neighborhood quilting

"All Around the Neighborhood" is quilted!

I used a large meandering stitch all over the quilt center. It just fades into the background so the main focus is the blocks. King Tut is my favorite quilting thread - this is number 960 "Morning Sky", a variegated thread with very pale blues and white - and I'm really happy with both the color and the stitching.

In the 4" borders I free-motion quilted a sun (or is it a sunflower?). My original grandiose plan was to quilt a row of suns in the top border, a row of tulips on the bottom, and on the sides stitch the words "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" and "Please won't you be my neighbor". But then I couldn't figure out how to get the whole right end of the quilt crammed under the machine arm to write/stitch from left to right, nor could I manage to write/stitch legibly sideways down each side! So on to Plan B (less grandiose but hopefully still fun :)

I found the sun pattern in Follow-the-Lines Quilting Designs Volume 4. I had hoped to trace the pattern on to Golden Threads paper and just stitch over it, but the pattern size was for a 5 1/2" border. Drat! So I took out my notebook and just drew it over and over again to practice. I did measure and mark each border into 5" segments to provide even spacing of the motif and a target for each sun's center point.

The first one didn't turn out that great...

but I got much better by the second border... Free-motion quilting really is my least favorite part of the process; I always dread it and it gives me such stress. I guess it's because it's so difficult to pick it out, as well as the fact that it can make or break (IMHO) a quilt. So it's always such a relief when it's finished, and such a joy when it turns out well :)

The backing is Moda Wildflowers IV Mini-Floral in light blue.

I'll post another photo of the entire quilt when the binding is finished :) Right now I think my shoulders need a massage...

tiny houses and tiny trees

My neighborhood is growing!

Each of these little house and tree blocks is 6" (oops!) 8" square finished.

My favorite is the turquoise flower house. Or the red with the wavy roof. Or the pink with red dots... guess I'm loving them all :)

Which is your favorite?

won't you be my neighbor?

There's a new Block of the Month starting at Quilt in Joy soon, and it's all about the neighborhood! Lorrie and I are making the sample, and we'll be taking turns teaching the monthly demos as well. We spent several hours yesterday cutting and piecing these 12" house blocks. The top row shows my blocks, and Lorrie's are in the bottom row.

Here is what the quilt will look like when it's completed. Lots of paper-pieced trees, log cabin flowers, grass, picket fence, and perfect blue skies to accent all the cute houses!

This pink house and yellow house use the same pattern, but some of the pieces are reversed to give you a mirror image. The little square over the door had some conflicting directions in the pattern, so the yellow house has some extra "trim". How do you like the zigzag shutters and door? We are using lots of polka dots and "dot-like" fabrics since our shop carries a big variety, but I just had to sneak in those stripes!

Lorrie's teal and red houses are also mirror images.

The finished size will be around 60" square, so you can imagine how small some of those pieces are! I've really been drawn to house blocks lately, so this project is a perfect fit for me right now. I love the precision required to make these blocks, but I'm also drawn to appliqued and wonky houses. Today I discovered this pattern by Piece O' Cake designs - I've never seen it before - and now I'm pretty sure I need it :) LOVE those trees and the red background!

Have you made any house quilts or blocks? Traditional or wonky?