I’ve made many quilts over the years using the Scrap Vortex method shared by Amanda Jean Nyberg way back in 2015. It’s a fascinating way to use up odd shaped scraps of fabric and I think the finished quilts are really quite captivating. There’s no way of knowing exactly how each one will look when completed. Of course, it’s possible to work with a restricted colour palette or keep to similar-size pieces of fabric to create an overall effect but there’ll still be plenty of surprises in the way the fabrics arrange themselves!

My latest Scrap Vortex quilt contains a lot novelty prints making it a fun I-Spy quilt with lots of scope for discoveries and games.

Children love these quilts. I had a hand drawn thank you card from a young child saying how much she loved looking at all the fabrics in her quilt and I’ve seen a lovely video of an energetic two year old staying uncharacteristically attentive as he searched all over his quilt for the different images his family were naming.

This latest Scrap Vortex quilt was commissioned by an expectant grandparent. Originally it was to be gender-neutral but we now know it is destined to be a gift for a granddaughter.

The quilt details: It measures 41″ wide by 50″ long (105cm x 127cm) so it will definitely be big enough to move on from use as a baby playmat to a toddler cuddle quilt. The patchwork top and binding are 100% cotton; the backing is polyester anti-pil fleece; and between them is a layer of EcoBlend wadding. I quilted the layers together used a spiral design – the stitching sinks into the fleece backing and shows the spiral really well 😍

While I was making the quilt I shot a short Scrap Vortex video tutorial for members of The Patchwork Hub at Home. I also created a handy pdf download containing all the tips I’ve come up with through the making of so many of these quilts. I’m really enjoying being able to demonstrate methods and tips with members of The Hub. I miss running classes but creating these tutorials and other resources takes me to that happy place of communal learning even though I’m in the solitude of my sewing room. I love using these tutorials and resources as a way to connect with other stay-at-home patchwork-quilters. The Patchwork Hub at Home has been running for 5 months so you can imagine there is now quite a variety of resources available to members. You can join us using the Early Bird offer of £14 and gain immediate access to all the patterns, tutorials and other resources. Take a look at the information page to decide if The Hub is for you. (And if you try it and for whatever reason The Hub isn’t the right thing for you just now you can easily close your subscription and leave with pdf downloads of patterns and ‘cheat’ sheets worth considerably more than £14).

Happy Stitching!

Allison 🙂