Tranquil Ocean Waves
Materials:
Quiltsmart 2.5" PiX Smart Grid PACK (makes 12+ blocks - more info below)
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).
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| Graphic 1 |
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| 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.
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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.
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!
Enjoy the tranquiltity (not a typo),
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