How much fabric for a quilt: backing, binding, borders and batting
Backing, binding and batting for every standard quilt size from crib to king, with the formulas, so you can buy the right amount of fabric.
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Half-square triangle, hourglass and flying geese cutting chart
Short answer
With a ¼" seam: half-square triangles = finished size + ⅞" (2 at a time) or 2 × (finished + ⅞") (8 at a time); hourglass (quarter-square) units = finished + 1¼"; no-waste flying geese = one square of width + 1¼" and four of height + ⅞".
If you would rather trim to size, cut half-square triangles at finished + 1" and hourglass units at + 1½", then trim to finished + ½".
Half- and quarter-square triangle chart
Each row is one finished unit size. "2 at a time" means two squares (one of each fabric) sewn ¼" either side of the diagonal give two units; "8 at a time" means two larger squares sewn around both diagonals give eight.
| Finished unit | HST, 2 at a time | HST, 8 at a time | HST, oversize | QST (hourglass), 2 at a time | QST, oversize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | 1 7/8" | 3 3/4" | 2", trim to 1 1/2" | 2 1/4" | 2 1/2", trim to 1 1/2" |
| 1 1/2" | 2 3/8" | 4 3/4" | 2 1/2", trim to 2" | 2 3/4" | 3", trim to 2" |
| 2" | 2 7/8" | 5 3/4" | 3", trim to 2 1/2" | 3 1/4" | 3 1/2", trim to 2 1/2" |
| 2 1/2" | 3 3/8" | 6 3/4" | 3 1/2", trim to 3" | 3 3/4" | 4", trim to 3" |
| 3" | 3 7/8" | 7 3/4" | 4", trim to 3 1/2" | 4 1/4" | 4 1/2", trim to 3 1/2" |
| 3 1/2" | 4 3/8" | 8 3/4" | 4 1/2", trim to 4" | 4 3/4" | 5", trim to 4" |
| 4" | 4 7/8" | 9 3/4" | 5", trim to 4 1/2" | 5 1/4" | 5 1/2", trim to 4 1/2" |
| 4 1/2" | 5 3/8" | 10 3/4" | 5 1/2", trim to 5" | 5 3/4" | 6", trim to 5" |
| 5" | 5 7/8" | 11 3/4" | 6", trim to 5 1/2" | 6 1/4" | 6 1/2", trim to 5 1/2" |
| 6" | 6 7/8" | 13 3/4" | 7", trim to 6 1/2" | 7 1/4" | 7 1/2", trim to 6 1/2" |
| 7" | 7 7/8" | 15 3/4" | 8", trim to 7 1/2" | 8 1/4" | 8 1/2", trim to 7 1/2" |
| 8" | 8 7/8" | 17 3/4" | 9", trim to 8 1/2" | 9 1/4" | 9 1/2", trim to 8 1/2" |
| 9" | 9 7/8" | 19 3/4" | 10", trim to 9 1/2" | 10 1/4" | 10 1/2", trim to 9 1/2" |
| 10" | 10 7/8" | 21 3/4" | 11", trim to 10 1/2" | 11 1/4" | 11 1/2", trim to 10 1/2" |
| 12" | 12 7/8" | 25 3/4" | 13", trim to 12 1/2" | 13 1/4" | 13 1/2", trim to 12 1/2" |
Computed with Quiltsmith's cutting engine, ¼" seam, rounded up to the ⅛".
Flying geese chart
Flying geese are twice as wide as they are tall. The no-waste method makes four geese from one large square and four small ones; stitch and flip makes one goose from a rectangle and two squares, and trims away the corners.
