small squares. Flying geese made equals sets needed times 4, because each set makes 4 flying geese.

Step by step example

Take finished flying geese size 6 by 3 inches, flying geese needed 18.

Large square cut size: 6 plus 1.25 equals 7.25 inches.

Small square cut size: 3 plus 0.875 equals 3.88 inches, which is 3 and 7/8 inches.

Sets needed: 18 divided by 4 equals 4.5, rounded up to 5 sets.

Large squares needed: 5 times 1 equals 5 squares. Small squares needed: 5 times 4 equals 20 squares.

Flying geese made: 5 times 4 equals 20 geese, with 2 extra geese, because 18 is not a multiple of 4.

Flying geese cut size chart

Finished flying geese size	Large square cut size	Small square cut size
2 by 1 inches	3.25 inches	1.88 inches
4 by 2 inches	5.25 inches	2.88 inches
6 by 3 inches	7.25 inches	3.88 inches
8 by 4 inches	9.25 inches	4.88 inches

Use this chart for common finished sizes. For other finished sizes, use the calculator above, with the same formulas: large square equals finished width plus 1.25 inches, small square equals finished height plus 0.875 inches.

Important variations and exceptions

• Geese count not a multiple of 4. If flying geese needed is not a multiple of 4, sets needed is rounded up, and flying geese made will be more than flying geese needed, which is extra geese, not a mistake. For example, 18 geese need 5 sets, and make 20 geese, with 2 extra geese.
• Width not twice height. Standard flying geese have finished width twice finished height. If your width is not twice your height, your block is not a standard flying geese block, and the no-waste formulas in this guide do not apply. Check width and height before calculating, or use a different method for non-standard rectangles.
• Other flying geese methods. This guide and calculator use the no-waste method only. Other methods, such as traditional single geese or stitch and flip, use different cut sizes and different square counts, and they are not calculated here. Do not use no-waste cut sizes for another method, or your geese will be the wrong size.
• Directional prints. If your fabric has a directional print and triangles must all run one way, check triangle orientation before cutting, because diagonal cutting turns print direction. This calculator counts squares, it does not check print direction.

Other method, side by side, and trimming

This calculator and this guide use the no-waste, four-at-a-time method only. The other common method, stitch-and-flip, one-at-a-time, is different, and its cut sizes must not be mixed with no-waste cut sizes. For one stitch-and-flip goose, cut one rectangle at finished size plus 0.5 inches each way, and two corner squares at finished height plus 0.5 inches. For a 6 by 3 inch finished goose, that is one 6.5 by 3.5 inch rectangle and two 3.5 inch squares, per goose. No-waste gives four geese from one large and four small squares, stitch-and-flip gives one goose from one rectangle and two squares, so batch counts and yardage differ completely between methods.

Trimming, in order: sew the small squares to the large square on both diagonals, cut, press, then trim each goose to unfinished size, which is finished size plus 0.5 inches each way. For a 6 by 3 inch finished goose, trim to 6.5 by 3.5 inches. Keep starting squares whole until stitched, and align the ruler diagonal with the seam when trimming, or points will be cut off. If units come out too small, check for a scant 0.25 inch seam before changing cut sizes. If units come out too big, trim to unfinished size, do not leave them oversize, or the finished size will grow.

Batch leftovers: no-waste makes geese in sets of four. If geese needed is not a multiple of four, sets round up, and extra geese are made, as in the worked example above, 18 needed gives 20 made, with 2 extra. That is not a mistake, and the extra geese can be kept as spares.

How to make sure your result is correct

• Check finished width is twice finished height. Finished width must be twice finished height, for standard flying geese. For example, width 6 inches and height 3 inches. If width is not twice height, the calculator shows an error, and no cut sizes are given.
• Check finished size, not cut size. Measure finished width and finished height in the finished quilt, after seams are sewn, not cut sizes before seams are sewn. Using cut sizes in the formulas gives cut sizes too large by 1.25 inches for large squares and by 0.875 inches for small squares.
• Check units. Finished width, finished height and cut sizes must be in the same unit, inches or centimetres. In centimetre mode, 1.25 inches equals 3.18 centimetres, rounded at two decimal places, because 1.25 times 2.54 equals 3.175 centimetres, and 0.875 inches equals 2.22 centimetres, because 0.875 times 2.54 equals 2.2225 centimetres.
• Check geese made against geese needed. Geese made equals sets needed times 4. If geese made is less than geese needed, you have too few sets. If geese made is more than geese needed, and geese needed is not a multiple of 4, that is expected, not a mistake.

Worked example: 6 by 3 inch finished geese, 18 geese needed

This worked example is different from the tool page example, which uses 4 by 2 inch finished geese and 20 geese needed.

Large square cut size: 6 plus 1.25 equals 7.25 inches.

Small square cut size: 3 plus 0.875 equals 3.88 inches, which is 3 and 7/8 inches.

Sets needed: 18 divided by 4 equals 4.5, rounded up to 5 sets.

Large squares needed: 5 times 1 equals 5 squares. Small squares needed: 5 times 4 equals 20 squares.

Flying geese made: 5 times 4 equals 20 geese, with 2 extra geese, because 18 is not a multiple of 4.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides and calculators

Next, read How to Calculate Half-Square Triangles and How to Calculate Quarter-Square Triangles for the other triangle units. For flying geese themselves, use the Flying Geese Calculator.