Tranquil Ocean Waves

This classic pattern is so very EASY (yes, actually tranquil!) with Quiltsmart's 2.5" PiX Smart Grid! What could be more PERFECT??? - oh, the intersections could match without even trying - yes! You will not make any half-square triangles (HSTs), but you will end up with half-square triangles - woo hoo! I'll show you how! These instructions are basic instructions for the traditional Ocean Waves Quilt Pattern with the exception of making it easier with Quiltsmart printed interfacing. Go to Quiltsmart 2.5" PiX Smart Grid PACK & a VIDEO - scroll down to see that! for general instructions for using the grids. The pack contains 4 gridded panels and instructions and is the best value.

Materials:

Quiltsmart 2.5" PiX Smart Grid PACK (makes 12+ blocks - more info below)

For each block:

WAVES: (16) 2.5" squares in blues & greens (or other colors) in darks, mediums, and lights.

BACKGROUND: (25) 2.5" squares tone on tone white/off-white fabrics.

I cut equal amounts of blues/greens/teals from what I had in my scraps (and still have more, of course).

I don't recommend using directional fabrics in the beginning as you are getting used to the method. You can definitely use them... they just need care in positioning.

INSTRUCTIONS:

The PACK makes 12 blocks and more if you fuse the leftover rows of interfacing together by overlapping them a bit using the margins - use a Pressing Sheet to keep the fusible off your iron and ironing surface.

Again, as it is worth repeating, when you click on Quiltsmart 2.5" PiX Smart Grid PACK, scroll down to check out the instructional VIDEO! This will show you how to make "lops" from your squares, and step 2 details it in verbiage. But, it's always good to see it in motion!

1) Cut a 5 x 5 grid from the interfacing and lay it on a pressing mat smooth side up.

2) Read this entire step to learn about "Lops" - super easy! For the squares that will be blues/greens/teals, "lop" off the corner of the square about 1/2" from the diagonal line (shown very well in the video!). We do have a "Lop & Fuse" acrylic template that is helpful, but not totally necessary. You can use a ruler with a 1/2" line. I like 1/2" because it allows a little fudge factor in case the square on the interfacing is a bit off centered. You will need 16 wave squares for each block.

Lop the 16 blue squares. I'd like to stop here and bring something to your attention. When making lops, you can either use the dark or the light squares as the ones you lop off. There are two ways to think about this, and when all is said and done, the choice is yours. The way that I show here is by making lops out of the blue, which happens to be what I would call the "block design"....it also happens to be the darker fabric. The reason I like this one is because it is very easy to see the design that you are creating.

The second way is to create Lops out of the lightest fabric in your block (often the background). The advantage of this way is that when you get to the part that you trim back, it is a little easier to cover the dark part of the square that formed the Lop seam allowance. Both are fine, and you could even try one block one way, and another block the other way so that you pick what you like. All in all, I like to see my design, so I choose the dark squares (the waves) as the Lops.

Graphic 1 is one way to think about laying out your Lops - Just follow the rows and place a Lop in the appropriate position. The traditional Ocean Waves block tends to use dark colors along the 4 diagonal Lops (tho "Lops" is a modern term, coined by Quiltsmart), light colors on the 3 diagonal Lops, with mediums in between. There are many ways to think about the layout of the block. You will find your favorite way as you play with each block. I was not too careful about the layout...I simply positioned the darks on the 4 Lops side and transitioned to the lights on the 3 Lops side. So the 9 Lops in the middle are a mix of darks, mediums, and lights (Graphic 2).

With a pressing sheet, fuse the Lops, centering between the grid lines (not pushed to one side...you want to see the dotted lines - important in step 8).


Graphic 1


Graphic 2

3) Place the background white squares on top of the wave squares, right sides together, and center the background square between the dotted lines...Tip: Then, scooch the top square a bit toward the non-diagonal corner of the Lopped square so the corners match (this is a niche point, but I've found it is helpful). You can try it on some squares, and not others, and I think you will find that you get a good result. It compensates for the amount of space that the eventual fold takes up. Fuse with a pressing sheet OVER the grid. Always test the iron first! Polyester setting is a good place to start. Irons differ in temperatures, so it is best to start on the cool side and work your way up! Fill in the rest of the squares. Alternate method: You may sew the Lops (step 4) prior to adding the plain squares, and then fuse the squares down. Above pic is ready (or not!) for the remaining white squares. Bottom graphic shows all white squares in place.

4) Flip the grid over and fuse again. I like pressing from both sides because I feel it adheres both fabric squares nicely. If your fabric squares are falling off, you need to either press longer or with more heat.

5) From the interfacing side, stitch diagonally from X through to the next X and then the next in 4 long rows - this is the FUN part!!!! Use a 2.0mm stitch length, back-stitching at the ends of the long rows. The illustration shows the stitch lines in red. You will know where to stitch, because you go along the lopped edges.

6) Flip the block to the front. Peel up the white (background) that does not cover the blue (waves). Trim it away, even with the seam allowance from the blue (lopped squares) OR cut it a bit beyond the bottom lopped square if you prefer - for example if there is show-through. Put this scrap in the bin for the dog beds for the humane society OR give to that friend who loves little tiny pieces.

Open the wave/background HST (ah ha!) and finger press well.

Fuse entire block, using a pressing sheet. TIP: Press toward the white backgrounds with the iron to get a good crease. This is important to have the intersections match well.

7) Fuse from the backside also. Optional: This step can be done in conjunction with step 3 if you wish. It is just a bit more handling, and you run the "risk" of the squares falling off. On the other hand, it is easy and quick to lay them all down at once and fuse at once. Again, it is your choice. Don't you love choices??? Try it both ways, see what you like. Now the basic steps for the Ocean Waves block are completed. The remaining steps are the same as any of our grid patterns. Detailed instructions come with the Pack and on a variety of videos on our website. General instructions follow.

8) Follow the PiX Smart Grid instructions (more detailed than here) by sewing seams in one direction (either direction since this is a square). This is where leaving the dotted line visible comes into play! Fold right on that line...because it will make the seam less bulky.

9) Clip between the squares to the stitching. Press the seams in opposite directions.

10) Sew the seams in the other direction. Press to one side.

11)  Sew as many blocks as you would like for your project:
     Sew blocks into rows.
      Sew rows together.
       Finish as you would for any quilt project.  Finishing Your Quilt instructions are a great resource. These are basic instructions from our "Rob Pete & Friends" book, great for beginners, and are FREE - just click on the link!

Two of my finished blocks. I'm a bit of a traditionalist (not in the method, though!), so I am planning to set my blocks in the traditional Ocean Waves setting.

I was camping without electricity, so there was no sewing machine or iron. LOL - mostly, I missed the iron - I had to pin everything down. Then I hand sewed. I will sew the horizontal and vertical seams with my machine.

It was still a tranquilt project!

Back home, I finished the blocks and stitched them together by machine. This was an easy quilt to make, and I loved using my scraps! I thought I'd take a bite out of my stash, but it turns out I can make more...plenty more!

If you cut (2) 5 x 5 grids, and fuse what is leftover together (2 pieces), you will get 3 blocks out of 1 panel of interfacing. There are 4 panels in a pack, so this quilt would take 4 panels for 12 blocks, and 6 panels for 16 blocks as I have here. Panels are available individually. I encourage you to get the pack first....a lot of good information in that!