Diana's Golden Needle

Last evening at Quilt Circle of Friends, Jackie O. shared this project from Facebook. The sponsoring FB site is Diana's Golden Needle.

Diana is a teenager with a goal of making 16 quilts to represent the 16 years she has lived in America after being adopted from a Russian Orphanage.

The quilts are all being made using Bonnie Hunter's pattern (and with her permission) called Scrappy Trips. 

The quilts will be donated to children who age out of foster care and is a Girl Scout Gold Award Project for Diana.

The request is for blocks, or piecing blocks together or machine quilting tops. Jackie is sending 7 of these blocks so they can be mixed with blocks by others (thus the Scrappy Trip Around the World pattern title). By sending 7 blocks, there can be one placed in each row. At the FB page, you will see a quilt sample using this block in a variety of fabrics.

Jackie sent these pictures to show her blocks and the steps to make them with tube piecing. 

For this project, you can use any fabrics of your choosing. Jackie decided to use this selection of bright prints. Start with 6 strips, each 2 1/2" x 15"

Stitch them together. Be sure to match ends evenly. Press rows 1, 3, and 5 down.  Press rows 2, 4 and 6 up.

Now stitch the two end pieces together to make a tube.

From that tube, cut 6 units, each 2 1/2" wide.

Next, un-sew between two squares on each tube unit. Stagger where you un-sew so that you end up with 6 pieced strips like this.
Did I just say sew so?

Stitch the pieced strips together to make this 12 1/2" block.

Note: You can make 6 blocks using 1/4 yard by width of fabric each of the 6 colors.  Using fat quarters (one of each color) you can make 8 blocks. This is a quilt where fat quarters are more efficient than width of fabric yardage.

Another tip, cut strips 16" long to give yourself a little wiggle room for straightening.

Jackie, Thanks so much for sharing! Skip on over to this Facebook page to see more.