I went down to Ocean City on Wednesday to hang out for a day with friend Sandy Sapienza. The organizer of Sewing by the Seaside, Sandy was at the shore for the annual spring retreat. Participant Maryanne Zahn was off to a fast start. Zahn was making a floral wreath quilt from two-inch square pieces of fabric pieced together and affixed to a fusible backing marked with a grid. Once the squares were in place, she started stitching the quilt from the back.
Intriguing though the technique is, Zahn's deft use of assorted blocks of floral-patterned fabric to create the wreath made the piece stand out. I also liked the antiqued look of the background fabric. As shown above, the quilt, which will eventually hang on a wall, is only half-stitched. Even so, its colorful promise of spring beauty on a day of dazzling shore weather was something to remember.
