THE SCRAP THIEF

The story behind mu beautiful Nanna Junes quilt, The Scrap Thief.

The "Scrap Quilt" , began in the most organic way possible—while my Nana June was visiting my studio and noticed my scrap buckets overflowing. As she rifled through the scraps, she picked out the ones that spoke to her and, quite candidly, told me which ones she didn’t like. That simple moment sparked the beginning of her quilt journey.

A week later, Nana returned with a “mud map” for her plan. She asked if I had any spare fabrics similar to what I’d used in the backgrounds of my Salt Lake Diamonds quilt, as she loved how the prints and colors worked together. bellow is a picture of the salt lake diamonds quilt.

A few weeks after that, she returned with her masterpiece, ready for me to quilt. Now, to see Nan bring her idea to life was incredibly exciting, to say the least, in addition to seeing some of my favorite scraps used together in a way that would brighten anyone's day. My favorite scrap in this quilt is the duck in gumboots rocking red sunnies.

Initially, Nana’s request was simple: “Oh, just do an edge-to-edge on it will do.” Little did she know my mind was buzzing with possibilities for quilting with secondary patterns, texture, and movement that could elevate her quilt into something truly special. After several sketches on the iPad and careful planning, I mapped out how to best bring her vision to life.

A few days before I began quilting, the beautiful new 108” wideback Drive fabric by Giucy Giuce—a stunning green with depth and interest arived in store. I knew immediately it would make the quilting pop on the back, showcasing texture and dimension that any longarm quilter dreams about. For me, the back of a quilt is often my fav part, as it can showcase both the patchwork and the quilting design in a uniquely textural way.

For the quilting itself, I kept the feature areas simple with a series of ½” lines to create a radiating effect. I continued this into the charcoal areas to add direction and the sense of blocks floating on top of one another. In the center, I added gentle curves to complement the fabric’s own curved design, softening the blocks.

The background quilting echoed the feature blocks, allowing them to “float” while providing subtle textural highlights.

In the center of the background, I incorporated a square-on-point motif, reflecting the centers of the feature blocks. This subtle design allows the viewer’s eye to move naturally across the quilt, discovering detail and texture without feeling repetitive or overwhelming. By breaking up the negative space with these motifs, the quilt reads as two interlocking layers/tiles rather than just feature blocks and blank space.

For the border, I added textural whole-cloth, freeform quilting. This not only introduced movement and a playful contrast to the structured design but also paid homage to the whimsical nature of scraps and Nana’s love for my wholecloth textures.

Once the quilting was complete, it was time for every quilter’s favorite part: photographing the quilt. Capturing the full scope of the work that goes into a quilt is always a special moment, and I was incredibly fortunate that it was a sunny day in Armidale, bathed in beautiful natural light—the perfect conditions for quilt photography.

I took the time to capture the quilt from various angles, letting the light highlight the textures and subtle details of the quilting, showcasing the depth, movement, and care that went into bringing Nana June’s Scrap Quilt to life.

Quilting this project was an absolute joy—not just because of the creative possibilities, but because it was made in collaboration with My Nan, Creating more than a quilt, but precious memories to treasure.

Heres a photo on nan with her quilt she ended up calling "The scrap Thief " & entered her quilt in the 2025 NSW quilt show where it inspired & brought joy many who seen her Quilt on display.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope Nana June’s Scrap Quilt has inspired you to create something special of your own.