Deana's Rule #4 Barn progress

I know I am very late and should be posting a #5 teaser, but I wanted to show that I haven't desserted you.  Hopefully you can see a barn in progress here.

I'm going with a night sky on this one.  I hope I can blend it in.

Rule 5 teaser!

Here is my teaser...

I enjoyed working on it, but my machine did NOT.  It kept telling me the thread was broken, when it was just fine...

Teaser for block 5

Here is my teaser for rule #5. The block is nowhere near being done, but my circle is stitched to the background. I am excited to get it all done.

Better late than never Block #4

Well it took me a while to come up with something... So I decided to make some african kids playing. I hand appliqued the door on the hut. I can honestly say that I do not like hand applique. I also cheeted and didn't do the rule.. I was going to incorporate it in the border, but I didnt have room. Oh well, at least I am not being graded on this project.

late, and photo intensive rule #4.

So, I am late, but I have had a CRAZY past two weeks, and have had the HARDEST time coming up with something for this rule!  I finally decided to go with something a little more symbolistic for this one.

I built my dream home!  A log cabin filled with love, in the woods.  I was originally going to make the whole unit log cabin blocks, but I must have been doing it wrong, cause I had a difficult time making those as far as they are.  So I stopped there and just added background fabric.  The positive negative is kinda hard to see, but with those hearts, I applique'd them on with the opposite color, so I did the brown with a light blue, and the blue with a brown colored thread.

As far as the applique technique, I actually used my own, where you use a tear away stabilizer.  First you sew the fabric to the tear away stabilizer, leaving a quarter inch seam.

Then you cut a hole or slit in the stabilizer,

 

And then flip it inside out, iron it, and tear away the stabilizer, and you have a perfectly turned edge! 

And here is the whole thing so far...

 

the picture won't flip for me, sorry about that.  But the block is finally done and up!

Say hello to newcomer, Sher!!

Hi, my name is Sher and I have chosen a "Beaches" theme for my mystery. I
love the beach and the blues and greens associated with it. My friend encouraged me to join and showed me her block today. I just love the idea and creativity of everyone's perception of each rule and technique. This is going to be so much fun! I sent this on to my daughter and my aunt. Hope they pass it along as well, it is a great idea and I just know it will be so fun.
> Thanks!!

Rule 4 finished and Rule 5 teaser

Made it thru the week from you-know-where in school yesterday for which I'm thankful. And was finally able to decide what I wanted to do for the pos/neg aspect of Rule 4. =) Knew I wanted it to be fairly simple and make a background for what i planned to do as applique. Ended up making a checkerboard of the yellow gingham and a couple of different WOW's.

I appliqued a pink butterfly to the checkerboard as my hand applique and then embroidered antenna on. Not real happy tho with the body of the butterfly so I'm probably going to redo that. And am thinking of adding another smaller butterfly or two off to the left of teh block (as fusible appliques).

And since I'm now on spring break (not going anywhere 'cause i have to work and get homework done), I've started on my block for Rule 5. Know what I'm gonna do....just need to get it finished....lol.....at any rate here is my teaser.............

moira

Rule Release #5

SIZE:  27 1/2" tall by 14 1/2" wide to be added to the RIGHT or LEFT side of the quilt (block finishes at 27 x 14).

Note to Betty:  If you want to get your size on with ours you could make it 27 1/2" tall by 11 1/2" wide.

RULE:  machine pieced circle somewhere
http://angieasplund.blogspot.com/2009/09/circle-quilt-block-tutorial.html
http://www.dioramarama.com/2009/02/tutorial_easy_pieced.html
http://jootjoot.blogspot.com/2010/02/tutorial-techniqe-for-sewing-non.html
http://haniesquilts.blogspot.com/2009/03/circle-tutorial.html
http://andothersillythings.blogspot.com/2009/07/polka-dot-quilt-tutorial.html

TECHNIQUE:  threadpainting/free motion MACHINE embroidery  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbD8q7nJ0Do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj9LkDkI538&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiPnKal0ohM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO2Y-o0bQXo&feature=related

Note:  If you don't have a free motion foot, you can use NO foot at all.  One of the links above shows you how.

