Saturday, April 08, 2023

Block 1 of the Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL

Hi! I hope that you are all well ๐Ÿ˜Š. The winter storm is over and it looks like Spring is finally here ๐ŸŒž Yeah!!!

Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL


I can't believe that I'm doing another QAL! I've been looking at Sandra's Rainbow Neighbourhood pattern for a while, so why not join? Who knows, I just might make a whole quilt, now that I've done the first block. Here's hoping ๐Ÿ˜

First house - blue!

I chose my fabric for the whole quilt, which is pretty unusual for me. They are mostly Alison Glass fabrics that I bought a few years ago. I'm using the ones with the white drawings over the various colours - her Sun Print collection.

Mostly Alisson Glass fabrics

I must say that I love these huge blocks! It was a little scary cutting up the fabrics for the roofs and sky - I don't think that I'll have enough of these, but I'm sure that I'll be able to find others. I'm really going to try to make the whole quilt from my stash. We'll see how that goes!

This is the finished roof section

This was my first attempt at putting the roof together....oops!

If I'm going to make this whole quilt, I have to find ways to amuse myself, so I've decided to have fun with the windows and the grass. I'll be using hand-dyed fabric for all of the doors and windows. I also want to add something in each window - probably something whimsical like these.

Going for a whimsical feel ๐Ÿ˜

For the grass in front of each house, I'm going for an interesting lawn or garden. For the first block I've added some garden fabric and a path leading up to the door.

Each house will have it's own grass or garden in front.

What I learned
  • I'm really not used to quilting this big. The whole house block is 16½" square! For me, that's huge!!!
  • I mentioned in my last SAHRR post that working with larger blocks seems to be easier....and many of you agreed with me. Well I now have the proof! This could be the beginning of a new era for me, as far as traditional quilting goes.
  • I've decided to use a matching Kona cotton for the star blocks. I'd be very surprised if I don't have something that will match all of the house fabrics.
  • You probably saw my one big oops moment above. Next time I need to look at the block before I stitch two parts together! I was so concerned about accuracy that I didn't notice that they were in the wrong place....but my seams were accurate ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜‚!
  • It took me most of the day yesterday to make one block! I'm hoping that each block will be faster to make. 
  • To help me along, I originally cut 2 of the sky and roof pieces. After I finished the first house yesterday, I took the time to cut out the pieces for the second house. It will be sort of the reverse of this first house, so the house will be plum and the star will be blue. I wrote myself a lot of notes so that I'll be able to, hopefully, whip it up, and prepare a couple more blocks next week.
  • I'm thinking of making a variation of Sandra's larger quilt, but with yards or fences between the houses. At this time the plan is to make as many houses as I can, and then figure out how to put them together.
Sandra's twin size quilt - isn't it gorgeous?

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13 comments:

  1. Well, I am certainly glad that you have joined in, and I am also glad that you are enjoying the huge blocks! Only nine and you have a nice comfy throw, though I know you are aiming to make your own version of the twin. Know that the roof HSTs often get me going, ‘Wait, what?!’ too!

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    1. Thanks Sandra. I'm hoping to at least review the roof block before sewing it to the chimneys! I am enjoy it and love that I can customize them.

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  2. The 16.5 inch blocks are big for me, too, but that makes it fun to play with the different sections. Your fabrics are beautiful! I love your idea to add a path to the front door, too. Now you've got me thinking!

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    1. Thanks! I've been having so much fun and really enjoy the large blocks, although they do take up much more fabric.

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  3. Large blocks can be easier to get right, unless they have a lot of pieces, then I think it's harder. You've got a great start with that first block. You novelty windows and garden yard are really fun additions.

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  4. Thats a great house block!! love the colors you used!

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    1. Thanks Alycia - wait till you see the new ones :-)

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  5. I adore your first house on the block, Andree!

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    1. Thanks so much Jocelyn, it's been a lot of fun.

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  6. Andree, this block is so cute!! I love the little extras you added and the colors!

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    1. Thanks Brenda, those additions and changes to the colours make the blocks so much fun to make.

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  7. J'adore ta maison, les fenรชtres et le jardin sont plein de promesses pour la suite ;) Effectivement, 16'' c'est grand, je n'ai pas non plus l'habitude de travailler sur de si grandes piรจces. Tout un nouveau monde ร  dรฉcouvrir, amuses-toi bien !
    Bises

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    1. Merci beaucoup Frรฉdรฉrique. Je m'amuse beaucoup. Je viens de finir les autres blocs! Je devrai trouver d'autres tissus pour les toits et le ciel. A bientรดt. Bises

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