Needlecrafts Quilting Quilting Patterns

No-Waste Flying Geese Cutting Chart and Assembly Options

How to Cut Patchwork for No-Waste Flying Geese

No Waste Flying Geese Cutting Chart
No Waste Flying Geese Cutting Chart Copyright Janet Wickell

Use the handy no waste Flying Geese cutting chart and cutting formula below to create geese of any size for your quilting projects.

Flying Geese are popular patchwork quilt components. There are several ways to construct Flying Geese, but my favorite is the no-waste method, a quick piecing technique that produces four accurate geese from one large and four smaller squares of fabric.

Refer to the no-waste Flying Geese tutorial for complete instructions, but once you're familiar with the process, use the handy Flying Geese cutting chart at the bottom of the page to create geese in many popular sizes.

A Few Things to Remember About Flying Geese

  • Flying Geese are twice as wide as they are tall.
  • The larger square becomes the 'peaked' shape -- the geese (shown as dark patches in the block on this page).
  • The smaller squares become the side triangles.
  • The no-waste method produces four Flying Geese for each set of fabrics you cut.
Finished Size of Geese 1 Large Square 4 Small Squares
1" x 2" 3-1/4" x 3-1/4" 1-7/8" x 1-7/8"
1-1/2" x 3" 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" 2-3/8" x 2-38"
2" x 4" 5-1/4" x 5-1/4" 2-7/8" x 2-7/8"
2-1/2" x 5" 6-1/4" x 6-1/4" 3-3/8" x 3-3/8"
3" x 6 7-1/4" x 7-1/4" 3-7/8" x 3-7/8"
3-1/2" x 7" 8-1/4" x 8-1/4" 4-3/8" x 4-3/8"
4" x 8" 9-1/4" x 9-1/4" 4-7/8" x 4-7/8"
4-1/2" x 9" 10-1/4" x 10-1/4" 5-3/8" x 5-3/8"
5" x 10" 11-1/4" x 11-1/4" 5-7/8" x 5-7/8"
5-1/2" x 11" 12-1/4" x 12-1/4" 6-3/8" x 6-3/8"
6" x 12" 13-1/4" x 13-1/4" 6-7/8" x 6-7/8
No-Waste Flying Geese Cutting Chart

Calculate Additional Sizes of Flying Geese

  • Add 1-1/4" to the finished width of a Flying Geese unit and cut one square with sides that size.
  • Add 7/8" to the finished height of a Flying Geese unit and cut four squares with sides that size.

More Ways to Make Flying Geese

Flying Geese can also be constructed by sewing individual pieces of fabric together. When you use that technique the patches are easier to match up if you trim the long tips of triangles before you sew.

Another method is often used to construct quick pieced Flying Geese. To make geese in that way you'll sew squares to the ends of rectangles in the same way we often make Snowball quilt blocks. It's a good option when you are sewing with small pieces of fabric or when you make a scrap quilt and don't need four identical geese. Do keep in mind that the method produces waste when squares are trimmed to create triangles after sewing.

Special Rotary Rulers Can Help you Sew Flying Geese.

To print this chart, see How to Print Quilt Patterns.