Quiltspiration

How to make flying geese

A flying goose is a rectangle twice as wide as it is tall: a large triangle (the goose) with a small triangle (the sky) on each side. A 4" × 2" goose sewn by stitch and flip starts from a 4½" × 2½" rectangle and two 2½" squares.

The no-waste method makes four geese at once from one 5¼" square and four 2⅞" squares, with no triangles left over.

By Editorial Staff

Stitch and flip

  1. Lay a sky square on the left end of the goose rectangle, right sides together. Draw a line on its back from the bottom left corner to the top right, and sew on the line.

    A square on the left end of a rectangle, sewn corner to corner

  2. Trim ¼" past the stitching, on the corner side, and press the sky triangle open.

    The corner trimmed and the triangle pressed open

  3. Lay the second square on the right end and draw the line from its top left corner to the bottom right, so it crosses the first one at the top. Sew, trim and press the same way.

    The second square on the right end, sewn the other way

  4. The goose measures 4½" × 2½", and its point sits ¼" below the top edge, ready to be sewn into the block without losing the tip.

    A finished flying goose, 4½ by 2½ inches

Four at a time, no waste

  1. Lay two sky squares on opposite corners of the goose square, right sides together; they overlap a little in the middle. Draw one line corner to corner through both.

    Two small squares on opposite corners of a large square, with one diagonal line through both

  2. Sew ¼" from the line on both sides, cut on the line, and press the small triangles open. Each half now has a large goose triangle with a sky triangle on each short side. Lay a sky square on the corner of each, draw the diagonal, sew ¼" from both sides, cut and press again.

    Stitching a quarter inch either side of the line, then cutting on it

  3. You have four geese. Trim each to 4½" × 2½", keeping the point ¼" from the top edge.

    Four finished flying geese

Cut sizes for flying geese

Cut sizes
FinishedStitch and flip: rectangle and 2 squaresFour at a time: 1 square and 4 squares
2" × 1"2½" × 1½" and 1½"3¼" and 1⅞"
3" × 1½"3½" × 2" and 2"4¼" and 2⅜"
4" × 2"4½" × 2½" and 2½"5¼" and 2⅞"
5" × 2½"5½" × 3" and 3"6¼" and 3⅜"
6" × 3"6½" × 3½" and 3½"7¼" and 3⅞"
8" × 4"8½" × 4½" and 4½"9¼" and 4⅞"

The flying geese calculator works out any count, and the Flying Geese quilt pattern and the Sawtooth Star block use them.

Plan your next quilt in your own fabric

Quiltspiration draws any pattern in the fabric you own and works out the cut list for any size.