I love taking classes, even though, after 40 years of quilting, I often know most of what’s being taught. Most teachers have a technique or perspective that adds something to my skills, and sometimes a class is an opportunity to make a quilt I wouldn’t make otherwise.
Therefore, I signed up for David Sirota‘s Zoom class on paper piecing, in which we made the storm at sea quilt. Or rather, I made some blocks and perhaps others made the whole quilt. Whatever.
That being said, I DID make a whole Storm at Sea quilt back in 2019. I used Deb Tucker’s tools and it came out just fine with no hassle.
Love at Sea was made in 2019 using Deb Tucker’s tools.
The heart design in the quilt is a modification of Storm at Sea done by Marti Michel years and years ago; I just copied it. Eventually I gave the quilt to a friend for her new baby.
Anyway, David Sirota’s class. I took it because he’s a master paper piecer, and I’ve been doing a lot of New York Beauty blocks, which surely require paper piecing. I thought I might learn something, and I did!
David has some excellent advice on “the paper” for paper piecing and some nice techniques for accomplishing the piecing as well. Much of it is available as videos through his website. (Are they even called videos these days, or are they now called YouTubes?)
The class was well run and David is an interesting teacher. His techniques worked quite well.
So why did I make only one block? I simply lost interest in the project after I’d learned what I could from it. The block joins a number of other “orphan blocks” set aside for future projects.
The good news is that one of my guilds recently set out a call for orphan blocks. I’m going to look that up and see how many I have that meet their requirements!
Zippy Quilts 
I guess that after 40 (plus) years of quiltmaking, it follows that we’d become a bit more discerning about which workshops to take. After all, how many times can we be taught – retaught – the same thing? But it sounds like you picked up a couple tips, and that’s good. Your block is very pretty! And it’s nice that you can keep or giveaway those orphans as you wish. I sometimes think I’ll make a quilt from the orphan blocks I have, but most often they get pieced, a few at a time, into a quilt back.
Quilt backs are a great place for orphan blocks! I’ve done some of that, and made quilt tops from some, and still there are soooo many blocks left!
I really love your choices of that swirly white fabric and the two-tone turquoise and green. I can appreciate two-color quilts made with straight solid fabrics, but a lot of times I find them a little stark, I just crave some variation within each color! The motion in your fabrics emphasizes the block name perfectly.
Thanks! And happily, I just set aside a big pile of orphan blocks (including this one) to go to a guild that’s making small quilts to go on everyone’s door at a nursing home 😀
It’s a lovely block, great piecing and I bet it is excited to join the other other orphan blocks in your collection as someday they will join together to make some cool unique quilt! 🙂
Good news! That orphan block is on its way, with friends, to a new home!
Your single block from the class is stunning. 40 years of quilt making is impressive, but more impressive is that you still enjoy taking classes and learning new things
thank you for reading and commenting 😀
That is a beautiful orphan block! 🙂
Thank you 😀
I love that you take classes knowing that you might only get one little gem of new perspective from it. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Those are two lovely storms at sea.
Thank you 😀
“So why did I make only one block? I simply lost interest in the project after I’d learned what I could from it.”
Wonderful attitude acquired from a hearty life of quilting, Zippy.
That is a gorgeously pieced orphan block, which taught you what you needed to know at this time! BTW: email on its way about our July venture.
Yep, gotta know when to quit ; )