How it works
No-waste, makes 4: 1 large square = finished width + 1¼"
4 small squares = finished height + ⅞"
Stitch and flip: rectangle = (width + ½") × (height + ½")
2 squares = height + ½"
Unit before sewing in = (width + ½") × (height + ½")
No-waste method: place two small squares on opposite corners of the large square, sew ¼" either side of the diagonal, cut apart, add a third and fourth small square, sew and cut again. One large and four small squares make four geese with no leftover triangles. It only works when the goose is twice as wide as it is tall.
Stitch and flip: sew a square to one end of the rectangle on the diagonal, trim, press, then repeat on the other end. It is simpler and works for any proportion, but each goose throws away two small triangles.
If your geese tend to come out small, add ⅛" to the no-waste squares and trim each goose to the unfinished size.
Worked example
For 8 geese finishing at 4" × 2": no-waste needs two 5¼" squares for the geese and eight 2⅞" squares for the sky. Stitch and flip needs eight 4½" × 2½" rectangles and sixteen 2½" squares.
Last checked October 2026 against standard quilting and knitting math. Found a mistake? Tell us and we’ll fix it.