There are two ways I to make Trip Around the World: use individual squares or strips. The first gives you complete control but takes a while. The second can be both more random and more organized. It may also yield unexpected results.
Scrappy Mini Trips from strips on the left and using individual squares on the right |
Many people make tubes of six or eight strips, cut them crosswise and unsew between the different squares to make a single block. Like this. Ok. Most people use six strips but I always use eight. The numbers 1-8 stand in for different colors but you see the fabric repeats on each side of the main diagonal.
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One Mini Trip Around the World from eight strips |
My issue with this is that each half of each block is the same. What if I sewed more strips before cutting? Here's what two sets to strips (16 total) would look like. As you see, each block still has all the same fabrics although they are in different locations. Instead of one block having repeat fabrics on each side, now two blocks have all the same fabrics. Only the main diagonal is different.
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Two sets of strips to make two Mini Trip Around the World blocks |
What about three Mini Trip blocks?
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Three sets of strips to make three Mini Trip Around the World blocks |
Finally each block has some of the fabrics but they are all different arrangements.
I cut my strips two inches wide so they finish 1.5 inches. With eight squares across, my blocks finish at 12-inches. Each strip set appears in only two of the blocks so I need a bit more than 16-inches of 24 different strips to make these three blocks. When they are sewed into a tube of strips it will only be 18-inches wide. I can easily do this. Hooray.
You could also alter this to the more common 2.5-inch strip (finishing 2 inches) and only use six strips per block. The finished blocks will still be 12-inches and the tube will still be the same width. Your choice.
Here's my first tube of fabrics.
Tube sewn from 24 2-inch by 17-inch strips. (A bit of extra length to make straightening cuts.) |
After cross-cutting the large tube into eight two-inch wide circles, I unsewed at different pairs until I had this arrangement of columns.
Tube sets lined up to create Mini Trip blocks |
Then I counted down eight squares and unsewed those on each column until I had this.
Three scrappy Mini Trip Around the World blocks from tube sets |
Enjoy the day, Ann
Very fun seeing a different take on this method!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janice. It seems to work well with strips from half quarters.
DeleteVery clever! Thanks for doing the math for us. Now if I only had that many strips.
ReplyDeleteIf you have strips from half quarters, those would be the right length.
DeleteThese are great--efficient, interesting and scraptastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mel.
DeleteLots of fun, I like your idea of using 8 strips. But I still seem to get a bit lost when I try the 'tube- crosswise cut-unpick' strip system!
ReplyDeleteYes. I have to pay attention and check twice on that step.
DeleteThanks for sharing, you're onto something fun! Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Comp. recently did a tutorial on YouTube on this very technique.
ReplyDeleteI think your project is looking great and I enjoy seeing this progress, can't wait to see more.
Every time I think I discovered something original... There's nothing new under the sun. But her videos are easy to follow so I'm sure more people will try this.
DeleteYes, this is a good way to have all different fabrics! I like your colours too, all the blue-greens feel quite sophisticated to me. I'm interested to see how you will set them!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of being able to have sections that are 'the same but different' and am impressed by how you have figured it all out. Like Monica, I find this colour grouping very attractive.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.
ReplyDeleteLotsa sewing and un-sewing..I once long ago made a bargello quilt in similar fashion...vowed "never again"...but vows are made to be broken sometimes--especially in quiltworld, I think:}}}}
ReplyDeleteI have yet to do TAW..but it is on the back burner (overflowing with all the others...) hugs, Julierose
P.S. Interesting to see your charts--kind of like my own knitting "keep my place" handwritten charts that I check off...