Hello my fellow quilt guild members! Leslie here, with this month's BOM instructions. We're going to make Scrap Vortex blocks, as instructed by Amanda Jean Nyberg (@crazymomquilts on Instagram - she really is the Master of Scraps!). I've admired this quilt design from afar for a long time, so if I don't win all the blocks at the March meeting, you can stay tuned for me to tackle this one on my own! Block sizes can be either 6.5" x 12.5", 12.5" x 12.5", or 12.5" x 18.5" - it's up to you! Each block (any size) counts as an entry in the block lotto draw at the March meeting.
The instructions below are all taken directly from Amanda Jean's blog, Crazy Mom Quilts. Amanda Jean has been retired from active blogging since 2018, but she keeps the previously posted blog material alive as a kind of archive, so that folks can still benefit from her 12 YEARS of really excellent posts, tutorials, and projects. Love it - thank you, Amanda Jean!
The original instructions for this block are all contained in a Scrap Vortex Quilt Along that Amanda Jean hosted on her blog in June 2015 (also the month I joined OMQG - what a fun coincidence!). I checked in with her, and she gave me permission to pull out the key instructions from each week of the quilt-along and combine them into one post here. If you want the full instructions for this quilt, you could also work your way through each week of her QAL and get to the same spot - your choice! Here are the links to the original posts in the QAL if you want to read it directly from Amanda Jean:
Colours:Let's go bright! The point of this project is to use up your scraps, so we're looking for a total mix of pattern, solids, colours, and textures. Just pull out your scrap bin and let 'er rip! But don't forget to mix in some neutrals as well (low volume whites/creams/beiges, as well as brown, black, and grey). Neutrals are going to give your eye a little break, which you will thank me for later.
Instructions:
These excerpts are all copied directly from Amanda Jean - I take no credit at all for putting these together!
Step 1 - Pull out your scraps and start making pairs:
Take two scraps that are approximately same length*, press them and sew them together. Chain piecing is a great idea. Make a bunch of pairs and press the seams to the side, preferably toward the darker fabric. Be sure to use a short stitch length (I use a 2) on your sewing machine, so the pieces won't start to come apart when you handle them.
...the size and shapes of the scraps vary. Some scraps are long and skinny. Some are more chunky. Some are sewn end to end. Some are sewn side to side. Make a bunch of pairs. Variety in shape, color, size and configuration is good.
Step 2 - Sew your pairs together:
This week's assignment is very similar to last week, except this time you just sew pairs of pairs together. Sew some pairs side by side, sew some pairs end to end. You can sew 3 little pieces in a row, then add a string to one side....any way works. Make some of each!
Now, don't overthink each step. If you do, this quilt will drive you crazy, because there are about a million decisions in a scrap vortex quilt. BUT, auditioning your options is a good thing! It's a fine line some days. Ha!
At this point, I will trim the top and bottom edges just a sliver, because the piece is getting a little bit unruly. That's it! Make several pairs of pairs.
Notice how the seams don't line up in the middle? That is actually preferred, believe it or not. The offset/staggered seams add visual interest to the block and it helps blur the lines in each individual block that you are building. That's what you want! Random is good! :)
Step 3 - Keep growing your blocks by sewing smaller combinations together:
This week is more of the same...sewing two pieces of patchwork that are about the same size together. See how the blocks are getting larger and larger? That's what you want. Don't worry about a specific block size at this point. I know that goes against the grain of what you may be used to, but it will all work out in the end! Trust me!
Trim up the block so it's a square or rectangle. I'm not super fussy about the sides being at a PRECISE 90 degree angle, but close is good! Isn't it amazing how much better the block looks after it's trimmed up? That never gets old!
At this point in the block construction, I do trim the block after each addition with my rotary cutter and ruler. I try to keep the pieces relatively square or rectangular, because it makes the fitting the larger pieces together so much easier.
Step 4 - Sew those combinations into even bigger pieces, until you have your completed blocks: This week is more of the same...take two pieces of the same size and sew them together.
Since the patchwork pieces are the same width, and since they look good together, I will sew them up. Once again, notice the staggered seams. This is important so you lose the grid of the patchwork in the larger piece.
Sometimes one piece is too short, so I will add a pieced strip to the top of the shorter block. I could add a single string to the top, but it would be too big compared to the rest of the pieces. A pieced string will look better. Whenever you are pairing two blocks together, you have to option of adding to the shorter block or trimming the taller block. I prefer to add pieces as much as possible, trimming only when there is 1/2" difference or less. (That's a general rule, not a hard and fast rule.)
As I mentioned at the start of these instructions, your completed block sizes can be either 12.5" x 12.5" squares, 12.5" x 18.5" rectangles, or 6.5" x 12.5" rectangles. These three sizes will provide a variety of layout options for the lucky winner of this month's draw while avoiding it looking too "grid-like." Below are Amanda Jean's comments on this layout, as well as a sample of how all the blocks may be laid out:
This layout uses just 3 different block sizes: 12" squares, 12" x 18" rectangles and 6" x 12" rectangles. In this layout, you will lose the grid of the patchwork (which is a good thing) and it becomes more random, but it's still orderly and predictable.
And that's it! Have a great time this month - hopefully we'll run into each other in the scrap vortex!!
