This superlative scrapbag Ocean Waves quilt takes the most complex and elegant version of the pieced pattern you could ask for (I mean really, how often are we treated to a version with sparkling rows of half-square triangles stacked eight deep on each arm?) lavishes it with lush, dense geometrical hand-quilting and then completely enlivens the rhythmic, repetitive pieced design by selectively segregating the merry mix of vibrant, unfaded prints. The result is a deeply satisfying and dynamic version of the beloved design that preserves the classic flow of the seamless overall pattern, while injecting generous doses of real freshness and movement.
In this approach, the eye roves over the surface of the quilt, stopping to take in richly varied vignettes, wherever different little juxtapositions or concentrations of color or patterning come into focus unexpectedly throughout the quilt. You more frequently find a rich scrapbag variety of fabrics like this thoroughly shuffled to produce a random arrangement with the most even and undistracting distribution possible. That effect of balance and a thoroughly sifted mixture was clearly never the object here; instead, so much of the delight is clearly intended to derive from the discoveries of clumps and clusters of scraps that play particularly well together.
Excellent workmanship and great, structurally strong, unused, unfaded condition make it all the easier to enjoy this confident quiltmaker's admirable artistry.
Size
This delightful Ocean Waves quilt is decidedly not square. Along its short end it measures between 61 and 64 inches wide and along its long end, it widens from 68" to 70".
For a sense of scale, the little half-square triangles are about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" square and the open blocks are 5 1/2-6" square.
Quilting
The hand-quilting is beautiful, with stitches numbering 6-9 to the inch, counting on the top side of the quilt only. The open blocks are overall quilted with little hanging diamonds, their lines spaced 1" or less apart. On the complex pieced part of the quilt, the treatment is also lovely and dense. If you look at the individual half-square triangles, they're each bisected by a diagonal line. These lines are actually continuous over the entire pieced section. So if you look at the area where four complex arms of the design intersect, the quilting treatment builds out around the intersection in concentric, diagonally-oriented squares, their lines spaced around 1" apart. This is hard to describe clearly, but you'll be able to see what I mean in the images.
Piecing
The crisp, tight piecing is entirely by hand.
Batting, Binding & Backing
The batting is thin and even.
The narrow applied, straight grain binding is made from the same delightful, delicate, sprigged blue on white fabric featured in the quilt's open blocks. It's tiny and narrow, generally just 3/16" to 1/4" wide! It's crisply machine-attached to the front and then turned and tightly hand-stitched down to the reverse. It's amazingly crisp, strong and sturdy, as if the quilt had never been used. I don't find any signs of wear, softening or even the faintest beginnings of edge weakening! There is just a single, short 1 1/2" segment that's unstitched.
The backing looks like an ivory-toned bleached muslin. It has a few light brown stains and visible storage lines, but is completely strong and crisp.
Condition
The condition of the quilt is strong, sturdy and clean. The only issue I note is some brown spots and surface toning, especially near the brown and black prints. But with such a variety of small-scale prints, the stains and toning are actually wonderfully easy to overlook in the context of the quilt. There are literally thousands of tiny triangles in this small-scale quilt, but I only noted a single one with a surface hole. There could possibly be some hidden away in this complex mix, but I was pleased not to be able to find a single instance of splitting, weakening or worn fabrics!
The light brown surface toning and spotting is mostly contained to the brown-heavy right-hand edge of the quilt, where it mostly blends in with the brown and tan-toned fabrics. It is light enough to just add to the sense of graceful age, rather than being the sort of painful isolated flaw or damage that jumps out at you.
Elsewhere on the quilt, close scrutiny reveals more small brown spots and light bits of surface discoloration, but again, most of this blends right in with the richly varied print triangles. The bright, clean, sprigged blue and white fabric of the quilt's background squares is mercifully spared any notable spotting or staining, which just keeps the overall look so crisp, bright and clean. On the sprigged blue and white squares, I was only able to find a single tiny 3/16" brown surface spot (pictured), and even this, despite weakening the fabric and creating a tiny 1/16" hole, has the good taste to almost completely disappear from view, nestled in a furrow of fine hand-quilting.
