Block 1: ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt Along – My Home

  ‘My Home’
by Kim Lapacek, KimsCraftyApple Fabric 1: Medium or light for sky (I chose blues) – you should have at least 2 different fabrics for this color (lower left) · CUT: 4 – 4” squares Fabric 2: Light/Medium for grass (green) (upper left) · CUT: 2 – 3.5” x 7.5” rectangles (or strip piece a bunch of fabrics together and cut out 2, 3.5” x 7.5” rectangles from that…your choice) Fabric 3: Roof (dark batik) (Lower right) · CUT: 2 – 4” squares
1 – 6.5” x 2.5” rectangle Fabric 4: House (pink) (upper right) · CUT: 1 – 6.5” x 1.5” rectangle
1 – 3.5” square
5 – 1.5” squares
6 – 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles Fabric 5: Scraps for windows/door that contrast with your ‘house’ color (upper right) · CUT: 2 – 1.5” squares
1 – 1.5” x 2.5” rectangle

4 Patch

Take one of square of each color. Put right sides together. Stitch ¼” seam on opposite sides of the square. Cut square in half (2”) – each piece will measure 4” x 2” before ironing. Set seam and iron open. – you now have two , 2 patch units With the 2 patch units right sides together, seams aligned, and the two different fabrics opposite each other, Stitch ¼” from opposite sides. Be sure stitch crosses the first seam. Cut the resulting unit in half. Set seam and iron open – your two corner four patches are done! End block should measure 3.5” square if done correctly. (This is an amazing technique I learned from Pat Speth and Charlene Thode’s Nickel Quilts Book – you can use this method for any four patch you want to create. If you want your end block to be 3.5” square then cut two 4” squares and put together, if you want 4” square – cut your initial squares to 4.5” and so on. LOVE this method for 4 patches!)

Half Square Triangles

Take 2 – 4” squares of Fabric 1 (one of each fabric) Take 2 – 4” squares of Fabric 3 Put right sides together of Fabric 1 and Fabric 3. Using a washable marking pen, draw a line from one diagonal to another.   Using the line as a guide – stitch a seam ¼-inch off each side of the line. Cut along the line you drew and press each triangle open. Trim square to 3.5” Take 2 half square triangles and cut a 1.0” off the larger portion of the Fabric 3 triangle as shown in the picture.

Rectangle

Take Fabric 3 & Fabric 4 rectangles and sew together. Press towards the darker fabric. House Sew a 1.5” square of fabric 4 onto each side of the Fabric 5 1.5” squares. Iron away from the middle square. On the opposite sides sew on the 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles of Fabric 4 to create 2 – 3.5” squares. Iron away from the middle square Sew a 1.5” square onto the short side of the Fabric 5 rectangle. Iron toward the rectangle. On opposites sides sew on the 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles of Fabric 4 to create a 3.5” square. Iron towards the middle rectangle.

Lawn

In this example I just cut two rectangles 7.5” x 3.5” for the lawn.   In this block – I strip pieced a bunch of different ‘grass’ fabric together first and then cut out the 7.5” x 3.5” rectangles from that. It’s completely up to you with which you like better.

Let’s Build Our House!  

Step 1: Sew the 4 patch and the full ½ Triangle Squares together. Iron towards triangles. Step 2: Sew triangles together so top row looks like the picture above. HOUSE Step 3: Sew window panes squares together. Iron towards long rectangle. Step 4: Sew Door square to 3.5” square so base of the door is at the bottom of the square. Iron towards long rectangle. Step 5: Sew house pieces together matching seams in the middle. Iron any way. Step 6: Sew short triangle/rectangle to fabric 2 strips. Iron towards fabric 2. Step 7: Sew long rectangles to house. Iron towards upper rectangles. Step 8: Sew left side to house. Iron toward side. (away from the house) Step 9: Sew right side to house. Iron toward side. Step 10. Sew roof onto house. Set and Iron. Now you have a beautiful My Home square – the first of 16 blocks for this ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt Along!  

Click HERE for a printable PDF of this pattern!

Be sure to join the ‘Home Sweet Home’ Flickr Group:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/1850682@N20/ and upload photo’s of your block as you complete them!   To keep up with all my crazy fun ideas – be sure to sign up for my newsletter, follow this blog AND like KimsCraftyApple on Facebook.    Let’s not forget that we have a prize now thanks to Barb Raisbeck!
Anyone that brings a completed ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt to Show and Tell at the 2012 Quilt Retreat Getaway Weekend hosted by QuiltsbyBarb will receive a $10 gift certificate to the quilt shop at the retreat in honor of the 10th anniversary.
One $25 gift certificate to the quilt shop at the retreat will be given to a recipient of the viewer’s choice award decided by the retreat attendees.
Additional qualifications for the above prize:  The quilt must include on the front at least 12 of the 16 blocks from the Quilt Along.  It must also include the blocks designed by Kim Lapacek, Diane Lapacek, and Barb Raisbeck.   Stop back on Thursday, January 19th, for the next block!