Monday, April 10, 2023

Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL: House Block #2


It's almost like Christmas morning the day this post goes live and I start to see the house blocks being linked up. I'm thrilled by those I've seen so far on Instagram and blogs. It is such a thrill when I turn a design I sketched out on graph paper into real live fabric, but when I see others make my design, it is even more of a thrill. As I noted last week, the pattern has virtually endless possibilities for making it your own unique quilt, and already I've seen 'outside the box/block' thinking! Andrée added a sidewalk to her first block, breaking up the lawn, and Rose has decided to not do various stars on all of her houses...but you may have to wait for a bit to see what she's been up to, that rebel.

If you didn't catch it on my Instagram, here is my first house block, done in purple for two reasons: 1. it honours the first house block I made from my graph-paper sketch, which was done in purple because that was that year (2017) colour that month, and 2. it happens to be this year's colour of the month (April)!
Check towards the end of the post for a couple of tips for this block

Except for the Ohio Star on the side of the house, the grass, and the sky, the block is made entirely of pieces from 'Broken Glass', a new line by Island Batik. According to the UPS email notification I got Sunday evening, a 10" stack of squares is arriving at my house on Monday! It's one of the main prizes I'll be shipping to one lucky winner.

This week, I'm highlighting two more fabulous sponsors who I hope you will support when you can.

Canuck Quilter Designs has been a sponsor every single year.

Many years ago, 2014, to be exact, when Joanne had first started venturing into the world of designing, I discovered her 'Snow Along', a QAL where we made paper-pieced snowflakes that are exquisite. I was so not a fan of paper-piecing, but I joined because one of my new online friends, Judy, was doing it, and like most things, quilting is always better with friends. Well, I learned how to paper-piece using freezer paper, so you do NOT sew through the paper! It was one of those eureka, quilt-life-changing moments, and I now love paper-piecing, always always do not sew through the paper, and never ever have to rip off that pesky paper.


It's all thanks to Joanne and joining her QAL all those years ago. So you never know when something can completely alter your quilty life. My very first QAL, in 2017, used this freezer-paper technique to paper-piece the maple leaf point! The tutorial is here.
Joanne has some stunning designs. I made her Blaze pattern for one of my Island Batik ambassador projects, but one of my all-time favourite designs of hers is the one she designed to commemorate the eclipse in August 2017.

She is offering one winner a free PDF pattern of their choice. AND!! (drumroll)

For my readers only, she is offering a special discount code: MMM2023 which will give you 10% off any of the 63 patterns in her shop!
It should apply automatically by clicking that link, but if not, just apply the MMM2023 code. This code is effective for you throughout the entire QAL.

Quilting Jetgirl is also one of my long-time sponsors for my annual QAL.


I got to know Yvonne when she was a host for the New Quilt Bloggers group. I would go on to be a host myself one year! Again, see where venturing into the unknown can take you. I joined in with one of Yvonne's early, if not the first, QALs: Wayward Transparency back in 2017.


It was my take-to-yoga-class quilt during the month of February. I always sit on the edge of a folded-up quilt (good for your low back and hips) when I teach, and sometimes it's handy to put on my lap if the gym is cold!

Her current QAL is a beauty of a quilt. This is one of the options you can make.

You can check out this QAL (what's one more, right?) and you can still join in, by clicking below:

Yvonne is offering one winner a $12 coupon to her shop!

Homework for April 17
For next week, make another house block! If you check the schedule, you'll notice that it is one block per week for both quilts, with the twin getting some extra assignments starting in week 3, which is next Monday. Can you work ahead? Absolutely!

Here is a little tip for trimming the QST units when you make the Ohio star.

These need to be trimmed to 2.5", so the first thing to do is set the 1.25" point, indicated by the red arrow, on the very centre intersection. Gently wiggle your ruler back and forth until the corner of your ruler is on the upper right corner diagonal seam and the 2.5" mark is on the lower right diagonal seam, both indicated by the yellow arrows. The 2.5" marks should be on the upper and lower left diagonal seams.

The second tip is that I fold potential fabric into the basic shape of the house parts when I'm auditioning fabrics. None of the pieces below were cut other than the sky HSTs and the door, but I got a pretty good idea of how my house would look. I plan to use the door fabric for all the houses, as it has a stained or etched glass look to it, and interesting dye effects.


Let's see those first houses! Link up below. If you don't have a blog, and don't do Instagram, email me a photo and I'll post it for you, and link it below.



You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

8 comments:

  1. I had so much fun making my first house, Sandra! Choosing fabrics based on what's in my stash and what "story" was going through my head was a blast! Can't wait to get started on #2.

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  2. Oh, I really like that you will be using the same fabric for each of your door houses. What lovely continuity and it does have a stained glass look to it. :)

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  3. I'm having fun too & hope that I keep up, although I changed my thoughts about how it will be finally. I'm only using scraps & stash & trying to do it mainly in stone for my stonemason ancestors from The Penines. I've also an idea brooding about those extra blocks for the larger quilt, so that maybe a diversion that ends up as a squirrel.(giggle) Take care & hugs.

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  4. Love the purple house! I am hoping to start tomorrow and cut out one. I have a little catching up to do…and Rose (yup real live Rose) is coming to ME this week…so I may see her on the weekend!

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  5. Great Purple House! I just found out about this QAL, and will report it on
    QuiltBOM.wordpress.com.

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    1. Hi Sandra, I really had fun making the first block. Everything is cut out for the second block - I love it when I'm organised! Thanks for the pattern, QAL and the link up! I though that I could delete and then add that I love your purple house but anyways, here it is, again!

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  7. Sandra, I love the collection you are using. I'm sure you will see some of it my houses as well, from my "scraps" (I really hate to call them scraps! LOL.) I will try to keep up. This is a great pattern with great instructions, and I love the BIG blocks!

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