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Cutting dimensions for any flying geese unit — standard 3-piece method and no-waste four-at-a-time.
Standard geese are twice as wide as they are tall, so the height is set for you: 6″ wide finishes 3″ tall.
For 6″ × 3″ finished geese (6½″ × 3½″ unfinished):
Per set of four: one 7¼″ goose square and four 3⅞″ sky squares. Two sky squares on opposite corners of the goose square, sew ¼″ each side of the diagonal, cut apart; a sky square on each piece, sew and cut again. Four geese, no offcuts.
| Fabric | Cut | Pieces | Per fat quarter | Fat quarters | Or yardage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goose | 7¼″ large squares | 4 | 4 | 1 | ¼ yd (1 strip) |
| Sky (background) | 3⅞″ small squares | 16 | 20 | 1 | ¼ yd (2 strips) |
4 sets → 16 geese. Yardage assumes 40″ usable width; fat quarters assume 18″ × 21″ after trimming.
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Standard method: Background squares = finished height + 1/2″. Center rectangle = (finished width + 1/2″) × (finished height + 1/2″).
No-waste 4-at-a-time: Large square = finished width + 1-1/4″. Small squares = finished height + 7/8″. One large + four small = 4 geese.
| Finished Unit (W×H) | Bg squares (×2) |
|---|---|
| 2″×1″ | 1½" |
| 3″×1.5″ | 2" |
| 4″×2″ | 2½" |
| 5″×2.5″ | 3" |
| 6″×3″ | 3½" |
| 8″×4″ | 4½" |
| 10″×5″ | 5½" |
| 12″×6″ | 6½" |
Solids show off the geometry cleanly; a print background hides mismatched points.
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For the standard 3-piece method: cut the center rectangle at (finished width + 1/2") × (finished height + 1/2"). Cut two background squares at (finished height + 1/2") — the same as the rectangle's unfinished height. Draw a diagonal on each background square. Place on opposite corners of the rectangle, sew on the diagonal, trim, and press open.
The no-waste (four-at-a-time) method uses one large square and four small squares. Large square = finished width + 1-1/4". Small squares = finished height + 7/8". For a 4×2" goose that is one 5-1/4" square and four 2-7/8" squares. Place two small squares on opposite corners of the large square, sew, cut, then add the remaining small squares. You get 4 flying geese units with no wasted fabric.
Standard flying geese units have a 2:1 width-to-height ratio. A 4×2" finished unit is the most common. The unit looks like a triangle (the goose) pointing right, with two smaller triangles (the sky) on either side.
Divide the border length by the finished flying geese unit width. For a 60"-wide quilt with 3"×6" units (pointing sideways), you need 60 ÷ 6 = 10 units per side border. Always check that the number divides evenly before cutting; adjust the finished quilt size or add corner squares if needed.