More Houses and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I've been sewing more houses this week, and even remade my current house.  It was the very first house I sewed, and there were just too many little "issues" with it that would bug me as time went on.  Plus, as I went along in the process, I started making the houses a little bigger.  It just didn't seem right for our current house to be so puny in comparison.  So, here's the new and improved version!

I decided to go ahead and make all twelve windows across the front of the house (it's one of the architectural features I love the most), and also changed the color scheme (we have a plan for new windows and paint soon).  Even with all of the little tricks I learned as I sewed more and more houses, that double gable was still really tough!  With all of those windows across the front, this one is now the biggest of all, which is guess is fitting since it's our current home.  

I also sewed my grandparents' house...

as well as our family's lake house.  The real version has cedar shakes and a corrugated tin roof, and I had fun using these prints to mimic that a little bit.  

My sister's house has an interesting combination of siding and brick and was fun to sew-

And finally. my parents' house, which was by far the most difficult because of all the trim work.  I couldn't figure out how to make the spindles on the upper balcony with the windows and door behind them, so I just left them off and just added the top and bottom railing instead.  I don't think the block really misses them either.  And I left off the garage (which would be to the right) because the block was just getting too wide.

Originally, I had plans to make about twelve houses, but I have been laying them out on my design wall as they are finished and I can see that nine really is plenty.

By the way, props to my husband who helped me get my new design wall up.  In my last house, my studio was in my dining room, which had a chair rail on the wall that stuck out quite a bit.  So my design wall there was only one sheet of foam board and was never big enough.  Since this room doesn't have that obstruction, my design wall can now go from floor to ceiling.  Hooray!

I'm pondering the layout for these blocks, as well as the background fabric and then I will start to fit them together.  They are all irregular sizes and no two are exactly the same size, so that should be interesting!  

Without further ado, let's take a look at a few highlights from last week's party.  Look at this stunner by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

Nanette at A Passionate Quilter From Texas shared these beautiful applique blocks-

These sweet granny squares are by Gretchen's Little Corner-

I'm loving this HRT quilt by Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework-

And finally, Jayne at Twiggy and Opal linked up this striking table runner-

Wow, friends!  Y'all sure know how to bring the eye-candy!  I can't wait to see what awesomeness you have going on this week.  Bring it!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link within your 

    post.  

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5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)