Albers at Sea

What would a series on blue quilts be, without a storm at sea (or two)? This sophisticated quilt really caught our eye. It has the spare, minimalist design of a classic Amish quilt, with a very contemporary feel. Storm at Sea is one of our favorite blocks, as it falls into the category of "straight piecing patterns that appear curved."  We love the checkerboard and folded ribbon borders !

Albers at Sea, 75 x 75, by Debra Levin, at the Empire Quilters Guild 2007 Showcase

The quilt was done in Cherrywood hand-dyed fabrics in blues, greens and wine.  The background is not black; it is a dark burgundy color. Debra explains the quilt name in reference to the artist, Josef Albers: "I was thinking of his 'homage to a square' color theory series about how the same color looks different when surrounded by different colors. So in this case the burgundy is against various colors -- I liked using the traditional 'Storm at Sea' pattern to make this point." The back of the quilt, shown below, is an abstract work of art.

Image credits and links: Images are shown with the generous permission of Debra Levin and the Empire Quilters Guild. More of Debra Levin's outstanding quilts can be see on this Quilter-of-the-month page.  The next Empire Quilters Guild Urban Inspirations Quilt Show will be held March 26-27, 2011 in New York City.