Rainbow Neighbourhood - My Quilt

When I finally put my 2017 Rainbow Scrap Challenge house blocks together into the throw, I knew that was my second choice for a quilt layout using my rainbow houses blocks. I knew I wanted to create a happy neighbourhood (Do you hear Fred Rogers? I know I do.) It took some time, but I knew if I let it sit and percolate on the back burner of my brain, it would be good. And it is.

I looked back in my graph book of design ideas and I see several iterations and possibilities of a quilt using the blocks. Exactly how I came up with the one that is the twin, I honestly am not sure, but I do know I didn't want a traditional setting; I wanted the houses to be not in rows, and I wanted neighbourhood elements such as a picket fence (which did not come to pass in the end).

A huge thank you to Island Batik for sending me the navy marble blender yardage for background, and for the 'Broken Glass' line of fabrics as well as several other Basics and Blenders fabrics.

Rainbow Neighbourhood Final Parade

It’s here and I am late to post this! (Smacks self in forehead) I remembered… and then promptly forgot. My own quilt is not completely finished but the linkup for flimsies and finishes that I have on the June 15 post and also here below was originally open until midnight July 1. I may just extend it through the weekend though; what do you think? Canada Day is an auspicious day to end the celebration of the ‘Famous Canadian’ 😉 upon whose birthday this QAL usually ends, but I think he’d be just fine with a wee extension. 

I actually have stuck to the decision to do an all-over design. Well mostly!

Rainbow Neighbourhood Quilt Top and Link Up

First of all a happy birthday to that most famous Canadian, my dear Dad.😍🥳

He was born on this day, in 1926, in the little town of Legal, (it’s French, so it's le and gal as in girl, emphasis on gal) Alberta. He always gave us kids a chuckle because each year he’d write on the wall calendar ‘the birthday of a famous Canadian’ much to our mum’s annoyance, though we knew it was feigned annoyance. Well, mostly feigned! My annual QAL has evolved into starting on my birthday, and ending on my dad’s.

Without further ado here is my twin-size flimsy! I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

This year the top is due on June 15, but there is a difference for the final parade. Since both quilts, but especially the twin, were more involved than in previous years, I've set the final parade for finished quilts and tops for June 30. 

Rainbow Neighbourhood House Block #10 and Pinwheels

Twin quilt makers, this is your final assignment! This week we are making house block #10 and the pinwheels that spin across the quilt.

I have seen a few tops done, or nearly done this past week and I am swooning over how wonderful they are. This post will also discuss the sashing pieces needed to fit both the throw and the twin together. I will also be showing you some other quilts and projects I've done using this wonderful house block pattern. As lots of you have learned, it can be quite addictive!

Rainbow Neighbourhood House Block #9 and Some Hearts

My sincere apologies for being a day late with this post; life has been rather busy and full lately, all good, but I don't work well when I have a lot of interruptions throughout the day even if they are good ones like reading (such a good, captivating book I'm in), Netflix, eating outside, gardening, errands... Anyhow, let's go!

This week we are making our ninth house! If you are doing the throw, this is your last block, and you get next week off.😚 If you are making the twin, you will have one more house to make along with the heart blocks.

Rainbow Neighbourhood House Block #8

First of all Happy Victoria Day! I hope, if you get the holiday, that you get to spend some or all of it doing something you absolutely love. I started my day off with some quiet sewing, finishing up my eighth house, in my favourite colour, blue, while listening to the busy birds, singing, calling and chirping. Ahhh.

If you are making the throw, you will have just one house left to make after this week! If you are making the twin, you have two left along with two heart blocks and some pinwheels.

Rainbow Neighbourhood Quilt Along - House Block 4

Welcome to week 4 of the Quilt Along!

It looks like everyone is finding the house blocks pretty quick to put together and having fun with all the choices to personalize them. Be sure to check out the hashtag pool #RainbowNeighborhoodQAL as well as #RainbowNeighborhoodQuilt to see everyone’s progress. Be sure to use those hashtags when you post your blocks on Instagram and tag me @mmmquilts. 

Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL - House Block 3

Hello, and welcome to week 3 of the Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL. First things first: I have a little surprise for you: last week I invited everyone to link up their first house block, and eight people did. I know there are more people quilting along, and I'm hoping that those who have bought the pattern (five this past week!) will join in too. Well, I recently won 50 fat quarters from The Fabric Nook, and so I am sending one off to Kathleen in Maine! More sharing to come!

All right, let's talk about making a third house.

Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL Official Kick-Off!

And....(drum roll)....welcome!!🎉🎉🎉 to my seventh, yes seventh(!) annual Quilt Along here at mmmquilts. Thank you so much for being here and for those of you participating, a huge virtual hug of gratitude for your time and enthusiasm. As per usual, the QAL starts on a special day, April 3, with the flimsy due on another even more auspicious day, June 15. What's with these special days, you may ask yourself? You've never heard of them? Well, long-time participants well know, and probably mark their calendars as my dad did, for the June 15 date for sure. However, if you are new, allow me to explain before I give you your homework for the week!

Rainbow Neighbourhood

This post should have come out this morning, but well, life in general intervened and that is just fine. It wouldn't be fair to take my time to write about this much-loved and long-anticipated quilt finish that comes with a pattern release, unless I held over the sale price one more day. Yep, another 24 hours you have to save 25% off the regular price of the pattern.

I had really hoped for some sunshine but sadly this week, the sun peeped out for a few minutes only once since I wrote the pattern release post. However, I did shine a few twinkly lights on the quilt for this photo.

I thought a quilt of homes should be photographed on the steps of a cozy home, right?

Rainbow Neighbourhood Pattern Release

It's been a long time coming, but I'm thrilled to finally have my houses pattern together and released! You'll be seeing more of it all week, as the pattern has four projects within it: a throw, a twin sized quilt, and two pillows, one of which is a cushion and the other a bench pillow. I made the throw using the original blocks I made back in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge of (would you believe) 2017.

It is so good to see these fun spectrum of houses finally 'grown up' into a quilt. The pattern, which I've named Rainbow Neighbourhood, is on sale all week for 25% off. You can get it in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts.