Opposites Attract Quilt Block and Giveaway

I am participating in the Opposites Attract Blog Hop hosted by Marian of Seams To Be Sew HERE.

We were to design a quilted item using a block design of only 2 colors. I saw this block in a quilting book I was looking through and decided to make it.

I had just enough time in my month to get one block sewn and decided it would be a small table mat to give as a Christmas gift. It measures 12" square. 

I used the Accuquilt 4" finished Triangle Square die. I did not have a 4" finished Half Square Triangle die, so I had to cut the corner triangles myself (but it is on my wish list). 

For the center 4" Square in a Square I used the EQ7 template print out. I found that the green corner triangles could be cut with the Economy die that came with my Go! Cutter...that helped. 

I did have time as I designed it to work out some block orientations, thinking I would make a larger project with a few blocks.

Storm at Sea

Flower in the Middle

Star

Standing Stars

 Offset Stars

Today's Giveaway is through Rafflecopter. Good luck and thanks for visiting. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the other designers participating in the next few days:

JUNE 3 Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

A Beautiful Day

MooseStash Quilting

Country Lady Quilts

Patchwork Breeze (you are here)

JUNE 6

Ravelly1

Mary Mack's Blog

Tea Time Creations

123 Quilt

Sew Many Yarns

JUNE 7

I CAN QUILT 2

Marjorie's Busy Corner

Finding myself as an artist

Seams To Be Sew

Four-in-Art Quilt Challenge Reveal

Four-in-Art is a small group of quilters who hail from many different places. One member announces a yearly quilt theme. This year it's COLOR. A sub-theme was added to each quarter's challenge this year to spice it up. This quarter we had to work MUSIC into our projects. 

Visit the posts of all Four-in-Art members to see how each interpreted Color and Music for this May 1 reveal. Their links are at the bottom of my post. 

I will admit I know just a little about music (to perhaps be dangerous). As a college student studying elementary education I was required to take Music 101, where, in fact, we had to learn to play the piano in 16 one-hour sessions on our own! I was able to play songs written with only quarter notes in the chord of C. Period. 

I know enough about the treble cleff (I like drawing it), "Every Good Boy Does Fine," Do, Re, Me, "F-A-C-E," the counts given to various notes; but, I can't keep time, or rythm and my foot and my fingers don't work together. 

I enjoy listening to a variety of music. As an elementary teacher, I included lots of singing during classes. We had record players and then cassette players. I knew the songs by heart and children are pretty forgiving when the tune maybe not be spot on. I can sing some popular songs and am pretty sure I am flat or sharp where I shouldn't be. 

So where to begin with Color and Music?

Many ideas spun around in my head. I have told group members that I tend to be literal in interpretation on these projects (as I am with most of the quilts I make). 

I thought about a guitar applique after a quilting friend posted about the Gibson Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I even went so far as to draw a guitar in EQ7. 

Another idea was constructing the staff with black and white fabric and uappliqueing the notes in various colors. 

Then!  Out of the blue the idea came to me!

RAIN 

It was a rainy spring day. 
I thought of the song, "It's Raining, It's Pouring," then the Carpenters', "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and Gene Kelly "Singin' in the Rain." 

Well, you get the idea. An internet search indicated there are over 775 songs about rain!

The songs were popping up like mushrooms after a rain. (And that really does happen.)
RAIN would make the music. "Rain Songs" was conceived.

Blue, the color every kid uses to show water (well, there are exceptions). I had a fat quarter pack of fabrics by Anthology ranging from lights to dark (or maybe the other way around). I needed one other fabric because I thought the lightest two would be lost in the layout. I am still learning about tint and shade. I would say that these blues are tints as they get lighter, which would indicate white being added. If black were added I don't think the darkest blue would have the brightness it does. Therefore, shades are not involved in the raindrops.

I applied fusible to the back of 6" x 4" pieces of only 8 of the fabrics. Each color would represent one of the notes on the C scale, or as I remember: Do, Re, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do.

Rain comes during darker weather with grey skies. Five shades of grey would be used to represent the five lines of the staff. I made wavy cuts to indicate the movement of the rain clouds. The different colors show different types of rain, light rain with soft sounds and heavy rain with thunderous downpours. Each raindrop would represent a whole note. The darker the color the lower the note. The lighter the color, the higher the note.

I divided the quilt top into sections. Twelve vertical lines would allow four whole notes to be placed in 3 measures across. 

I drew horizontal lines indicating the lines and spaces of the staff. Each raindrop note would be appliqued to its corresponding place on the staff.

There are actually three Rain Songs on this piece. The rain song on the top is a softer song, higher notes indicated by the lighter blues. The rain is softer, the storm not so strong.

The middle rain song is soft and light to begin then it becomes lower, deeper with the darker or lower notes. High notes to low notes as the grey skies deepen in shade.

The last rain song is a heavy storm, deep grey shades and dark, low notes. The storm lets up a bit, then begins to lower in sound. 

I quilted verticle lines showing the falling rain. The rings indicate the raindrops are hitting the ground, or something, making sound, vibrating outward to our ears. 

 And the back of the quilt with label attached.

The other Four-in-Art Reveals:

We also have a blog, Four-in-Art Quilts, where you can find us all.

Betty         https://www.flickr.com/photos/toot2

Camilla     http://faffling.blogspot.co.nz/

Catherine    http://www.knottedcotton.com

Janine         http://www.rainbowhare.com

Elizabeth    https://occasionalpiece.wordpress.com/

Rachel        http://www.rachel-thelifeofriley.blogspot.com

Simon         http://quiltalicious.blogspot.com

Susan         http://patchworknplay.blogspot.com

Worktable Projects

I'm finishing up the last details of my Four-in-Art challenge project 

for the May 1 reveal.

 I will give you a little peek. 

Spring is here, although one couldn't tell by the cold temps in Michigan right now. 

I picked my tulips and brought them in the other day. 

We have two rabbits in the yard and deer come and go during the night. 

I decided I would rather enjoy the colorful flowers for a week or so in the house 

than to miss it because they became tasty food for one of these critters. 

It is time for some springtime potholders for me and friends. 

I am enjoying the rocks and some of the fresh colors of fabrics. 

This weekend I will turn my attention to the May 

Island Batik Ambassador paper pieced projects 

with the theme of Playful. 

What are you sewing up this week?

Preparing for Opposites Attract Blog Hop

I wanted to let my visitors know about the 
Opposite Attracts Blog Hop coming June 1. 

I'm joining 24 other bloggers as we each show our two-color block designs 

in this blog hop hosted by Marian at Seams To Be Sew.

 For 6 days, beginning June 1, 

you will be able to visit the designers,

see how they designed their blocks, 

get some ideas on how to use two-color blocks in projects

and enter for a chance at the great giveaways 

donated by the wonderful sponsors. 

More information and a list of sponsors is available at Seams To Be Sew.

This hop should be fun and inspiring. 

What block would you design in two colors? 

Giveaway Winner

This is a short post today to announce the winner of the Retreat Comment Giveaway from yesterday's post. Thank you all for visiting Doris' blog and reading my post and then visiting Patchwork Breeze. 

There were 12 comments. I put the numbers 1-12 in a basket. Shook them, tossed them, really mixed them up. I picked #1.

Congratulations to Heather who wrote

"I attended my first retreat just last year...and loved it! Can't wait to do it again next year!!!"

I have sent an email to Heather. 

I hope that you all have fun on a retreat some day. If the chance doesn't arise, perhaps a STAYCATION (as my friend Val calls it) is in the near future.