Storm-at-Sea Quilts, and free block diagrams

Storm at Sea is a great example of a pattern that uses small changes in straight angles to create an optical illusion of rounded shapes. We are fascinated by the design possibilities of this block !  Here are some gorgeous quilts which we've featured at Quilt Inspiration, and they are all based on different shadings of storm-at-sea blocks.  We drew up some blocks so we could analyze the design; you can download them for free, along with a free quilt pattern, at the links provided below.   
  
Eye of the Storm, Heart of the Storm, Summerfest Garden, Oceana, Delft Storm, and Albers at Sea

Row 1:  Eye of the Storm by Peggy Martin, at Peggy Martin Quilts; Heart of the Storm by John Flynn, at Flynn Quilt.  Row 2: Summerfest Garden by Joen Wolfrom; Oceana by Linda Jean Peterson at Cape Cod Art Studio. Row 3:  Delft Storm, by Ionne McCauley at Ionne Quilts; Albers at Sea by Debra Levin at the Empire Quilters Guild.

About the storm-at-sea block:  The storm-at-sea block is based on a 3x3 grid.  This works out well for a 12" block, or any other size that is divisible by three.

 

Here is the traditional block, below, which has an elongated diamond (shown as two isosceles triangles) on the left hand side and the top :

Here is what the quilt would look like if 20 blocks were placed in a 4x5 grid (below). Note that an additional vertical row of diamonds is placed along the right side of the quilt to finish it off.  

These diagrams are fun to color, and are great for teaching kids about quilting (and geometry).  See if they can find different shapes within the grid, such as flowers, hearts, ribbons, and waves.  You can even find *stars* within the single-sashing version:

In a second variation, the diamond "sashing" is placed on all four sides of the center square, as shown below:

When this "double sashing" block is replicated, it creates a double set of waves in the design, as shown below :

You can download the block diagrams here. Finally, here is a free storm-at-sea block pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics, and a free "Stormy Seas" quilt pattern by Yolanda Fundora, below, that uses the double sashing arrangement:

Storm at sea block, Art Gallery Fabrics, free pattern at Quilt Magazine

"Stormy Seas" by Yolanda Fundora at Urban Amish, free quilt pattern for Blank Quilting

Image credits and links: Block diagrams are by Quilt Inspiration. Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists. For the original posts, see Storm at Sea Quilts; Straight piecing patterns that appear curved; Can you believe it's a storm-at-sea;  Delft Storm; and Albers at Sea.