Enjoy a summer of fun with my new quilt, Beach Boardwalk!
It's perfectly showcased on the Santa Cruz Pier, with the ocean, beach, and the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk in the background. Thankfully, I got these pictures Christmas day before all the storms came in making a mess of Santa Cruz, and especially Capitola.
My Beach Boardwalk quilt is big - 80" x 96" - queen size, as that's what was requested. Hubby did his best to hold it open while on a step ladder, as I snapped lots of pics through a slight breeze. Here's flatter, smoother picture of Beach Boardwalk we took closer to home, with no breeze though it has a couple of sags.
Beach Boardwalk has been in the works since the beginning of 2021. What started as an idea for the Salt and Sand Hop quickly grew to a large quilt. Realizing that time was not on my side for finishing numerous blocks to complete a queen size quilt, I opted for the Surfboards in the Sand block for the March 2021 hop. You can read how well that turned out on my Salt and Sand Hop post.After making a few blocks and tweaking the quilt design here and there, life derailed my progress for at least a year. Finally, this last fall, I committed to making the blocks and writing the pattern for Beach Boardwalk. After all, this quilt is for my son, and long overdue.
You've probably followed my progress on Midweek Makers as I've posted blocks and rows, starting off with the redesigning of the palm trees in September. Love these!
With Christmas as my deadline, I cut it close, finishing Beach Boardwalk on Christmas Eve. My son, who resides in Santa Cruz, received his quilt the day after Christmas when we could all get together. I made it just in time!
Now for some block closeups! Starting with the top row, here's the Ferris Wheel and Concession Stand, complete with cotton candy and drinks.
Next to these and to complete the first row, is the Roller Coaster, probably my favorite block!
Next up on the beach are the umbrellas and lounge chairs. This picture really shows off the quilting - incoming waves on the left; a circle/line motif to separate the ocean from the boardwalk; sand dunes; and a gentle breeze in the background.
Moving down the quilt, and closer to the shore, there's beach houses in a variety of colors.
When my son saw these in the design stage, he asked that they be colorful, like the houses in Capitola. This was the first time I'd seen these houses, and colorful they are! If you've watched the news about our storms, these houses were damaged from the swells and debris. Very sad.For the quilt though, it took me 2 days to decide the best color combos. And yes, I made a pink house, with teal trim and a blue roof, as both colors are seen in Capitola.
Row four, with its sailboat, windsurfer, surfboard, and hammock complete the summer fun vibe.
Here's a picture of the palm trees and hammock block cause I forgot to take one after quilting.
Overall, I kept the quilting simple, outlining all the applique and piecing, with added detail here and there. I mentioned above that the quilting involves waves in the outer border. Notice the outer border has ocean waves coming in at an angle, landing on the beach at the bottom corner where umbrellas are planted in the sand.
The two areas of crashing wave foam (large white area) has the extra detail of circles in it to represent bubbles, while the inner border continues the bubble theme with randomly placed circles in two sizes. And the sand has dunes, at an angle to match the rest of the outer border.
For fun, I took a picture of all the thread colors I used in quilting this, though I think I'm missing the dark aquamarine used in the waves under the boat. If I include that one, that makes 14, and all do the job beautifully!
And there you have it - my summertime fun Beach Boardwalk quilt! Are you interested in making your own Beach Boardwalk quilt? The pattern is written for the Queen size of 80" x 96", as shown. Two files contain detailed written and visual instructions for constructing over 15 blocks. All Kona Solid colors are listed.
This is an Intermediate pattern level, requiring knowledge of applique, paper piecing, and the ability to enlarge pattern templates. By adjusting the borders, the Beach Boardwalk pattern also includes instructions for making a Twin size (68" x 86") and Lap size (60" x 78"). Find it in my Etsy shop for summertime fun!
Happy Quilting!
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