Happy House Block Instructions

In an effort to make it easier to access the Happy House Block instructions, I have copied them (with Lurline's permission) from Lurline's blog.


We are hoping that lots of you USA quilters will want to join the fun! Please email me to sign up and then post the swap block on your blog and link back to my blog.

These fun house blocks finish at 7.5" square (before triangle sashings) and are made completely from 2" strips, and scrap, squares!
For each house block you will need:
Roof:
(1) 2" x 8" rectangle
House:
(1) 2" x 8" rectangle
(3) 2" x 3.5" rectangles
(1) 2" square
Door:
(1) 2" x 3.5" rectangle
Window:
(1) 2" square
Chimneys:
(2) 2" squares
Background:
(5) 2" neutral squares
Sashings:
(2) 12.5" x 3.5" rectangles
Allowance for 1/4" seams has been included.
Sew your chimney squares and three of your neutral squares together as shown.

In this pic you can see that I have drawn diagonal lines across the neutral squares that will form the roof and background. It is important that you have one uphill diagonal line and one down hill diagonal line so the angles on your roof will turn out right!

Sew on pencil marks as shown!

Clip off the 'dog ear' corners, and press the background triangles out from the roof piece.

Use pic above illustrating how to assemble other pieces!

Sew units together and press neatly - now you have your little house, measuring 7.5" square.
You are now ready to add the topsy-turvy triangles! This is a little tricky as your houses will go 'uphill' and 'downhill' alternately, according to the block setting.

First place both 12.5" x 3.5" rectangles both right side up on top of each other. For the 'uphill' houses you want to place your ruler so that it runs DOWN HILL from upper left to lower right across your two rectangles. Use your rotary cutter to slice from lower right to upper left, corner to corner, through the rectangles.

For 'downhill' houses it is going to be the opposite. Still place both your rectangles right side up on top of each other. Place your ruler the opposite way from lower left to upper right ... your ruler is going 'uphill' but the triangles will turn your houses opposite, it will be going 'down hill' by the time you sew the triangles to the block.

Lay your triangles as shown above - it is important to have the straight grain of the triangles laid against the block!

You can see I have sewn the side triangles first and snipped off the ends! Notice how the straight grain of the fabric is against the block and the 'not quite bias' is on the outside edge. I sew the two side triangles on to the block first.

Now, this is how your blocks will be posted to me and we will accurately trim them to 10" square!

Your blocks will be returned to you, as above - all ready to be joined together as you so desire! There will be 1/4" float around the joined houses, so you will have all your lovely litle corners intact - I would rather a float than a corner cut off - do you agree!

Have a trial run and see how you go - once you do the first block it is easy-peasy!
As I said, please email me if you have any questions - Lurline and I look forward to a lot of Aussie and USA girls signing up. It is an easy block and will make a really cute little quilt.