Saturday, April 29, 2017

Alternate Method for Mini Trip Around the World Blocks

Since my scrap bag is still full, I decided to make another Mini Trip Around the World. I wanted to see if I could combine some quick piecing techniques with a bit of randomization.

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.

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.

Two sets of strips to make two
Mini Trip Around the World blocks

What about three Mini Trip blocks?

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 with a bit of extra length to make straightening cuts.

Tube sewn from 24
2-inch by 17-inch strips.

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

Sew those short columns together to get three 12-inch finished blocks.

Enjoy the day, Ann

14 comments:

Janice Holton said...

Very fun seeing a different take on this method!

Angie in SoCal said...

Very clever! Thanks for doing the math for us. Now if I only had that many strips.

Mel Beach said...

These are great--efficient, interesting and scraptastic!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Lots 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!

Janie said...

Thanks for sharing, you're onto something fun! Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Comp. recently did a tutorial on YouTube on this very technique.
I think your project is looking great and I enjoy seeing this progress, can't wait to see more.

Ann said...

Thanks, Janice. It seems to work well with strips from half quarters.

Ann said...

If you have strips from half quarters, those would be the right length.

Ann said...

Thanks, Mel.

Ann said...

Yes. I have to pay attention and check twice on that step.

Ann said...

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.

Monica said...

Yes, 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!

Kaja said...

I 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.

Gale Bulkley said...

Brilliant.

Julierose said...

Lotsa 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:}}}}
I 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...