Dear quilter, I use graph paper most of the time. I start out with the size of the backing to determine the finished size of the quilt. Many times I have to increase the size of the back. The area I work in restricts me to quilts from 42 to 44 wide to 70 to 72 long. This helps me determine the size of the blocks to be used. If it works well, the graph design is kept for future use. God bless you. Quilting Joan