Quilt inspiration 2010: Houses

Did you know that 2010 was our first year blogging? That might explain why we've spent a few days recalling some of our most popular themes.  This is our last "recap" post, before we start a fabulous New Year of inspiration (tomorrow !)

In 2010 we did a series called "Our Town", featuring quilts with schoolhouses, homes, and entire villages.  Methods of construction ranged from log cabin to stained glass, traditional and foundation piecing, and appliqué. As a Realtor would say: We hope you see some houses you like !

Row 1, L-R: Row Houses, by Flavin Glover; Magnolia Quilt,  by Sue Spargo; Hillside Houses,  by Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark; Welcome Home, by Alex Anderson. Row 2: Little Houses, and Little Old One Room Schoolhouse, by Ruth Powers; Little Amsterdam,  by the North Sea Quilters; Pedestrian Friendly, by Pat Dicker. Row 3: Wonky Houses, by Carol Morrissey; Firelight and Chimney Smoke, by Martha Milne;  There's No Place Like Home, block and full quilt, by Sonya Chinn. Row 4: Night before Christmas quilt and block, by Sue Garman; Welcome to the North Pole, by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins; Waiting for Santa, by Lynette Anderson. Row 5:  Up on the Housetop quilt and detail, by Cynthia England; and It Takes A Village, by Pippa Moore.

*For more information, see the following articles:  Our Town, Our Town Part 2, Our Town Part 3, Our Town Part 4, Our Town Part 5, and Our Town Part 6.

Our Town Part 4 : Welcome to the North Pole !

Here's the North Pole on an enchanted, mystical winter night, as Santa takes off in his sleigh through the star-filled heavens.  This quilt contains blocks of appliqued houses that can be combined in different ways to create different designs. 

Welcome to the North Pole, 40 x 52, by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins, at Piece O' Cake Designs  

Piece O' Cake Designs is a wonderful, creative site and online shop, where Becky and Linda sell their books, patterns, kits, and craft items. They are also applique teachers, with a busy schedule that takes them around the world; you can see Becky's class descriptions here.

This close-up of one of the blocks shows an adorable house with the nameplate "Slick's Sleds" over the door.  Notice the sled-shaped roof fixture, the heart-shaped door knob, and the tree trimmed with rick-rack.

The plaid background fabric gives a cozy vintage look to this quilt. It's a perfect project for using up stripes and plaids in your fabric stash. The houses can be mixed and matched to create table runners, wall hangings, and even garments.

Dinner at Santa's House table runner, 14 x 42 (detail)

The Dinner at Santa's House table runner was first published in 1998 and it is designed to go with the book, Welcome to the North Pole. The turned-up roof top, the giant candy cane growing out of the ground, and the gaily patterned trees all contribute to the whimsical charm. We think that the deep blue backgrounds of Dinner At Santa's House and Welcome to the North Pole give a stability and balance to these works which allow them to blend into your home decor very effectively. This restful blue background works better to complement all decor colors than exclusively using red and green in holiday textiles.

Additional resources: Images are shown with the generous permission of Linda Jenkins and Becky Goldsmith. For more inspiration and a look into the lives of these two top designers, please visit the Piece O' Cake blog.