Flying geese calculator

Two ways to make flying geese

No-waste method (4 at a time)

Place two small squares on opposite corners of the large square, right sides together, draw a diagonal line through both, and sew ¼ in either side of it. Cut on the line, press, add a small square to the corner of each piece, sew and cut again. One large square and four small squares give four geese with no offcuts.

large square = finished width + 1¼ in
small squares = finished height + ⅞ in (4 per large square)

Stitch-and-flip (1 at a time)

Place a small square on one end of the rectangle, sew on the diagonal, trim ¼ in beyond the seam and press. Repeat on the other end. Simple and very accurate, but it leaves triangle offcuts.

rectangle = (finished width + ½ in) × (finished height + ½ in)
small squares = finished height + ½ in (2 per goose)

Example: for 4 × 2 in finished geese, the no-waste method needs 5¼ in large squares and 2⅞ in small squares. Stitch-and-flip needs 4½ × 2½ in rectangles and 2½ in squares. Either way, each goose measures 4½ × 2½ in before it's sewn in.

Tips

• If your geese come out a little small, cut the no-waste squares ⅛ in bigger and trim each goose to size afterwards.
• Sew a thread's width to the outside of the drawn line on stitch-and-flip units, so the corner reaches the edge when pressed.
• Keep the triangle offcuts from stitch-and-flip: sewn together, they make tiny bonus HSTs.