2. The quilting is dense and expert and contributes excellent texture. In this image, the distinct demarcations between sections featuring different colorways are unmistakable. Along the right edge, browns, copper-tone madders and even a pop of cheddar, plus more solid creams and whites in the place of tiny shirting prints appear. That gives it a notably earlier feeling than the rest of the quilt, more 1870's-1890's while the rest reads so 1890's-1910's. The question is whether this was just a rewarding exercise in meticulously sorting the contents of the scrapbag or whether perhaps a few orphaned blocks were folded into a later project. (click to enlarge)
3. Here at the lower right-hand corner is a thrilling eyeful of the dazzling faceted results of all those tiny half-square-triangle seams. It's also a good example of the great visual interest the quiltmaker sets up when she so prettily segregates the fabrics and colors into distinct sections. (click to enlarge)
4. The quilt's unifying element throughout is this delicate print sprigged with tiny blue-on-white flowering vines. It fills the open blocks, forms the narrow binding and contributes an occasional triangle to the intricate pieced sections. (click to enlarge)
5. Most of the intersections where four of those complex pieced arms come together are less distinctly marked, but this joint features four well-matched bits of pink print, emphasizing the pinwheel figure that intersection creates. (click to enlarge)
6. Here's that little pinwheel, surrounded by a selection of other striking prints and some extremely subtly textured solid white or cream triangles. (click to enlarge)
7. This section at the lower right-hand corner is one of those packed with excellent earlier prints. (click to enlarge)
8. This is extreme case of strikingly segregated prints. Here, a quartet of similar brown prints is arrayed crisply against a background made up of a variety of mostly red, white (and black) stripe-style prints and weaves. (click to enlarge)
9. Here's the crisp upper section of that same area, up close. (click to enlarge)
10. Its neighboring sections include some other heavily segregated zones, including this indigo domain in the foreground. (click to enlarge)
11. Here's a portion of that area, up close. (click to enlarge)
12. Elsewhere, some subtle hints of color creep into a mostly Indigo blue preserve. (click to enlarge)
13. And of course, as a whole, the quilt is actually characterized by the appearance of whole festive explosions of lively color and competing pattern throughout. (click to enlarge)
14. I love the effect of direct sun giving way to shade here, created by the simple, but wholesale switch from predominantly white shirting fabrics in the background above to taupes, tans, double-pinks and even greys, greens and baby blues below. (click to enlarge)
15. This is one of the most complex and intricate versions of the Ocean Waves pieced pattern you could ask for. Quilts with four and five layers of pieced triangles in each arm of the design are quite standard and can look delightful, but when you layer the shimmering rows of pieced triangles eight deep, the complex, glistening effect just proves irresistibly dazzling. (click to enlarge)
16. It's a subtle trend in the quilt, but the trio of red triangles strung along the edge of the open block here hint at a somewhat consistent design preference: the dark triangles that edge the open blocks seems to feature red and burgundy tones with a disproportionate frequency. (click to enlarge)
17. I want to take you through a few basic views of the delicious jumble of scrapbag fabrics of every hue, woven pattern and printed motif. In this one you'll note another string of reds edging one side and some striking little crescent moons and clusters of stars, both in Indigo. (click to enlarge)
18. At this lively intersection, perhaps you'll also be able to make out the neat figure of concentric on-point squares that builds out around the pinwheel intersection, precisely crossing each half-square-triangle set diagonally from corner to corner. (click to enlarge)
19. Here at the lower left-hand corner, no less variety, but some burgundy and Indigo prints stand out. (click to enlarge)
20. Another lovely random mix. Don't miss the couple of scraps of an elegant larger scale brown plaid at upper right. They have the appealing look of having been shaded by hand in pencil. Near the center bottom, note the smudge of brown staining on the petite red and white check. It appears to be dye runoff from the adjacent brown fabric. Like most of the minor spots and stains on the quilt, it tends to blend right in with all the variety. (click to enlarge)
21. In this section, we find more soft pinks and berry hues. (click to enlarge)
22. Here are some classic double-pinks and near them some more unusual creamy textured fabric with little pink sun shapes. (click to enlarge)
23. This X features a particularly striking section: one pink-drenched leg of the X, just packed with vibrant double-pinks, and flecked with reds and burgundies for added richness. (click to enlarge)
24. Here's that pink section up close. (click to enlarge)
