Proof

 "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." Just sayin'. Unless you make yours with high-content alcohol, there is never proof in the pudding.

But on to the real topic of this post: nestling Scrappy Trip Around the World seams.

I started sewing together the shoe box full of carefully stowed strips last week. I couldn't wait to get 4 blocks constructed and on the design wall!

As expected, as long as the top corners (clipped) were arranged always at the top, or turned 180 degrees (the bottom left block), the seams would nestle just fine.

A warning about turning blocks 90 degrees (a quarter turn--the red-clipped block in lower left quadrant) was on the tip of my tongue: "All seams will nestle as long as you don't...

 

"As long as you..."

"As long..."

As I live and breathe: all seams nestle all the time when the construction of every block is the same!

I was stunned, in a good way, and decided I'd create a tutorial about the three things I did differently from the instructions found on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville site, the things I feel made all the nestling possible. First though, I had a shoe box of strips to assemble into a top. 

My string blocks Leader-Enders were assembled into a top long before the shoe box was emptied of blocks to construct, so I started another 25-block top with a similar plan.

This one, however, will be made of all the N1C strings that have been collecting, and once these blocks are done any remaining N1C strings will be toss into the trash. I don't want to deal with them any more, ever again. All the blocks, light and dark, will have the blue strip going through the diagonal (a friend gave me an enormous roll of that--the remainder is going to be used outside for tying things up) for a secondary lattice pattern.

As for the 'nevermore, never again' sentiment above, my intent is to make as many more scrappy TATW tops as I can from the shoe box of 2.5" N1C strips, then toss those remaining strips too. Some tops may be 5'x7', some might be 4'x6'--it'll all depend on how many strips I have left and how they can best be used. It feels very good to have a plan and envision a future without this fabric in my sewing studio!