I was going to make this month’s block for Siblings Together red, white and blue given this auspicious date for the UK and the EU but decided not to be political. However you view Brexit personally, and based on my Instagram feed it seems that most are ‘agin’ it, then we just have to let democracy be our guiding principle.

So in the spirit of neutrality I have gone for blues and greens which hopefully will provide a gender neutral quilt for a child in care separated from his or her sibling.

Incidentally there is a very powerful radio programme you can download/access from the app BBC Sounds called Separated Siblings under the series heading File on 4. If you have yet to download BBC Sounds app and you like radio this is an absolute gift. I’m not sure it can be reached from all over the world but if you are in the UK it’s easy peasy and this programme is both shocking and emotional at the same time.

Anyway onto our block for this month

I’ve chosen a block that was all the rage a few years ago called Trip around the World. I have no idea why it has that name. When I first started quilting there was a sew along  using this pattern and it looked very complicated to me. However one of the Bee mamas  did a similar style of block and I realised that in fact it was very easy, just clever cutting.

The actual quilt pattern is set out in the wonderful Bonnie Hunter’s Quiltville blog here. But as we are using different measurements to make smaller blocks I have replicated it below.

You will need for each block six strips 2.5” by 15.5” in different shades of blue and green and include please, one white/grey strip.

Sew these together along the long sides. The eventual pattern works better if you can put contrast between the strips. So for example if you have two dark strips, separate them. Iron seams on the back at this point, open or to one side whichever is your preference.

Now here comes the clever bit. Fold up on the long side of the block you have made……

 

….. and then sew along that seam.  You will now have in effect a tube of fabric  with the right side inside the tube and the wrong side on the outside of the tube.

Now lay the tube on your cutting mat and flatten out as much as possible and then sub cut that tube into 2.5” strips.

 

You will then be left with 6 strips such as these.

Now the next clever bit is to unpick one of the seams of one of the strips and lay that out. Then unpick the next seam along on the next strip so that you start to get the pattern of the squares going diagonally. This can be tricky and yes I have had to resew many a seam and unpick another when I have made this block.  Do that to all of the strips so they have diagonally running squares of the same print.

And then if necessary reassemble the strips so that the darkest fabric you have is the centre diagonal line of the block as is the case in the picture above and the finished blocks below.  Now sew the strips together to make the block.

Can you please make two of these. They are quite addictive so feel free to make more than two!!

Any queries please get in touch

PS

If you are wondering what the furry thing is on which the strips are lying that is a large square of fleece stuck onto a piece of rigid plastic.  It was a tip I got from Kerry Green. It is just so you can move the unassembled block to your sewing machine with out everything moving. Invaluable.