Let's look at the classic Ocean Wave block. You probably won't be surprised to find it was inspired by the New England coastline and by the....wait for it.....ocean! It has a fascinating history, and has been around, as far as researchers can tell, since the mid-1800s. I found some great articles on the history of the block - read them here:
- National Museum of American History
- First picture isn't that great (pretty dark), but I love how the second quilt, made in 1858, has a very modern vibe!
- Discover Vintage America
- Check out some of the alternative names! What fun - Odd Fellows Quilt! And the vintage quilts they showcase are lovely.
- Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns Blog
- Scroll through not only the history but fascinating pictures of vintage quilts in this classic pattern.
Let's look at the basic block itself. The block is made up of two large and fourteen small half square triangles (HSTs). If you clicked on any of the links above, you may have noted that SOME of the classic Ocean Wave quilts were done in two colors, while others were scrappy.
All of those small HSTs means the pattern does lend itself to a scrappy approach. Regardless of the color and fabric choices, the block can be super easy to construct!
Ocean Waves Assembly Option One: cut and assembly pretty much as the block appears.
- Cut and piece the small HSTs first (always, always - wait, did I say ALWAYS?) lay out your pieces before stitching together to make sure you have the color placement and angle oriented correctly.
- Sew the HSTs together into an angled row.
- Add the large HSTs to the top and bottom of the HST row and ta-da! You have an Ocean Waves block.
While there is nothing WRONG with Option One, it does leave you a LOT of exposed bias edges to deal with. So....there is another way (isn't there always?!).
Ocean Waves Assembly Option Two: Break up the Large HSTs into squares and rectangles.
With Option Two, there is a bit more cutting and piecing, but those pesky exposed bias edges are controlled!
- Sew the HSTs pairs together.
- Wait - you laid all your pieces out, didn't you? Good! Sew the rectangles, squares and HSTs together into rows.
- Sew the rows together.
- Ta-da! And you STILL have an Ocean Waves block!
So what does a quilt look like made up of this simple block? So glad you asked!
Using the block I shared above, one layout option would be to place the blocks with the light blue to the outside.
Or....you could place the dark blue corners to the outside.
Or....slightly less traditional, you could set the blocks in a Broken Dishes format. Actually the possibilities are almost endless!
Inspired to stitch up your own Ocean Waves quilt? Great! But before you run to the sewing machine, let me share some more inspiration and options with you!
Each month, a group of designers get together and challenge each other to reimagine a basic or traditional quilt block. In August, that quilt block was (you guessed it!) Ocean Waves. We call this challenge Imagination Renovation, and you can follow along on Instagram as we explore a quilt block.
Here was the concept I started with for my challenge. I wanted to capture the feeling of sunset on the water. I wanted to add the sparkle and glow of the sun's rays reflected on the ocean's waves. So I sprinkled in warm yellows and oranges, and used three different blues. Ok - so this was the concept.
Breaking it down even further, here is the block concept. Four of these put together would make the quilt shown above.
I keep using the word "concept" because that is exactly what it is - my starting point. So far so good....except...in all honesty, I've had this idea in my head for YEARS - and I actually started on it a while back. I made a slew (I didn't count them....way toooooo many!) of HSTs in the combinations I thought would work best.
And then I got sidetracked - deadlines and other projects took over.
Then the challenge came up, and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to bring this idea to life. All sounds good, right? Except.....in the meantime, the rest of the fabric (ie what wasn't made into HSTs) was used in other projects. No background fabric! Ack! Scrounging around unearthed a small handful of background STRIPS (not pieces, not yardage, strips).
Back to the drawing board? Sort of. To use those strips for background, I had to trim down all of my HSTs. More work - but it made them usable. And I was back in business!
FYI - if you do decide to make your own Ocean Waves block or quilt, I strongly recommend pressing your seams open. Your blocks and your quilt will be MUCH flatter if you do. Yes, you may need to pin a bit more, but it is well worth it!
And here is the final project. As you can see, it is SIMILAR to the concept I started with, but I made a few changes as I worked on it. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out, and I have plans to expand on it for a bigger project, so stay tuned!
Before you leave, let me share some of the other reimagined Ocean Waves blocks from my designer pals!
Aren't these amazing? Please visit each of these talented designers on Instagram to see more of their amazing work. FYI - for the challenge, we post four pictures each month, on Mondays: fabric pull, two sneak peeks of the block/quilt in progress, and the final project reveal. You can find the Ocean Waves challenge pics by searching #oceanwaveblockchallenge or #designerblockchallenge. (Pssttt....Jenny has an awesome video of her project - it is SOOOOO much more than a quilt! Head over to IG and check it out!)
Head over to Kate's blog to see her insights on the Ocean Wave block too!
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