Boats at Sea
Here's a Boats at Sea quilt block pattern that's a bit different than others on the About.com Quilting Web site. This patchwork design depicts a boat cruising into view from the left edge of the quilt block. The boat sits on two strips of "water," giving you more opportunity for color and fabric variations.Finished quilt blocks: 8" x 8" or 12" x 12"
Quilting Fabrics
You can make the boat, sky and water look realistic if you like, or choose quilting fabrics that make the components look totally different than what you would see in a natural setting.Sailboat quilt blocks make wonderful scrap quilts. Combine this Boats at Sea quilt block with other boats or use it all by itself to create a quilt. Add sashing and cornerstones if you like, similar to the elements used in the Sailboats Baby Quilt.
Cutting instructions for sails assumes you will use the easy sandwich method to construct half square triangle units. Alter cutting of sails components to use another technique.
To Make One 8" x 8" Boats at Sea Quilt Block
Sails: (2) 2-7/8" x 2-7/8" squares (see method linked above to construct oversize and cut back for accuracy)Sky: (2) 2-7/8" x 2-7/8" squares (to pair with sails fabric); (2) 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangles; (1) 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" square
Boat: (1) 2-1/2" x 8-1/2" bar
Water: (2) bars, each 1-1/2" x 8-1/2"
To Make One 12" x 12" Boats at Sea Quilt Block
Sails: (2) 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares (see method linked above to construct oversize and cut back for accuracy)Sky: (2) 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares (to pair with sails fabric); (2) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles; (1) 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" square
Boat: (1) 3-1/2" x 12-1/2" bar
Water: (2) bars, each 2" x 12-1/2"
