Marmalade Swirl and Raspberry Ripple

My scrappy spiral or greek key quilt is finished!  I'm calling it Marmalade Swirl.  It will be sent to the fabulous charity Siblings Together to give some child in the UK care system a hug!


Here it is!  

I found inspiration for this quilt from Karen Griska's quilt Yellow Brick Road.  Karen's quilt keeps on spiralling on - it is after all a road leading all the way to Oz!

With Marmalade Swirl I stopped my block at 20" square (finished size) after a comment from the lovely SewMeSarah!   She is ever so helpful.   I was wondering how I could continue anyway as my supply of that white fabric was running out so switching to a different background fabric seemed like the answer!  Ash was my second background choice.

I love the effect of this quilt and how much scrap I can bury in it - believe me they are not all beautiful fabrics!  Since completing it have been imagining other colourways!

Well it doesn't take much to make me misbehave so after a request for a tutorial on IG I succumbed into diving into my red stash and started Raspberry Ripple!

In Marmalade Swirl I carefully cut my oranges and yellows into 2 1/2" x 1 1/2" strips but that was tedious I have to say.   So this time I decided to add any size of scrap as long as they were 2 1/2" in one direction.  I stitched my scraps into long rolls, using them as leader enders while making bee blocks.  Then this morning I just got stuck in and stitched!

Here is the result!  A whole lot of Raspberry rippling over my cutting table.

It is probably easier to keep them pieced strips straight if you don't carry on too long.  Trim to 2 1/2 wide and cut into the following strip lengths:

2 1/2", 4 1/2", 6 1/2"....rising in 2" increments till you get to 18 1/2"

Repeat with the background fabric but also cut a strip 20 1/2" long.

Step 1:
Join the scrap 2 1/2" piece to the background 2 1/2" piece (Unit A). 

With the scrap 2 1/2" square at the top of Unit A join the background 4 1/2" piece to the left (Unit B) and add the scrap 4 1/2" piece to the right (Unit C).

Step 2:

 Now join the scrap 6 1/2" piece to the bottom of Unit B (Unit D) and the background 6 1/2" piece to the top for Unit E.  Join scrap  8 1/2" strip on the left of Unit E (sorry I seem to have turned Unit F around by 90 degrees)  

Continue to add the scrap and background pieces in increasing length following each spiral round the block.   

If your next background piece is too long then you need to add a scrap one or vice versa!   Keep going till all the pieces are used up and add the final 20 1/2" background strip to square up your block.

My blocks all spiral round in a clockwise fashion from the centre.  I am left handed and you may find it easier to spiral anti-clockwise - just avoid doing both in the same block!  Also keep your blocks going the same way unless of course you want a mixture ......now there's an idea!

I am hoping to deplete my scrap boxes and add Blueberry Pie (blue/purple) , Mint Julep (green/aqua) and Plum Duff (purple/black) versions if I find the time and energy to do so.

Hope you have fun with this block and do let me know if you make blocks or a quilt as I'd love to see your variation! 



Edited to add background fabric requirements: For each block you will need three 2.5" strips WOF so 7.5".  For four blocks you will need 30" and for five 37.5" - both within a one metre length of fabric!