DUE DATES: 
  -Post a teaser anytime between now and March 24.
  -We would love for ALL to post something before the 24th because it keeps us excited.
  -Full-releases begin on (Thur) March 24
  -Final due date and rule #6 release date (Mon) April 4

Lyn's Rule #4

Lyn made a haystack, fence, and gate.  She also added some trees along her road on rule #3 and a new pine tree that overlaps onto rule #2.   She needle-turned the tree trunks, haystack, and pine tree.  The positive/negative is in the gate.

Non-functional

I'm enjoying looking at everyone's blocks, but mine isn't started yet.  Something is non functional here at home (no, not me!) and until its functioning again, I can't do my block.  And today is such a perfect, rainy, cloudy, cold day to stay indoors and do the block, too!  However, I thought I'd at least post a second teaser, about the +/- part.  Hint, this goes with the president.

A day late...but finished!

First off, I want to thank the one that submitted the needle point applique technique and also the positive/negative rule. I really enjoyed both of these methods. I joined this mystery project so I could learn new quilting methods so this is stretching me. Having said that, I really had to think hard to get my creative brain working. I sympathize with anyone still trying to come up with a plan.

I was going to make a sled, but I'm not quite confident with making my own paper piecing patterns just yet. I found these cute mittens and got excited about them. They are not side by side, but they are the positive/negative idea.

I used the top freezer paper method for applique for the mittens. I was surprised and pleased with how easily it is to follow the shape to exactness.

So here it is together. The fun thing about the positive/negative is I decided to create the snowflake to be opposite of the one below it. I didn't plan it in the beginning so it caught me by surprise.

Betty's Scarecrow 4

Here is my section 4.  Lots of rain falling.  From the skies and the eyes.  The umbrella is needle turn applique.  I appliqued each color on, starting with the red.  I used a glue stick to hold the piece in place, one at a time.  I am going to make the handle a little more visible, it is too thin now.  The reverse blocks are 3 dimension windmills, made with folded fabric squares and stitched into the seams.  I always wanted to make some blocks with that method.  I hope that passes for the reverse blocks. 

I had to chuckle when I got the scarecrow done.  The umbrella isn't over his head. If he only had a brain.

He made me think of Mary Poppins!  LOL.  The lion could use a spoonful of sugar!  He doesn't mind all that rain.  He is just a little bit heartbroken but he has more courage than he realizes.

Oops

Sorry, I hit the wrong button.

Madeline Mae was born today, March 7, at 7:27 pm. She weighed in at 7 lb 1 oz and is 20 inches long. Mom and babe doing well.

Ann's new grandbaby

Granny Annie's Garden Rule #4

Here is my Rule 4 block. The 3 green leaves are needle turned & even that little bit was a chore! The butterflies were fun to do once I had the math figured out.

And here is my garden so far:

Full view Rule 4

What a morning. My plan was to get up early and post this, but that changed quickly.

My daughter is in labor with grandchild #12, and granddaughter #6. So my priorities changed drastically. We hope to have a baby by late afternoon, early evening.

So, my block: Every country scene has to have a river, right? And every river has driftwood and rocks.

And being Autumn, must have have bushes with fall foliage. (Sorry about the orientation. In my memory file, it is turned the other way.) My Positive/negative got chopped up a bit by the river. It is all needle-turn applique, using a blanket stitch, and hand embroidery.

And the four blocks together. This is coming together nicely. I have an idea what the whole quilt will look like, but until we have all the rules, it will be hard to completely know.

I plan to add something to block 2, but don't know exactly what, yet.

Carrie's Scrappy Anything Rule #4

Reveal Day!

