Hillside Houses Blocks 2 and 3

Hi everyone! It's been pretty exciting because I've started seeing all of the Hillside Houses start popping up on Instagram. And for those who want to share, but don't have Instagram, I have added a link-up at the bottom so you can share what you've been making.

The good news is I have two block patterns available this week! I am going to try to continue the 2-block-a-week-trend until we're all done. You can download the newest blocks in my Craftsy storefront--Block 2 and Block 3.

Kylie at Faith Love Fabric suggested a blog button so I made one for you to post or share. This button will take you straight to a page that has everything you'll need for the QAL, and I'll have all the links for the patterns listed as the weeks go on.

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<a href="http://prettylittlequilts.blogspot.co.uk/p/hillside-houses-quilt-long.html" title="Pretty Little Quilts Hillside Houses QAL" target="_blank"><img src="http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll171/Cristina_Tepsick/Hillside-Houses-Button_zpszcqrexnl.png" alt="Pretty Little Quilts Hillside Houses QAL" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I also received some feedback from the talented Karen over at EasyPatchwork (whose block is appearing in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine!). She is making the mini Hillside Houses quilt and suggested using 2.25in HSTs and trimming them to size. I really appreciate her feedback, and am going to start adding that to all the patterns from here on out. I hope you all feel free to let me know anything you do or don't like because I want to make sure everyone is having a good experience:)! 

And now, I have some other news. It pains me to say this but today, as I was piecing my own quilt I discovered that when I initially wrote the fabric requirements for the large quilt (60" x 75") that I miscalculated the light gray (AMB 05) for the rooftops. I would like to apologize for those of you who ordered your fabric already, and I wanted you to know that I went back and checked every color again to ensure the fabric requirements were correct for the rest of the quilt. You will need 1 yd of light gray (instead of the 1/2 yard that I initially listed), and I have updated the page with the new information. I know shipping costs can get expensive, so I did some research and found an Etsy seller, LilacLaneLLC, that sells that color and will ship for only $2.00 in the States. If you were a victim of my terrible mistake, please send me an email and let me know!!! I'm terribly sorry.

I hope that didn't dampen the mood, and keep me posted on how you're doing! I'm having a lot of fun and I appreciate all you who've reached out to me. Enjoy your week, and I'll see you back here same time next week! P.S. Don't forget to link-up:)

An InLinkz Link-up

Block 1 - Hillside House QAL

Hi everyone! Today I'm releasing the pattern for the first block of the #HillsideHousesQAL . This is House #1 on the coloring sheet.

To download the PDF of the pattern, click here.

Here's a few things to keep in mind when making your block:

1) The placement of this block is on the lower left in the empty space shown below.

2) The quilt has options for three different sizes. Don't get overwhelmed when you see the pattern, just stay in your lane and keep your eye on the prize!!

     a)  Throw size -  60" x 75"; the first block is 20" sq
     b)  Wall-hanging size - 30" x 37"; the first block is 10" sq
     c)  Mini - 15" x 18"; the first block is a tiny 5"

3) The coloring sheet has all the house numbers (addresses) on it, so it's a good reference to keep your pieces organized. I will refer to the house numbers on the pattern. The coloring sheet can be found here.

4) If you are making yours in different colors or arrangement, just take notice that I have used a dark shade on one side, and light shade of the same color on the other side of each house. I encourage you to make yours however you want, I just wanted to point that out in case it was difficult to tell. Don't feel obligated to make yours this way!!

5) Have fun. Have fun. HAVE FUN!!!

Let me know if you have any questions! I will release the next block pattern next Wednesday!

American Made Brand Fabric Giveaway

Good morning everyone. I have a bundle of American Made Brand fabric to giveway on Instagram as part of the Hillside Houses QAL. If you do not have an IG account, you can leave me a comment here and I will enter you to win. Winner will be chosen on Tuesday and is open to anyone in or on planet Earth. Good luck!!!

Hillside Houses Coloring Sheet

Happy Monday again! I created this coloring sheet to use for the #HillsideHousesQAL to help you decide the placement of your colors if you're making it different than mine. It's also a good reference to use no matter how you decide to make it because it all the houses are numbered  and I'll be referring the numbers during the quilt-along. Enjoy!

To download a PDF copy, click here.

