Check the footprint and cutting budget
The missing corner is split out of the footprint. Two rectangular panels meet with a six-inch overlap; the join has its own pin allowance. The finished perimeter is 120 feet. The cut budget reserves 720 square feet, including 100 square feet in overlapping layers and 20 square feet trimmed from the footprint. The purchased 6 rolls provide 900 square feet; 180 square feet remain as uncut stock.
Read each panel's cuts before buying
Panel 1 runs 40 feet along the strips and 10 feet across them, using the lengthwise direction. The 4 strips cover 10.50 feet after side overlaps. Each strip uses 1 piece(s): 0 full-length pieces plus a 40-foot tail. One roll supplies 1 complete tails; the panel requires 0 full-piece rolls plus 4 tail-piece rolls. Total full-width cut length is 160 feet. Panels do not share remnants.
Panel 2 runs 20 feet along the strips and 10.50 feet across them, using the lengthwise direction. The 4 strips cover 10.50 feet after side overlaps. Each strip uses 1 piece(s): 0 full-length pieces plus a 20-foot tail. One roll supplies 2 complete tails; the panel requires 0 full-piece rolls plus 2 tail-piece rolls. Total full-width cut length is 80 feet. Panels do not share remnants.
What changes with a wider overlap?
Changing this exact footprint to twelve-inch overlap produces 7 rolls and 900 square feet of cut fabric, including 290 square feet in overlap. Its trimming allowance becomes 10 square feet. A changed overlap may alter the preferred direction; the program recomputes both rectangular choices.
What changes with closer pins or a fixed direction?
At twelve-inch spacing instead of twenty-four inches, this six-inch-overlap layout reserves 327 pins: 120 around the outside and 207 on seams. With the original spacing and overlap but a forced lengthwise direction, it requires 6 rolls, 720 square feet of cut fabric, and 167 pins. These alternatives keep the same ground dimensions; they change the layout or fastening budget.
Before using this estimate on site
Confirm the actual package dimensions and include any border extensions. Pin counts treat each open seam's endpoints independently, and do not add anchors for plant holes or interior field positions. The roll-size table compares complete cutting plans rather than dividing ground area by package area. Automatic direction checks two directions per panel and does not search every possible patchwork arrangement. Any reduction through offcut reuse requires a separate drawn cut list.
Read the full formulas, assumptions, common mistakes, and FAQs.
Other worked footprints
- 20 × 12 ft L-shaped bed3 × 50 ft rolls · 2 rolls · 81 pins
- 20 × 12 ft L-shaped bed4 × 100 ft rolls · 2 rolls · 68 pins
- 20 × 12 ft L-shaped bed6 × 100 ft rolls · 2 rolls · 43 pins
- 40 × 20 ft L-shaped bed4 × 100 ft rolls · 3 rolls · 135 pins
- 40 × 20 ft L-shaped bed6 × 100 ft rolls · 2 rolls · 103 pins
- 70 × 24 ft L-shaped bed3 × 50 ft rolls · 11 rolls · 406 pins