Flying Geese Calculator — Cut Sizes & Yardage
Enter how many flying geese units you need, the FINISHED width and height, and your construction method. The calculator gives the geese fabric cut size and quantity, the background fabric cut size and quantity, the unfinished unit size, and the yardage for each fabric (rounded up to the next 1/8 yard).
What this calculator determines
It calculates the geese and background cut sizes, quantities, unfinished unit size, and per-fabric yardage for flying geese using traditional stitch-and-flip or no-waste methods.
Related calculators
Half-Square Triangle (HST) Calculator
Cut sizes and yardage for half-square triangles — traditional, 4-at-a-time, and 8-at-a-time methods
Quarter-Square Triangle (QST) Calculator
Cut sizes and yardage for quarter-square triangles using the verified traditional method
Setting Triangle Calculator
Cut sizes, counts, and yardage for side and corner setting triangles in on-point quilts
Quilt Block Size Calculator
Cut size for a finished block — finished size plus two seam allowances
Quilt Block Layout Calculator
How many blocks fit and how to arrange them, with sashing and borders
Examples
20 geese, 2″ × 1″, Traditional
20 geese, 2″ wide × 1″ tall, traditional, 42″ fabric
Calculation
- Geese rectangle: (2 + 0.5) × (1 + 0.5) = 2.5″ × 1.5″, 20 needed
- Background squares: (1 + 0.5)² = 1.5″ × 1.5″, 40 needed
- Unfinished: 2.5″ × 1.5″
- Geese: floor(42 ÷ 2.5) = 16 across, ceil(20 ÷ 16) = 2 rows, 2 × 1.5 = 3″ → 0.125 yd
- Background: floor(42 ÷ 1.5) = 28 across, ceil(40 ÷ 28) = 2 rows, 2 × 1.5 = 3″ → 0.125 yd
Geese 2.5″×1.5″ (20) + background 1.5″² (40) — buy 0.125 yd each
20 geese, 2″ × 1″, No-waste
20 geese, 2″ wide × 1″ tall, no-waste, 42″ fabric
Calculation
- Large geese square: 2 + 1.25 = 3.25″; sets = ceil(20 ÷ 4) = 5 large squares
- Small background squares: 1 + 0.875 = 1.875″; 5 × 4 = 20 small squares
- Unfinished: 2.5″ × 1.5″
- Geese: floor(42 ÷ 3.25) = 12 across, ceil(5 ÷ 12) = 1 row, 1 × 3.25 = 3.25″ → 0.125 yd
- Background: floor(42 ÷ 1.875) = 22 across, ceil(20 ÷ 22) = 1 row, 1 × 1.875 = 1.875″ → 0.125 yd
5 large (3.25″) + 20 small (1.875″) squares — buy 0.125 yd each
40 geese, 3″ × 1.5″, No-waste
40 geese, 3″ wide × 1.5″ tall, no-waste, 42″ fabric
Calculation
- Large geese square: 3 + 1.25 = 4.25″; sets = ceil(40 ÷ 4) = 10 large squares
- Small background squares: 1.5 + 0.875 = 2.375″; 10 × 4 = 40 small squares
- Geese: floor(42 ÷ 4.25) = 9 across, ceil(10 ÷ 9) = 2 rows, 2 × 4.25 = 8.5″ → 0.25 yd
- Background: floor(42 ÷ 2.375) = 17 across, ceil(40 ÷ 17) = 3 rows, 3 × 2.375 = 7.125″ → 0.25 yd
10 large (4.25″) + 40 small (2.375″) squares — buy 0.25 yd each
Assumptions & Conventions
- Seam allowance
- Cut sizes are based on a ¼″ seam allowance; the +1¼″ and +⅞″ additions in the no-waste method include its diagonal seams.
- Cut rounding
- Yardage is rounded up to the next 1/8 yard.
- Per-fabric yardage
- Geese and background fabrics are calculated separately; buy each amount unless both come from the same cut.