Storm at Sea is a traditional quilt pattern. Each block is made up of the three smaller units here, one unit of the first and last and two of the middle one.The arrangement of lights and dark and the different sized triangles that abut each other when the block is assembled create the sensation of motion, or waves and whitecaps.

The colors are traditional "Storm" colors, blues and whites, but I strayed from a strict color usage by varying the shades used so the overall effect carries the primary theme of the waves and whitecaps, in addition to the more minute motion from block to block. You can see the rising and falling of the "waves" more clearly in the JPEG image (76K).

The blocks are constructed using a paper foundation. A separate foundation piece is needed for each unit of the block. Once the units are constructed, they are sewn together to form the block. The paper has to be removed from the seam allowances to reduce the bulk, but the rest of the foundation is left attached to the fabric pieces. The fabric patches are too small to be subjected to the manipulation that removing the paper would require.

The completed blocks in this miniature are 2 1/4-inch squares. The smallest patch is at the center, the four square part. Each square is 3/8", two blues and two whites. The quilt contains 64 blocks plus an additional set of side units on two sides to complete the design. This main part is framed in white, and then offset in two borders of a blue and darker blue print. The skewed setting sets the motion, and communicates to the viewer that the diagonal movement is the intended illusion. I don't think this would come across as effectively in a square setting.

The usage of color is where I let emotion have free rein. High contrast all over would have been visually stunning, but just didn't seem to hold my interest. As I constructed the units and then the blocks, I let each one sort itself out in the emerging composition. Some just cried out for neighbors of a certain hue or color depth. Others weren't happy until I had shifted several blocks around. The quilt grew under its own force, and I felt like an instrument that was able to convey its message. The underlying theme of conflict amid peace is certainly universal and personal. I have a far greater appreciation for the soothing capacity of our beautiful seascapes here on the Cape, and a healthier outlook on my own trials and disappointments, and how all of this fits into a much greater scheme of beauty and power. I challenge the viewer to look within for reverberations of personal experiences.