it feels amazing to have three scrappy style Ocean Waves quilts completed. These may be the quilts on which I have spent the most time ever cutting, sewing, and squaring up half square triangle blocks.
I used greens, blues, and neutral low volume fabrics...some from my scrap box, some from precut fat quarters, and some from a few small pieces of yardage purchased at quilt shops along the way.
- It may be my favorite traditional pattern. (Or at least tied with Irish Chain.)
- I did not need a pattern. I could look at a picture to see how it was constructed, and I could imagine how the simplicity of half square triangle blocks made of green, blue, and low volume printed scraps could transform traditional into more contemporary.
- I have three grandsons that needed quilts. (Okay, they may already have a few.)
This time I also researched the history behind the design.
Early American New England coastal living inspired the original Ocean Waves quilt pattern. Through the years the pattern gained in popularity. Many midwestern quilters made Ocean Waves quilts, pioneers took them along on their westward journeys, and the pattern eventually reached the Pacific coast.
If you search for images of Ocean Waves quilts, you will find a gazillion variations, colors, and sizes.
It seems to be an authentic American traditional quilt pattern.
(What more could a Nana want?)
For Christmas they will each receive one more.