Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

Happy Thursday! I have a fun quilt tutorial to share with you today! I was recently making snowball blocks for a different quilt and managed to make the wrong size! So this quilt was a way to use those up! It's a great project for a small group of fat quarters, and would make a great lap quilt for the car or relaxing on the couch.  It's somewhere between a baby quilt and a regular throw quilt!

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

I used my Nordika collection for my quilt.  The line feels very wintery to me, so a snowball quilt felt appropriate! I've named this quilt Polar Vortex to commemorate this crazy cold we've been having! I used the Snow Pure Element solid for the background and Shadow Squared Element for the binding, both by Art Gallery Fabrics. I backed it with a vintage sheet!

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

Sewing Level: Intermediate

Materials:
- 9 fat quarters of print fabrics
- 2 1/4 yards solid fabric
- 1 3/4 yards of 90" wide cotton batting
- 3 1/2 yards of backing fabric*
- 1/2 yard of binding fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Water soluble marker or pencil

*Optional pieced back: 1 3/4 yards + 4 fat quarters

Notes:
Finished Quilt Size: 54"x54"
Width of Fabric (WOF) = 42" assumed
Fat Quarter =  18"x21"

Cutting:
From 9 fat quarters:
- Cut (4) 6.5"x6.5" squares

From solid fabric:
- Cut (9) 2.5"xWOF strips
- Subcut each strip into (16) 2.5"x2.5" squares

- Cut (8) 6.5"xWOF strips
- Subcut each strip into (6) 6.5"x6.5" squares

Total print squares: 36
Total solid 2.5 squares: 144
Total solid 6.5" squares: 45

Instructions:

 *Use a 1/4" seam allowance unless otherwise noted.*

1. Using a water-soluble marker or a pencil, mark a diagonal line across the wrong side of four solid 2.5" squares. Place one square in the upper-left corner of the a print 6.5" square, right sides together. Stitch across the corner on the line you marked. Trim off corner, leaving a 1/4” seam. Press corner up.

2. Turn block clockwise and repeat step 1 with the remaining three corners.

3. Repeat steps 1-2 with remaining 2.5" solid squares and 6.5" print squares. You'll have a total of 36 blocks.

4. Mix up pieced blocks and 6.5" solid squares in a bucket or bag.  Randomly piece together rows of 9 blocks.


5. Arrange rows until you find a layout you like. Press seams in each row in a single direction, alternating direction every other row.

6. Sew rows together to finish the quilt top, press seams open.

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

7. Prepare Backing: It’s good practice to cut your backing and batting at least 4” larger than your top on all four sides. I’ve included this overage in the backing yardage requirements. Cut your backing yardage in half. Press. Trim off the selvedges and sew your pieces together lengthwise. Press seam open.

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*Optional pieced backing
This is an easy pieced backing that doesn't require tons of yardage!

Cutting:
 From 4 fat quarters:
- Cut (1) 16"x21" rectangle

From backing yardage:
- Cut (2) 62"x21" rectangles

Instructions:
 *Use a 1/4" seam allowance unless otherwise noted.*



1. Sew 16"x21" pieces together in a row along the long edges. Press seams open. Piece should measure 62.5"x21".  Trim down to 62".

2. Sew a yardage rectangle to the top and bottom of the pieced unit from step 1. Press seams open.
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8. Basting: Using masking or painter’s tape, tape the backing to a clean, hard surface, right side down. Spread out your batting on top of the backing. Smooth out any wrinkles. Carefully spread out your quilt top on top of the batting, right side up. Pin your top, I like to use curved safety pins, spacing the pins a few inches apart. Make sure that your pins are going through all three layers.

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

9. Quilting: Quilt as desired, by machine or by hand. Trim away excess batting and backing fabric.

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

10. Binding: Cut yardage listed for binding into 2.5” strips. Trim off selvedges and sew your strips together to form one long strip, press seams open. Fold in half lengthwise, pressing with your iron as you fold. Attach binding using your preferred method. For a detailed tutorial on attaching your binding to both sides by machine, see here.

Nordika Polar Vortex Quilt Tutorial, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

As always, if you make something from my tutorials, patterns or with my fabric, I'd love for you to add it to the In Color Order Flickr Group! :)

Happy Sewing!