- Background (muslin)
- Medium (goldenrod)
Block No. 109 · other
Ocean Waves Quilt Block
Part of: Flying Geese Quilt BlocksSailboat Quilt BlocksTwo Color Quilt Blocks
This Ocean Waves block sets medium triangles in rings of waves around a background center, every triangle a flying-geese half. The classic Ocean Waves is an all-over triangle quilt; this block version captures it in one square.
Version note: Quilter's Cache's block version. It is drawn with QSTs, but each cell has only two colors, so it is pieced from geese and squares. The nautical theme comes from the name. Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Grid
- 8 × 8
- Pieces
- 85
Chart
Cutting for a 12" block
8 × 8 grid. All cuts fall on 1/8" ruler marks. Unfinished block: 12 1/2".
| Fabric | Shape | Cut | Size | Then | Pieces used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 1 | 3 1/2" square | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Square | 12 | 2" square | Use as cut | 12 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 24 | 2 3/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 48 |
| Medium | Quarter-square triangle | 6 | 4 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 24 |
Method
Piecing steps
Step 1: Cut every patch listed in the cutting chart for your size. Plain areas are cut as the larger squares and rectangles shown; do not subdivide them. Columns count from the left and rows from the top, starting at 1, in grid cells.
Step 2: Make the flying geese: sew a sky triangle to each short side of a goose triangle (cut from the quarter-square parent), pressing toward the sky. Make 12 trimmed to 3 1/2" wide by 2" high, 12 trimmed to 2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 3: Make the flying geese with medium goose triangles and background sky. They run in four directions, so keep each side's geese in a separate stack.
Step 4: Lay out the block ring by ring from the background center outward, checking every goose against the diagram before sewing rows.
Step 5: Make section 1: sew the background square at column 1, row 1, the medium goose at column 1, row 2, pointing left, the medium goose at column 1, row 4, pointing left, the medium goose at column 1, row 6, pointing left and the background square at column 1, row 8 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 6: Make section 2: sew the medium goose at column 2, row 1, pointing up, the medium goose at column 4, row 1, pointing up and the medium goose at column 6, row 1, pointing up side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 2" high.
Step 7: Make section 3: sew the background square at column 2, row 2, the medium goose at column 3, row 2, pointing up, the medium goose at column 5, row 2, pointing up and the background square at column 7, row 2 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 2" high.
Step 8: Make section 4: sew the medium goose at column 2, row 3, pointing left and the medium goose at column 2, row 5, pointing left in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 9: Make section 5: sew the background square at column 3, row 3, the medium goose at column 3, row 4, pointing left and the background square at column 3, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 10: Make section 6: sew the medium goose at column 4, row 3, pointing up, the background square at column 4, row 4 and the medium goose at column 4, row 6, pointing down in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 3 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 11: Make section 7: sew the background square at column 6, row 3, the medium goose at column 6, row 4, pointing right and the background square at column 6, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 12: Make section 8: sew the medium goose at column 7, row 3, pointing right and the medium goose at column 7, row 5, pointing right in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 13: Make section 9: sew section 4, section 5, section 6, section 7 and section 8 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 14: Make section 10: sew the background square at column 2, row 7, the medium goose at column 3, row 7, pointing down, the medium goose at column 5, row 7, pointing down and the background square at column 7, row 7 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 2" high.
Step 15: Make section 11: sew the medium goose at column 2, row 8, pointing down, the medium goose at column 4, row 8, pointing down and the medium goose at column 6, row 8, pointing down side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 2" high.
Step 16: Make section 12: sew section 2, section 3, section 9, section 10 and section 11 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 17: Make section 13: sew the background square at column 8, row 1, the medium goose at column 8, row 2, pointing right, the medium goose at column 8, row 4, pointing right, the medium goose at column 8, row 6, pointing right and the background square at column 8, row 8 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 18: Complete the block: sew section 1, section 12 and section 13 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 19: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.