Here is my block - it was alot of fun to put together.

It looks like two kissing fish, doesn't it? Actually, it was supposed to be XOOX for kiss-hug-hug-kiss, but because the two sides aren't square, cute fishes resulted!

In keeping with my theme, the backgrounds are pieced from scraps. I first had to make my "fabric" and then trim it to size. Then I got to work on the appliqued elements. I used the freezer paper on the bottom applique method. All of the triangles and squares are hand appliqued except the double triangle units and the top and bottom center. Those I did by machine.

Here is the block attached to my quilt top.

The lighting was totally off the day I took this photo so the top looks darker than it actually is.

Can't wait for Rule #5!

Full Bird Block # 4

Well, at last it is reveal day! I decided to keep this block really simple. As most of you guessed, what you saw on the teaser was partly a dove wing, but the other part was the tail. I turned it sideways. Here is the complete picture. (Sorry about the background, I got bits of the quilt that is on the bed in my sewing room. That's not part of my bird quilt. It's a double wedding ring I quilted last winter.)I used the freezer paper on top method of needle turn applique and found it to work well for me. Here is the block with the rest of my birdies.

Marie's Optical Illusion Rule 4

I'm happy our reveal date is here and am excited to see what each of you have done with Rule #4--and I can't wait to see what the next rule will be.

My block is machine pieced except for the circles (really ellipses), which are needle turn applique.  Three of them are actually reverse applique and one is regular applique.   I used the basting method of needle turn and find that it is the method that works best for me unless the pieces are really small.

Here is my complete quilt so far.  I'm not sure I'm really excited about how this last block goes with the rest of it, but I hope that as I add more blocks it will look better.

Pam's Woods Mystery Rule #4 reveal

I can't believe that reveal day is finally here. This has been like waiting for Christmas. I used the needleturn to do the positive/negative.

It really was a challenge to do something that would blend well with the rest of my blocks.

Late teaser for Rule 4

Thanks to grad school being absolutely crazy this past week and the coming week (Spring break is almost here - yeah!!!), and not being able to make up my mind.....I too am running late in figuring out what I want to do. Finally figured out what I want to do for the applique part....still thinking on the pos/neg part. lol. At any rate, here is my teaser......

I'm late! But I'm here.

Here's my teaser, and it's late because I knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure exactly what to use.  So this is part of it all.  That's all I'm saying.  Except the finish will probably be late, too.

Barn teaser

I apologize for the late teaser, but life is pretty busy and my creative juices have been slow flowing.

I've been brainstorming on this rule quite a bit, but today is the first I've been able to sketch any form of my idea.  I promise that the black and white version gives little light as to what is being created in my head.

February Wrap-Up

I think our main focus for this month was "ugly" or "not normally used" fabrics and embroidery.  We also had to do some trouble shooting with a strange size:  5" wide very LONG strip.  They all turned out beautiful, though!!  Here are some numbers.

17 participants completed rule 3
2 participants posted teasers of rule 4 in Feb
2 participants used a heart (the Feb symbol) in their blocks because it was Feb.

"Not normally used fabric" was used as follows: 

floral background, zig zags, velvet birdhouse opening, cut out melons-scarecrow-sunflowers, southwestern stripe as bird feathers,
unusual fabric in a nest, and gingham checked background behind embroidery.

Colors used that participatnts didn't favor included: 

yellow, gold, red, pastels, orange, bright green, and hot pink.

Hand and machine Embroidery use: 

gold vine, decorative lines through stars, wildwood rose, dutch girl, tea cups with fireweed, flowers and vines, fence, flag pole, grass, windows, door,  blanket stitched hearts, blanket stitched flowers, 3-D tower with embroidery accent, road lines, bird nest, pine cones, African pottery, Bambi fawn, little scarecrows, decorative hearts, tree trunks, and quezal bird feathers.

I think that is a mouthful and quite a splendid variety.