Trip around the world quilt fabrics question
 

I am making 4 Trip Around the World quilts for my 4 sisters using some of the same fabrics and some different ones, so no one quilt will be exactly the same as another.

I found some cute fabric with small birdhouses on it but it is a linear print. I have read it can be tricky to use in a TAW quilt. I can't get my head around how to cut it (not good with spatial visualization) so that the birdhouses aren't sideways, upside down, etc. I am using the strip piecing/tube method of piecing, such as the one on Quiltville http://quiltville.com/tatwpf.html, cutting 4 strips from each fabric, one for each quarter of the quilt.

Any help on how to cut the fabric? Should the strips be cut parallel to the designs? Maybe I need to sew half the strips so that the birdhouses face the fabric on one side and half so it faces the fabric on the other side? Luckily, this is the only fabric (so far) that is a linear print!

Thank you for any help.

Personally I would not worry about the birdhouses facing all directions. It's part of the charm.

I agree with Dunster, it is something that probably would be facing in different directions. Make a short test set strip, cut it and use a design wall to layout a small section to see if it would really bother you.

The only time I get nutsy about directional fabrics is in a border - then I MUST have them following one another. Otherwise, in the body of the quilt, I don't worry about it. As the others have said - part of the charm of the quilt.

Once I decide what I will do with it, I'll post a photo! Thanks for your help.

Ditto what NJquilter said. I made one with a few of the fabrics being somewhat directional; didn't fret over it except when it came to the borders. Worked out fine.

Here is what I did with another directional bird fabric that I forgot I was using. The linear pattern was printed with the birds perpendicular to the selvage so I cut the strips as usual, selvage to selvage. I sewed my bird strips so that half of the tops of the birds faced the pink fabric and the other half faced the other way. When I organized the strips cut from the tubes, I placed strips so all birds squares were the way I wanted them to face.

I will have to unsew the strips that are placed horizontally between the quarters so my birds all face the same way. See the photo to see what I mean--this is the center of half of the quilt top. :) I'm not sure I'll do this again with my birdhouse fabric, but it wasn't too difficult!