Desertsky Susan - Rule 5

Or at least, I think it's 5.  I have taken a part-time job, and I'm losing track of everything as I try to catch my balance.  Here's the block on it's own:

Here's the circle and the freehand stitching, both abominable:

Here's all five steps, as far as I've completed each one. There is still work to do on the CQ block and the block on the bottom with the flowers.

I may turn rule 5 so the dark is to the outside, depends on what comes next on that side.

Moira's Rule 6

Finally had the time to work on and complete my version of rule 6. My house is a dollhouse and I also added a doll to my piece. I made a free form blocks using up the leftover strip set from the checkerboard. Added purple gingham strips as the curved pieces and like how it turned out.

Betty's scarecrow 6

I hesitated to start because of the pieced curves.   So I decided to try to keep it simple.   I used WOF strips and although my curves were gentle the whole thing came out kind of warped.  Lack of better description.  So did I start over?  No.  I didn't want to waste fabric.  I cut the pieced strip into chunks and sewed them back together.
You can't tell can you?   I should have kept quiet!   lol.  After my struggle with the green and brown I was too chicken to continue it into the sky.  My sky is one blue piece.  When I regained my thoughts after all that....
weeks later... I began putting machine embroidery designs onto it.  First was the little 'house' on the left.  Now we have a spring setting with the birds building in the birdhouses and kids planting the garden.  The scarecrows are helping with that.

I sewed 6 to the rest of it.  I have been doing quilt as you go.   So I  am showing a picture of the back.  The first four sections are sewn together,  since they were smaller.  I added #5 with the red/black flannel and #6 is added with the blue/tan flannel.  I am doing it similar to the Kate Woods six hour quilt method.  That way I don't need sashing or strips of fabric to join my blocks.

I was tickled to put the Outhouse in #6.  How often do you get the opportunity to put one of those in a quilt?
LOL.  (Or even want to!)

Thread Painting

If any of you are members of "The Quilt Show", they are doing a weekly lesson on thread painting.

Marie's Optical Illusion Rule 6

I'm pleased that I got this finished before the new rule came out.  This was a fun block to do.  I've never tried free motion curved lines before and it was fun to do.  It just doesn't make sense to me that they would fit together, but they do fit perfectly. 

I made a couple of mistakes.  The worst was that I didn't allow enough fabric for seam allowances so I ended up having to do curved lines on my black border to compensate, but when I finished I was glad that I made this mistake because I like the way it turned out.  I learned a few things and if I were to do it again I would change it a little.   I think I should have added a couple of trees, but I'm not going to take it apart.

I was afraid that all those curves would not blend in with all the straight lines in the rest of the quilt, but I think it will work out as I add more to the quilt.

Hello Bizzy Bee

Hello Bizzy Bee, Welcome to our mystery group!!  Please check your emails for an invitation to the blog and a special email from me.

Barns: teaser #6

While I was behind on rule 5 (by a long way) I do know what I'm doing for rule 6.  The design process is what takes me so long, so hopefully this one will be ready on time.

I think it is obvious what I'm creating here.

Barns Rule 5

Here is proof that I pieced the circle.  The top part of my moon was pieced this way while the rest was part of the paper piecing.

Here is the whole section.  My circle doesn't look perfectly circular because I placed the silhouette of a tree off center in it.  I do like it though.  I added thread painting in two places including the tree branches (also added to rule 4), and some outlining on the barn.  Originally I had a yellow background behind the barn which I loved, but I felt it needed a little more of something so I changed to a grassy green pasture look.  There are a couple of trees pieced in front of the mountains (they blend in a little) and an unexpected little river runs below them.  It is actually sky fabric but turned out more rivery.  I think I like it.

Here are some close-ups of the thread painted branches.  I'm no perfectly satisfied with them and may still work on them some.

This tree maybe needs a few more branches.  I also added one more badly needed black line on the barn roof.  It looks better now.

