What I Learned. . .

Making Trip Around the World Quilts.

Mostly this is for me, just in case I ever make another one!

If helps anyone else that's great.

These are fun, easy quilts to make.

It's very versatile and fabric placement makes for very cool arrangements.

1.

After you've put your design on graph paper

 divide it into 4 parts based on the way the colors slope.

2.

Be sure you have enough fabric.

(Seriously, discovering that you are out of fabric 3/4's of the way

just makes for frantic Shop Hops and OOPS ordering on line)

I made quilts that are 66 x 90 inches.

There are 1480 2 1/2 inch squares in them.

If you're making the variegated quilt where only 6 fabrics are used. 

 You need 242 squares of each fabric.

I looked that up in my handy dandy little book and it says 1 3/4 yards are needed.

One little trick here-make up a "cheat sheet" for the stitching order in a row by

assigning each fabric a number and attaching a scrap fabric to paper in stitching order.

Then fill the design with the numbers.

(So much simpler than trying to copy the pattern from across the room!)

If you're making the fat strips of color

 (random, sort of, fabrics within that color)

you need 12-14 different fabrics in each color

about 1/2 yard each.

3.

Layout strip sets 9 at a time

but only sew 8 leaving the last one for the next set.

Makes deciding on the fabric placement easier.

(I tried to keep one fabric from butting up against itself.)

4.

Make some numbered pins.

(I just used a black marker and added the number to those long ones with the large flat top.)

Place one of those pins in the top square of a strip.

Use a double stick-in and out twice.

(That way they don't fall out!)

Press the odd numbered rows down and the even ones up so that they nest.

Another reason for only doing 8 rows.

Take the numbered pin out and lay it on the board 

 next to the square it came out of.

You have no idea how easy it is to forget which end goes up!

5.

Put reference pins in.

I used the top block in the first row for each set.

6.

Sew all the strips sets into rows (4)

but

don't sew the rows together yet.

(Mistakes are easier to fix! There Will Be Mistakes!)

7.

Pin the rows up on the design wall and look at them for a couple of days

 from across the room!

Mistakes will just POP out at you!

8.

Starch the top and the backing.

Especially if using flannel

Not so much stretch that way.

9.

For this size quilt you need 9-10 width of fabric strips for the binding.