Same pattern - different quilts

I rarely sew the same pattern twice.  There are far too many interesting patterns available and too little time, so I am selective.  However, every now and then I succumb.  This happens especially when a pattern can be changed merely by the changing the value of the fabric used for the pieces to render an entirely different look.  I am also intrigued with the idea that one can make curves with straight lines.

Storm at Sea is one such pattern.  The block consists of a large square in a square surrounded by diamond in a rectangle, and a small square in a square in each corner.

(the wind was blowing when I took the picture, so the quilt looks a bit distorted)

"Storm at the Shore" is my first attempt at this pattern. I made it in 2009.  With the exception of color, this is a classic rendering of the pattern, where light and lightish-medium fabrics are used to emphasize the interlacing waves.  I chose to use browns, grays, pinks, greens, and tans, along with white and off white.  These colors reminded me of the different seaweeds, pebbles, and stones one sees near a rocky ocean shore.  In this quilt the diamonds are made with the lightest fabric and the corners of the squares in a square are of a lighter value as well.

"Memories of Breezy Point" resulted from my second effort with this pattern.  I made it in 2010 as a wedding gift for my niece.  The "waves" are present in the center of the quilt, but they are subtle.  The blue diamond pieces break up the flow of the typical rolling wave of the Storm at Sea pattern.  Because Breezy Point is the name of a cottage on a lake, I think of the center part of the quilt as sparkles of sunlight reflecting on the water. The colorful squares are the water lilies.

The ring of stars was created by using a medium fabric for the corners of the large square in a square, while light fabric was used for the center of the small square in a square and a light medium fabric was used for those corners.  Even the white hearts created by the perimeter border were  made with the Storm at Sea block.  Here the large square in a square is entirely white, with exception of the two corners which are blue.

Both of these quilts were quilted by Marilyn Lange.



I received inspiration for making "Memories of Breezy Point" from an excellent book by Wendy Mathson, A New Light on Storm at Sea Quilts  One Block - An Ocean of Possibilities  (2009, C&T Publishing).  With the "fast2cut  Quilters' TRIMplate" designed for this pattern, this quilt went together easily.  In contrast, I hand pieced "Storm at the Shore", after cutting each piece of the block with templates.   I can testify that this pattern is no longer a chore to make using the techniques Wendy Mathson has developed.