In My Neighborhood

I’m so excited to show you my row for the ‘In My Neighborhood’ quilt along.

I was inspired by the pretty seaside villages around the coast of Ireland. They are known for their charming coloured houses. One theory is that the houses were painted with the paint left over after the fishing boats had been covered at the end of the fishing season. Another theory is that the houses were kept bright to help guide the fishing boats home on a dark night. Whatever the reason, they’re a delightful splash of colour among the green and grey of the Irish coast. They’re a lovely antidote to the excessive amount of magnolia that I was exposed to as an impressionable child!

I enjoyed pairing up all the different prints to make each little house. I changed the windows for each house to add a bit of variety.

When choosing fabrics, my tips would be to make sure there is enough contrast between the window fabric and the main house fabric. Fabrics that look quite different close up can merge together when seen from a distance. Look at your selection from across the room to make sure the fabrics are distinct enough.

I used scraps of fabric that were large enough to cover all the window openings when laid underneath the house. This is a lot easier than fiddling about with tiny rectangles!

This is my favourite house. My teal phase is continuing!

When I had made all the little houses I thought they would make a lovely wall-hanging arranged in a square and appliqued directly onto a plain background, bound with a scrappy binding.

You can check out the other cute rows of the ‘In My Neighborhood’ quilt along and DOWNLOAD
the FREE instructions and templates for the Scrappy Seaside Town Row at www.quilterchic.com.