Hillside Houses Quilt-Along

Hello everyone! Today I just wanted to drop a couple of lines to announce an upcoming Instagram quilt along I'm hosting with a pattern I designed called "Hillside Houses". The QAL will begin on 1 May and I will be posting all of the instructions for free. The finished quilt measures 60" x 75" and it will be divided up into 12 blocks, and I will be releasing instructions for 2 blocks a week. The information will be Instagram but I'm also creating PDF printouts that you can download here for all the blocks for those of you who (like me) don't want to stare at a tiny screen to figure everything out. If you want to participate, or just follow along, use the hashtag #HillsideHousesQAL on IG. 

I decided I wanted to use American Made Brand Fabric to make my quilt, because ever since I saw this pic of their booth at quilt market I wanted to try it out. Their fabric is 100% sourced and manufactured in the U.S., from the cotton farms to the dyeing process. I love the idea of using homegrown fabric.

Fabric Requirements:

This is a great project for using up your solids but if you decide you want to make yours exactly like I’m making mine here’s what you’ll need: 

1 yd light blue for left sides of blue houses and rooftops (AMB 87, Light Denim)
1 yd light gray for the right sides of rooftops  (AMB 05, Light Gray)

1/2 yard of the following colors: 

AMB 97 - Light Sky (for the sky)

AMB 05 - Light Gray (for right sides of rooftops)  

AMB 33 - Aqua

AMB 34 - Dark Aqua

AMB 23 - Light Olive (light green)

AMB 34 - Olive (dark green) 

AMB 90 - Blue 

Fat quarter of each of the following colors: 

AMB 75 - Dark Raspberry (dark pink)

AMB 43 -  Raspberry (medium pink)

AMB 36 - Orange

AMB 67 - Light Gold (light orange or dark yellow)

AMB 62 - Taupe

AMB 60 -  Dark Butter (beige)

AMB 08 - Light yellow (for windows). 

You’ll also need 1/2 yard for binding and 4yds for backing. 

I hope you'll follow along or join in the fun, and make sure to stop by instagram @prettylittlequilts on 25 April because I have a bundle of American Made Brand solids to giveaway!

Texas Roadtrip First Stop: Dallas with Urban Spools

Hey y'all! Head on over to Urban Spools for the Dallas block of the Texas QAL! Ashley made and amazing Texas State Fair inspired block. If you want to see more of Ashley's work, you can find her on instagram @amagmom. Also, make sure to come back here on Thursday to meet guest-blogger, Colleen, and learn all about Tyler and see what she came up with! See you soon : )

Update: There is one correction with the Dallas State Fair block. Add a line between A4 and A3 ! Thanks everyone!

Texas Roadtrip QAL Cutting Requirements and Layout

Hey everyone! I hope you guys are ready for the Roadtrip through the Lone Star State! As we make our way through Texas, you'll need to take some things along for the ride:

Here is a download of the cutting requirements that will tell you how many and what size squares you'll need to make your quilt with a layout like this...

The cutting requirements do not include the individual city blocks created by the bloggers, so just be sure to save a little extra for those:)

Also, Melissa has created some really cute free printables (of the next image) on this post here. You can either print it out as a 5 x 5 or 8.5 x 11, but make sure to read the whole post because she's added in some fun Texas trivia and other stuff:) 

We'll be piecing Texas together in 4 quadrants, and the first quadrant will be north-east Texas--home of my home, Tyler!!! Download the Quad 1 diagram for block placement, and fabric sizes, etc., and then on Monday, 2 June, we'll see our first block tutorial and experience our first stop on the road trip. As we make our way through Texas you'll get to learn about fun and interesting things to do, places to eat and shop, and all kinds of other fun stuff!

Here's the schedule for Quad 1:

June 2 - Dallas - Ashley at Urban Spools

June 5 - Tyler - Colleen (guest blogger) Pretty Little Quilts

June 12 - Fort Worth - Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

After we get have made our way through north-east Texas we'll link up our progress for a chance to win some prizes! And speaking of prizes, make sure to hit up all the cities, because there will be prizes that anyone has a chance to win!  We wouldn't be able to have such fun giveaways if it weren't for the help of the amazing sponsors!! Here's a list of all the sponsors:

Aurifil 

Donna's Lavender Nest
Fat Quarter Shop
Fort Worth Fabric Studio
Lily Rose Quilts.

