"Neighborhood Houses”

This quilt is found in Lori Holt’s book called Scrappiness is Happiness. I just managed to figure it out and draw it up for myself and make it. When I get back to the states, I will buy a copy and bring it back to Poland as I really do want the book. I’m learning a lot on how to make certain types of blocks from her and I like her color combinations so I want her copies of the quilts.

Anyway, I had great fun in making these house blocks and putting together this relatively simple quilt.

I told you I wanted to be able to make lots of house blocks so that they were so easy for me that I understood them!

Yes, Understand. I want to thoroughly understand how they work, what makes them look different, what looks good, doesn’t look good, etc. I know that to many of you that may be silly. A house block is just a place with a roof and some windows (maybe) and a door and some walls. I know. It really is simple, but for some reason, in my mind, they were something I wanted to make and have wanted to make for years and years!

So, now I am doing it. FINALLY. I’ve been so caught up with using up scraps since 2016 that I have somehow neglected doing some of what I think are some “fun” quilts for. I’ve decided that has got to stop and I am going to make some of the quilts I’ve wanted to make alongside the at least 12 quilts from 2.5” strips for 2024 that is my goal for this year.

So here it is. I had this picture to go from. I was able to draw it up in EQ and work from it, in case you are wondering.

In this case I was trying to imitate the layout as best as I could figure out. The colors of the houses and roofs are not the same, obviously. I am using what I have.

Here are some close ups of some of the houses

These blocks are large - in fact, 12”x14” so they actually make a nice large lap size quilt - about 60”x72”, so certainly long enough to cover most people while having a nap.

I spent some time this past week looking at some You Tube videos about making house blocks, but I didn’t find as many as I had thought I would find.

Anyway, they aren’t hard to make.

Next time I’ll make a larger variety of window colors in my house quilt! :) I tended to use yellow for all since I like Thomas Kinkade and other painters who put light in their windows!

I know that for me this is a smaller quilt.

However, because the piecing is a bit on the fussy side, I didn’t try to make it all in one day. I think I made the houses over the course of at least 2 if not 3 days. I don’t remember exactly. I did use the hint that Lori suggested and that was to choose a roof fabric that had 2 or 3 colors in it and then make the rest of the house to coordinate with the roof. I found that the easiest way by far to help me make decisions about what colors to make the doors, windows and chimneys.

Lori Holt herself shows how to make this block. This is where I got all the information I needed to make it.

 
 

I will get Rachael to carry this book if at all possible. There are so many nice ideas in it from what I saw—so much that I want one myself! :) So there’s that.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m so excited to finally ‘understand’ the house block and am beginning to be less afraid of them. In fact, the idea of making some freelance or wonky - I think I could start to do that now. I do have some more patterns I hope to make, however, before I start doing that. At that point, my understanding, hopefully will be even deeper. I’ve spent time looking at Pinterest ideas and various patterns that have been “out there”.

I’ve had making a house quilt on my list of quilts I wanted to make since 2009 as I found a piece of paper where I had a list of quilts I wanted to make back then.

This now makes what, the fourth top I’ve made. Or is it the third? Let’s review.

I’ve made these - let me share with you the variety. Of these, the first one is “my” quilt - or my pattern. The rest are not, even if the fabric choices and/or layout is mine (such as the second one - the Schoolhouse one). Hillside Houses and the Neighborhood Houses quilts are not - just my own tops. I think these are all the ones I’ve made.

I have come across more free patterns, however, so I’ll keep going on this project. I am also working on more scrappy or 2.5” patterns. In fact, I’ve made blocks - but haven’t put them together into tops yet. Those will be coming.

Anyway, thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey!

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

Becky Petersen3 Comments