This past week I made a new Ocean/Beach with Dunes art quilts, trying some new colors for the ocean and creating more artistic dunes. 
I’m very happy with the final quilts and want to share my new ideas. My Ocean/Beach scene quilts have always been popular but because they are less colorful, I tend to not be drawn to creating them as much as some other designs. I decided to jazz up the colors a bit with a different blue green for the water instead of just a darkish blue as in my earlier beach quilts (see small photo).
I like the effect of different blues in the sky and the water.
Then I wanted to try some different piecing to create the effect of sand dunes. I used 7 different sand colored prints and batiks which I layered with rounded edges. The small print 
and shade differences lend depth and texture to the quilt which I really like. A final new design feature was to do some painting with thread and include some clumps of grasses. You can see the dunes in a close up here.
I wasn’t sure how to manage the general quilting, which is free motion irregular curved rows, with regards to the grasses….should I quilt the background first and then add the grasses over it? should I put in the grasses and quilt over them? should I put in the grasses and quilt up to them but not over them? I decided on the third option but I think doing the back ground quilting and ADDING the grasses over that quilting would also work. Interestingly, the sequence of stitching is important to how it appears on the quilt. Definitely I wanted the grasses to be dominant.
I have a second Ocean and Dunes quilt (#4) pieced but not yet quilted. I think I will try the background quilting first and add the grasses over it with this next one.
Do you sell your quilts? I lost vision in 1 eye, I do not quilt. I am looking to buy a wall hanging quilt with a beach theme to hang above a door. We have very high ceilings, I am looking for a oblong about 40” x 24”. Colors are teals, dark blues, tan & coral colors. I love the bright colors you use. How much would you charge to make a quilt ? Thank you!! Carolyn
Yes, I sell my quilts and make custom quilts if you have specific dimensions and colors. An art quilt 40″ x 24″ would cost $433. Are you thinking the 40″ dimension on the width and the 24″ on the height? I charge by the square foot and the beach theme design is $65/square foot. If you are interested in a custom quilt I like to know which of my quilts you want me to use as a guide for your quilt. At time of order I ask for 50% payment. After I send you a photo of the finished quilt you will pay the remaining 50% and I will ship to you. There is no additional charge for shipping. I have just finished a project so now is a good time to order. Let me know if you have any other questions. If you would like to converse through regular email, here is my email: sharonkoppel1@gmail.com. I can process a custom order on Etsy or by snail mail with a personal check. On Etsy you can pay with credit card or Paypal. My Etsy shop is: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtQuiltsBySharon I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
Sharon
I would love to purchase a beach scene quilted wall hanging. How do I order one?
I love the top quilt. Can I purchase that?
Your seascape art quilts are beautiful! Do you sell patterns as well as quilts?
I do not sell patterns. But I encourage you to use my quilts as inspiration and try your hand at more abstract quilt piecing.
how do I make surf look real in a wall hanging—I saw a demo of twisting cheese cloth but can’t find it —
I don’t know about any way to do this except through fabric choices and the size of pieces used to create the quilt. I have not used any unique techniques.