Moda

Urban Spools 

Anyway, hope you are all ready to get started! Again, here's the downloads you'll need:

Cutting requirements

Quad 1 diagram 

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS ROADTRIP QAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Hi y'all!!! I'm just so excited about what I'm about to tell you! Me and Melissa (from My Fabric Relish) have teamed up for a Deep in the Heart of Texas Roadtrip QAL and we are inviting you to join us!!! We are going to be traveling the big state of Texas blog-hop style and we have found a team of Texan quilters (and some quilters that just LOVE Texas) to take you on this adventure!

On the roadtrip, we will be showing you how to make a Texas Quilt, and at each city you stop in you'll learn how to make a block designed for that city, learn some fun stuff about the area, and you'll get a chance to win some awesome prizes!!! For the QAL, we will divide Texas into four different quadrants, and the pattern for the first quadrant will be available 1 June. And then on June 2 we will stop out our first city--Dallas. The Roadtrip will continue through August, and there will be link-ups along the way, and in August we'll have our final link-up and Quilt Parade and a chance to win even more prizes!!

Here's a schedule of the stops along the way--

June 2 - Dallas - Ashley at Urban Spools

June 5 - Tyler - Colleen (guest blogger) Pretty Little Quilts

June 12 - Fort Worth - Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

June 16 - Amarillo - Aoife at thREDhead

June 19 - Lubbock - Jada (guest blogger) at My Fabric Relish

June 23 - El Paso - Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts

June 26 - Midland/Odessa - Donna at Donna's Lavender Nest

June 30 - Big Bend - Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts

July 7 - Houston - Teresa at Third Floor Quilts

July 10 - Beaumont - Taryn at Pixels to Patchwork

July 14 - Austin - Amanda at What the Bobbin

July 17 - College Station - Hilary at Young Texan Mama

July 21 - San Antonio - Ellyn at Ellyn's Place

July 24 - Hill Country - Lissa at Moda Fabrics

July 28 - Rio Grande Valley - Melissa at My Fabric Relish

Doesn't this just sound like fun!

Fabric Requirements - This quilt is designed to be scrappy and designed using a 2.5 x 2.5 inch grid layout with the represented city blocks measuring either 8.5" x 8.5" or 6.5" x 6.5". So start gathering your scraps, leftover jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes, and candy packs. You will need an assortment of sizes ranging from 2.5"x2.5", 2.5"x4.5", 4.5"x 4.5", 6.5"x 6.5" and so forth. You can even throw in some orphan blocks you have laying around! The printable pattern we provide will give suggestions on cutting and laying out your fabric for piecing. You will also need background fabric for the area surrounding Texas and we recommend getting 3 yards. The finished size of the quilt will be 66" x 66", but can be made larger by adding a wider border.

Everyone participating is invited to post their progress on our Flickr page and I'm really looking forward to seeing all the different Texas quilts at the end!!

We have some fabulous giveaways lined up from some amazing sponsors-- and the best part is--almost all the sponsors are from the great state of, where else? Texas!!!!

Donna's Lavender Nest is an online shop out of the southeast coast of Texas. Donna offers the prettiest prints and so many of my favorites--lots of Lecien and 30's prints, and Pam Kitty! Everything is just adorable at her shop.

Fat Quarter Shop is located near Austin and they have a huge selection, over same-day shipping, and they have an awesome "coming soon" section so I always know how to plan out my future fabric budget.

Urban Spools is located in the heart of Dallas, and they offer sewing classes, longarm services, and they carry a great selection of fun, modern fabric!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio is in Fort Worth (of course) carries everything from batiks to 30's to the most modern fabric, has a great Sale selection and has a very user friendly website (which I love).

Lily Rose Quilts is an Texas etsy shop, and she carries lots of the bright fabrics that I love. And I have been known to go into her shop and swoop up yardage of backing fabric.

Moda is literally located down the road from Melissa in Dallas (can you belive it?) and if I were Melissa, I think I would "accidentally" get lost a lot around there.

Aurifil has the most awesome quilting thread and I buy this stuff by the cone! They aren't from Texas but they should be;) 

Here's a button (made by the talented Melissa) that you can add to your blog that will take you directly back to a page on her blog where you will always be able to easily find details and the schedule!!!

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<a href="http://www.myfabricrelish.blogspot.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-qal.html" title="Untitled by Melissa Eubanks, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="150" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/13938339306_af8347b888_q.jpg" width="150" /></a> </div>

If you have any questions about anything, please leave a comment and I'll respond as soon as possible! We hope you will join us on this awesome adventure! You don't have to be a Texan to join in the fun! This is a chance to travel the great state of Texas without ever leaving your sewing chair!!!