| Finished goose (w × h) | No-waste: goose (makes 4) | No-waste: sky (makes 4) | Stitch-and-flip: goose rectangle | Stitch-and-flip: sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2" × 1" | 1 square 3 1/4" | 4 squares 1 7/8" | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" | 2 squares 1 1/2" |
| 3" × 1 1/2" | 1 square 4 1/4" | 4 squares 2 3/8" | 2" × 3 1/2" | 2 squares 2" |
| 4" × 2" | 1 square 5 1/4" | 4 squares 2 7/8" | 2 1/2" × 4 1/2" | 2 squares 2 1/2" |
| 5" × 2 1/2" | 1 square 6 1/4" | 4 squares 3 3/8" | 3" × 5 1/2" | 2 squares 3" |
| 6" × 3" | 1 square 7 1/4" | 4 squares 3 7/8" | 3 1/2" × 6 1/2" | 2 squares 3 1/2" |
| 7" × 3 1/2" | 1 square 8 1/4" | 4 squares 4 3/8" | 4" × 7 1/2" | 2 squares 4" |
| 8" × 4" | 1 square 9 1/4" | 4 squares 4 7/8" | 4 1/2" × 8 1/2" | 2 squares 4 1/2" |
| 9" × 4 1/2" | 1 square 10 1/4" | 4 squares 5 3/8" | 5" × 9 1/2" | 2 squares 5" |
| 10" × 5" | 1 square 11 1/4" | 4 squares 5 7/8" | 5 1/2" × 10 1/2" | 2 squares 5 1/2" |
| 12" × 6" | 1 square 13 1/4" | 4 squares 6 7/8" | 6 1/2" × 12 1/2" | 2 squares 6 1/2" |
Setting triangles for blocks on point
When blocks are set on point, the edges are filled with side triangles (from a square cut twice on the diagonal, so the long edge is on the straight grain) and corner triangles (from a square cut once).
| Finished block | Side triangles: square cut twice | Corner triangles: square cut once |
|---|---|---|
| 3" | 5 1/2" | 3" |
| 4" | 7" | 3 3/4" |
| 5" | 8 3/8" | 4 1/2" |
| 6" | 9 3/4" | 5 1/8" |
| 7" | 11 1/4" | 5 7/8" |
| 8" | 12 5/8" | 6 5/8" |
| 9" | 14" | 7 1/4" |
| 10" | 15 1/2" | 8" |
| 12" | 18 1/4" | 9 3/8" |
| 14" | 21 1/8" | 10 7/8" |
| 15" | 22 1/2" | 11 1/2" |
| 16" | 23 7/8" | 12 1/4" |
Side = block × 1.414 + 1¼", corner = block ÷ 1.414 + ⅞", rounded up to the ⅛" as published charts do.
Where 7/8" and 1 1/4" come from
A triangle cut once on the diagonal loses more than two seam allowances along its long edge: the exact add-on is the seam × (2 + √2), which for a ¼" seam is 0.854", rounded up to ⅞". A triangle cut twice loses seam × (2 + 2√2) = 1.207", rounded up to 1¼". The same geometry gives the metric add-ons: 2.6 cm and 3.7 cm for a 0.75 cm seam.
Questions
What size square for a 3 inch finished half square triangle?
3⅞" squares, two at a time; or 4" squares if you prefer to trim them to 3½".
How do I make 8 half square triangles at once?
Cut two squares at 2 × (finished + ⅞"), for example 7¾" for 3" units, sew ¼" either side of both diagonals, then cut horizontally, vertically and on both diagonals.
What size to cut for 2 x 4 inch flying geese?
No-waste: one 5¼" square and four 2⅞" squares make four geese. Stitch and flip: one 2½" × 4½" rectangle and two 2½" squares make one.
Why do my half square triangles come out too small?
Usually a scant seam or a stretched bias edge. Cutting at finished + 1" and trimming afterwards gives accurate units.
What size square for a quarter square triangle?
Finished + 1¼" for hourglass units made two at a time, or + 1½" to trim down.
Quiltsmith: Quilt Designer
Quilt designer and quilting calculator: cutting plan and yardage.
Quiltsmith uses these exact rules for every block you design: choose 2- or 8-at-a-time triangles, no-waste or stitch-and-flip geese, exact or oversize, and the cutting plan and yardage update for the whole quilt, in inches or centimetres.
Coming to Google Play
Sources
- Utah State University Extension, Half Square Triangles (finished + 7/8") extension.usu.edu
- Rocky Mountain Sewing, Eight half square triangles made easy (2" finished → 5¾" squares) rockymountainsewing.com
- Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting via Quilting Daily, 8-at-a-time triangle squares quiltingdaily.com
- OLFA, How to make and trim quarter square triangles (finished + 1¼") olfa.com
- Create Whimsy, How to make a quarter-square triangle block (3" → 4¼") createwhimsy.com
- Connie Kresin, Flying Geese Four at a Time (4 × 2" → 5¼" and 2⅞") conniekresin.com
- OLFA, How to make no-waste flying geese olfa.com
- String & Story, How to make flying geese (stitch and flip) stringandstory.com
- C&T Publishing, Quilting tips: setting triangles (6" block → 9¾" and 5⅛") ctpub.com
- Quilter's Cache (Marcia Hohn), How to make setting triangles, with a 4–16" chart quilterscache.com
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