25. Here's a very distinctive black sort of frozen raindrop and floral print that catches the eye here an there throughout the quilt. (click to enlarge)
26. Here is appears again in some blushing floral company. (click to enlarge)
27. What a great sendup of the 1900's period prints. A likely mix of red, Indigo, burgundy/claret, black and grey prints gets a lively little kick from an abundance of vibrant turquoise scraps, apparently one of those always startling turn-of-the-century hues we frequently see with those rare neon pinks and acid greens. The group identity is cemented by that use of medium blue pinstripes running every which way in the background. (click to enlarge)
28. This section also enjoys little red pin stripes running in either direction, (click to enlarge)
29. while here, a wider woven version, really makes this feel deliciously country and homespun. (click to enlarge)
32. Here a bit of a stripe even appears running diagonally (in the presence of some favorite standout prints from the quilt). (click to enlarge)
33. A closeup of that lovely mishmash here of medium blue stripes running every which way shown in full view a few images back. (click to enlarge)
34. A confetti cascade of black polka dots falls so charmingly across this section, (click to enlarge)
35. while here, we just get them in outline form. (click to enlarge)
36. This bright white print is just delightful, so crisp and high-spirited with the tiny bullseyes and little strings of bubbles. Note a tiny brownish stain at upper right. (click to enlarge)
37. Here our frozen raindrop floral print and some excellent printed plaids in all different hues. On the white background again there are some faint little brown-toned surface spots. (click to enlarge)
38. Here's a little closeup in that same area. How about that scraggly coral design in black and white? (click to enlarge)
39. Here we are in the midst of some lovely brown tones. A neat bit of early purple, just yearning to join them in brownness sits up top. (click to enlarge)
40. More lush browns, many of them delightfully angular designs, here. (click to enlarge)
41. A cluster of classic copper-toned madder paisley features here. (click to enlarge)
42. Here's a little teal with all your brown tones, a perfect complement to the watery teal in the copper-toned madder, if you ask me. (click to enlarge)
43. How many vastly different ways can you suggest a woven plaid, preferably in brown? (click to enlarge)
47. Ok, some of you can actually get sick of brown prints. Imagine! Let's give those cheery reds and other interesting prints some face time before we wrap up! (click to enlarge)
48. Some red florals here, but who can ignore that wonderful olive green stripe background fabric with the red beans jumping all over it!? (click to enlarge)
49. A little oxblood red with a teardrop/paisley repeat and a dot-to-dot red print get backup from some burgundy. (click to enlarge)
50. We've seen this wonderful little quatrefoil/spiky knot little motif on the softest grey blue in passing before, but it needed to be seen right up close just once. (click to enlarge)
52. Subtle surface texture on the woven stripes in the background here. (click to enlarge)
53. My goodness, they're like little electrified ear muffs! (click to enlarge)
54. A rare mellow bit of grey. (click to enlarge)
55. Some very light surface stains visible here. (click to enlarge)
56. The heavy, geometrical quilting is unmistakable on the backing, an ivory-toned bleached muslin. (click to enlarge)
57. The beautiful little narrow binding is machine-stitched to the front and prettily hand-stitched down to the back. I couldn't find a single flaw except for a tiny 1 1/2-inch segment that needs to be restitched tight. (click to enlarge)
58. The binding makes such a pretty continuation of the print's heavy use in the all the open blocks of the quilt. (click to enlarge)
59. The open blocks are essentially flawless, bright and clean, but here's a single example of a tiny brown spot. It measures 3/16-inch across, includes a tiny 1/16-inch wear hole within it and is discreet enough to largely disappear into this furrow of hand-quilting. (click to enlarge)
60. You can see small light stains on a couple of triangles here. (click to enlarge)
61. Along the right-hand side of the quilt, where the earlier brown fabrics that are more prone to dye and mordant issues appear in great profusion, there is some surface toning and spotting that seems quite clearly to be related to the brown fabrics themselves. This image and the following two will zero in on the same section where there is light toning so you can put the imperfection in a larger context. It doesn't stick out, but up close there is some light brown surface toning. (click to enlarge)
64. In this section, elsewhere, you can see some other very tiny, faint brownish surface spots. (click to enlarge)
65. All the featured quilts in this mini-group are long on the classic hues of the circa 1900 period, all are crisply pieced and most feature widely varied scrapbag lineups of the era's most beloved small-scale prints. (click to enlarge)
66. Listings for a handful of the quilts visible in this group shot have ended but the remainder are live now. (click to enlarge)