Block 8-The House

Mildred's Block

My Block

This is one of the cutest blocks! Its a bit more work, with more embroidery that the others in the windows and flowers but not difficult. I opted for appliquing the windows and doors on top of the house-white for the windows and pink for the door.  This completes the second row of the quilt! The next one is VERY simple-another one of my favorites (I think I'm saying that about them all!)

Block 8-The House         

When the quilt club members saw the pattern for the “H” block in the alphabet house they burst out laughing. “Of all things, Nancy.  We might have known you would remember that nursery rhyme: ‘There was a crooked little man and he lived in a crooked little house’ It’s a crooked one, all right.”

It may have been crooked, but it went straight to the heart of Joan. She could hardly wait until Aunt Nancy finished it.

The first thing Nancy did was to cut the pattern square from the newspaper. **repeat of instructions for tracing and making templates, and embroidering the letter H here **

She used dark brown embroidery cotton to outline the window panes and to represent the earth upon which the crooked house stood. But before she was ready to make those outlines she had other things to do. She chose a fast color print in blue and white for the house itself. The chimney was a soft terra cotta or brown. The sun was yellow and the same shade as was used in making the beak of the goose last week.

When the newspaper square was dry she cut out the outlines, separating the sum and the chimney from the house. She paid no attention to the door and windows at this time.

In cutting these pieces she allowed one-quarter inch on all sides for turning under.

After edges were turned under and basted she pressed the pieces and then pinned them in place on the white block. First the sun went on and was appliquéd with slanting, invisible hemming stitch. Then the chimney was put in place.

When it came time for the house Nancy had a number of choices. She could cut out the openings for door and windows, allowing the white of the background to show through. She could appliqué white pieces in place for door and windows or she could keep the windows white and have a door of a solid color.

Some of the club members did one thing, and some did another. It seemed as if each scheme was as effective as the other.

The window panes were indicated by running stitch in fast color embroidery cotton. The door knob was embroidered with a large French knot.

The little upstanding flowers were done in lazy daisy stitch. These were done in various colors to suit the fancy of the workers. Most of the members felt that this was the prettiest block made thus far.

Click HERE for pattern