Rule 6 - Granny Annie's Garden

Well I've decided to make Rule 1-5 into a wall quilt instead of continuing with a bed size quilt. But I will continue to do each rule and technique - the only difference will be the size. So here is my Rule 6 with a wonky house & a curved pieced lawn. This is the first time I've done a curved piece & I'm glad I did - have always wanted to. So this will be a mini:

Late Rule 6 Teaser

Am finally almost through with this semester in Grad School and I'm able to start sewing again! I've know for a couple of weeks what i wanted to do for this rule, just hadn't been able to post a teaser.....so here it is........... =) I'm hoping to get this block made this weekend...and will start it today.....

Late...Rule #5

I wanted to create a starry winter night with Santa, so the moon is my circle obviously. Then I machine embroideried a santa with his sleigh flying through the night. The words say, "He's making a list and checking it twice." I used a tutorial youtube from hgtv to make my circle. I found it to be simple and turned out nice. In the future, I will be more likely to play with cirlces now that it's not as challenging as I anticipated.

Here is all the rules so far together and my interpretation of winter country traditions. Now on to another season.

Bird Block #6

Here is my block 6. As you can see, I did free motion piecing for the entire background. I love that technique. My house is pretty small as it is far in the background, but I got it in. I appliqued the swans with the needle turn technique I used on the fourth block. I could see the background behind the swan, so I took out some of the stitches and put in some batting. I like the puffed up look, so it was serendipitous. I machine embroidered the details.



Here is the block added to the rest of the quilt. Can't wait for the next block!

Ann's Autumn Country Rule 6

My road is the free motion cutting. I have been using this on my river in previous blocks, so am familiar with this.

My log cabin is paper pieced. It was fun, and I wish I had made it bigger, because the windows had 4 panes instead of one, but they were as big as the cabin, so I cut them down. The garden, cabin, shrubs and trees, and the sunflowers, wagon, and fence are all appliquéd on. I found some fabric that I was able to cut out and raw appliquéd, so it turned out fun. The smoke is embroidered, and I will probably re-do it. It is too stark.

The whole thing together. It is pretty fun to look at. Good luck to everyone else.

We are headed to the Seattle area for Grandkid activities this weekend. So had to get this posted before we leave.

Forest block #6

So, my teaser for those of you who didn't get it, was a calculus formula... it was using trapezoids to approximate the area under a sinusoid curve.  I have a couple trapezoids in my block, see?

I actually almost don't want to show the other side of the block, I really don't like how it turned out.  But I will show you anyway.

I think the bottom right corner needs something, but I'm not sure what.  Any ideas?  I'll probably hand applique something there, when I decide.  Well, here is the whole thing so far...

I really like how the freestyle turned out!  This was a fun rule, kudos to whoever put that rule in the hat!

Marie's Optical Illusion Rule 5

I'm finally finished with my block #5.  This was definitely a learning experience for me.  I had never machine pieced a circle before so it was fun to try and it and succeed.  The last time I needed a circle in a quilt I ended up appliqueing it because I couldn't get it to look right.  I won't be intimidated by circles any more.

I also haven't tried free motion embroidery before and it is fun, but I can see that I could use a whole lot of practice to get very good at it. 

I made two different blocks and put a circle and free motion embroidery in both of them.  In the bottom block the embroidery is the lines on the ball.  By the way, that's my version of the New Years Eve ball at Times Square.  The embroidery in the top block is the shadow of the ball.  I'm not sure if it looks like a shadow or a real amateur trying to do free motion embroidery.

These blocks took me a lot of time.  I think my creativity nearly exceeded my ability.    My inspiration came from "3 Dimensional Design" by Katie Pasquini.  The quilts pictured in her book are very large quilts and I'm trying to make very small blocks so it is rather difficult, but I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. 

Here is my quilt so far. 

Now I guess I'd better get busy and see what I can do with Rule # 6.

At some point I'll catch up!

I am super and woefully behind in our mystery. Hopefully when tax season ends and my hubby is back to soemwhat manageable hours, I can get back to sewing. I love seeing what you all are accomplishing! Everyone's work looks fabulous.

~Carrie

Stephanie's nerdy teaser

Like I said, really nerdy!  I'm feeling rather nerdy today because I was doing math assignments that we're not supposed to know how to do yet (I had a fabulous algebra teacher in middle school, so I already know most of the curriculum for the class, yay).  So I decided to post a nerdy representation of my block!

Enjoy working on all of yours!

Granny Annie's Garden Rule 5

To the left is my Rule 5 and to the right is Granny Annie's Garden now.

I'm not sure where I'll go from here. I joined the Dorinda challenge to commit to doing techniques I would not normally do. I have no need for an appliqued bedsize quilt. I love what I've done so far & think it would make a great wall quilt (I have just the right spot for it too!) I may do that but continue to complete each rule making mini quilts or combining a few into another wall quilt. I need to think on it all a little more. Sure is fun though! We'll see..........

Autumn Country Teaser - 2

Cold and rainy outside today. Perfect day to sew!

A part of my block #6

Once late always late..#5

So I had a hard time getting excited about this one.. I cheated again.... I didn't machine piece my circle (but at least I included one). I tried the machine freestyle embroidery with the tail of the giraffe. Dont look too close though its pretty scary looking. Lets see how late I am going to be with the next rule... Bets anyone?

Teaser, Rule #6

I'm not finished with this block, but I couldn't resist posting a teaser because I love this free motion piecing technique! It's fun, fun, fun!

New curve Link for thought

This entire project looks free-hand curved to me.

Autumn Country Rule 6 Teaser

Here is my first teaser, and all I have done so far.

I'll bet you can guess what it is! Heh, heh.

Still a Mystery: Barns

I wanted to show my progress and explain why it isn't done.  I've finished building "Bud's Moo-tel", but have way too many ideas for the upper half of the new section.  Some barn details and some foilage/trees will be thread-painted in once the section is complete.  The circle is the part that I have too many ideas for.  I originally planned to have a setting (or rising) sun over the trees on the top right.  My new idea is to have a day sun over some mountains brightening some fields in the distance behind the red barn.  I have even contemplated doing a large circular section with an entirely new scene in it.

Sorry I'm so indecisive, but the mystery, even for me, is still the best part of the journey.

 

Rule Release #6

SIZE:  10 1/2" tall by 31 1/2" wide to be added to the TOP or BOTTOM of the quilt (block finishes at 10 x 31).

RULE:  "Place a house or cabin that fits your theme in the block, not a log cabin block but an actual building"

TECHNIQUE:  Free style machine curved piecing
This technique is not as hard as it looks so give it a try.  A free-style curve means that you just take the rotary cutter and cut a gentle curve WITHOUT a pattern (just free-hand it).  Here is a tutorial link:
Sara Fielke

How to pin and sew a curve:

Kaffe Fassett shows you how to pin and sew a curve (not free-style though).

Here are a couple of example pictures of some projects I have made with free handed curved piecing.

This one is put together log-cabin style, but the logs are two pieces of fabric that were free-style curve pieced first.  This quilt was one of my favorites to make because it was just so fun.

The borders on these little "minis" were free-style curve pieced.  Notice that the purple one and the pink one are not identical.  It is because they are done free-style.

Below is a link where another free-style curved technique may have been used to piece a sunset behind a mountain range.  It has a tree in the foreground.

Ionne McCauley quilts

DUE DATES: 
  -Post a teaser anytime and as many times as you like before Apr 15th.
  -We would love for ALL to post something before then because it keeps us excited and gets us all started on the block.
  -A completed photo can be released beginning on (Friday) April 15th.
  -Final due date and rule #7 release date (Mon) May 2.

A lot of catching up to do

I was sick all this week.  I, who am never sick and am absolutely the worst patient in the world, was really, really sick.  So Rule 5 is done except for the embroidery part.  I had a hard time with this one because it didn't seem to fit the Civil War theme, but I think I've figured out something that makes it work okay.  We'll see when I finish it in the next couple of days and get it posted.  No ink yet, because I was sick, but I'll catch up everything, and hope rule 6 doesn't throw something at me that I have as much trouble with as piecing circles - definitely something I've never desired to do and hope never to do again.  LOL!