Quilting Chris

I'm making a row quilt using some colorful triangle blocks I won in a block lottery. I thought I'd do rows of ocean related blocks (fish, waves, sailboats, birds, sunshine, hanging banners) with the triangle blocks representing sailboats and hanging banners. I'm including a total design picture and a photo of the first 4 completed rows. My problem is that when I constructed the sailboat row, I placed the sails directly over the center of each wave. Now, when I look at the two rows together I think it looks like sea monsters wearing colorful dunce hats. In my original design, I had grouped the sailboats somewhat. Should I take the rows apart and group the sails, or should I just leave them? I would like a viewer to think of sailboats on waves when they first see the quilt, but I don't care if their second thought is sea monsters with dunce hats. I'm just too close to it to make a good decision. And my husband is too literal and can't get his head around the abstraction of the whole idea.

PS: I threw in the hanging banners so I'd use more of the lottery blocks. I imagine the scene when looking at the ocean from a deck adorned with a line of colorful banners hung above eye level.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]586111[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]586112[/ATTACH]

PaperPrincess

OK, you asked... :-) If you want just a sail to give the impression of a sailboat, I personally think that you need a right angle triangle, not an isosceles. If you go with the triangle shape you have, I think I would bite the bullet & remake the row using a pattern something like this;

http://www.whateverdeedeewants.com/2...dys-quilt.html

where you would applique a narrow strip for the mast & put a base for the boat. It really wouldn't be too bad. If you applique the mast, you won't need to remake the row with the sails, then just unpick the stitching for the row between the sail & the waves and put in the row of boats.The quilt looks great so far.

http://www.whateverdeedeewants.com/2...dys-quilt.html

QuiltingNinaSue

I get the idea you are going for, having lived in Alaska (Kenai) and seeing the big sixteen to twenty five foot boats go up and down in the waves there. All but disappearing and then reappearing on the waves, as you have illustrated in your quilt. I think its a great reproduction of the real life on the ocean. Just my two cents worth.

Prism99

I think it's a wonderful idea and a wonderful quilt! I see what you mean about the sea monsters in dunce caps. I think what I would do is remove just that one row, add a row to the bottom of the sails with piecing that looks like sailboat bottoms, add a strip of white underneath the sailboat bottoms to separate them from the waves, and piece that row back in. It would make the sails look like a part of sailboats, and the sailboats would "float" on the white separating strip. If you don't add a white separating strip, see if you can shift the row of sails to the right or left so they are not sitting directly on the waves.

I just think this is a wonderful, fun quilt that will delight somebody for ages!

Barb in Louisiana

I had to chuckle at your description. Oh I wouldn't change a thing about your quilt. They don't look like sails but they look cute as can be. They are just fun! It will always be a conversation starter. Who doesn't love sea monsters?

Quilting Chris

Thank all of you for the ideas and comments. I decided to go with the sailboat hull idea as follows:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]586148[/ATTACH]

cashs_mom

Okay, I looked at the quilt before I read your post and all I saw was sea monsters wearing hats. The revised one looke like some kind of ice cream dessert in a little bowl to me. Sailboats sails aren't shaped like cones.

Prism99

Ooohhh! I *like*!!!

nativetexan

once it is quilted i think all will be well. go for it.

Teen

I liked your idea, too. Looks great. I would take it one step further and appliqué a flag at the top of the mast; however, this is adorable with revision.