Friday, May 23, 2014

Please Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Time for Another Installment of the
2014 Country Homecoming Quilt Along.
So when we last left you, here is where we were...
Over the next few days I kept looking at the house in the bottom left hand corner and becoming increasingly displeased.  The windows were simply "there", they were blending in too much and frankly, just weren't living up to my expectations.  It looked dull, unimpressed and, well, rather robotic!  I mean, really, doesn't the expression on the side of that house remind you of Rosie, the robot maid on The Jetsons?  Simple fix.  I added shutters a couple of days ago made from the same purple homespun as the door.  I am now happy-er.
Better???
I did mention before, I think, that all my fabric selections are not homespuns.
The "front" wall is a Kaffe Woven Check, whose papery texture intrigues me.
  The striped side of the house is something else entirely, and I'm not recalling the details, other than it is woven but has an interesting body and texture.
The chimneys on this house are constructed with the textured woven stripe in wine from the Primitive Rustic Collection by Diamond Textiles.  "Wine" stands for brown with a purple-ish hue to it in the right light.  If you've not seen these, I encourage you to seek them out...they work beautifully with the homespuns & with diawabos...only imagination, or pocketbook, will limit you.  They are more on the spendy side, but if you treat yourself to just a little, and parcel them out in special ways, you won't mind the cost a bit!
       
And now for this month...
 
This month I've snuck in some flannels and another precious piece of textured woven stripe.
These chimneys are a sort of textured crinkly piece of fabric that I purchased somewhere a couple of years ago...perhaps for a chicken nest or something? 
  Can you spot them?
I think these windows are asking for some hand-stitched panes to integrate them into the darker walls.
 
The soft olive grey window print in this house makes me think of the old double hung windows that have a leaded design in the upper window only, so I did a small amount of fussing around to get them that way.
And there you have it!
 
Thank You to
for keeping us moving along!  Go over and visit, she'll be posting her houses and those of others tonight or tomorrow.
 
I also wanted to add that I searched & got my copy of Blackbird Designs Home Sweet Home book for that pretty patriotic quilt I posted about on the 8th.  Surprisingly, this gorgeous quilt is sort of buried toward the back of the book with a photo that doesn't do it the justice that those I found on Pinterest did.  It is a wonderful book...lots of fun and inspiration lives between it's covers!
 
Lastly, I cannot end this post, without yesterdays tears welling back up in my eyes, the lump in my throat returning or without mentioning, how very much we love our dear friends,
Lynn & Joe Wilder.
Our hearts are heavy at the news of the sudden loss of your beautiful, bright, happy, loving, Zinnie.  You're in our hearts and on our minds.
 I can, but I can't, begin the fathom the loss you feel and the void she has left. 
It is an unbearable thing to even think of, knowing that you have loved your sweet girl as deeply as we have loved our little ball of fluff.
Zinnie was & will always be your baby girl, so loved, so sweet,
and so fortunate to have been loved by you.
 
 
Dearest Princess Zinnie, We were blessed to spend a wonderful weekend with you, we miss you and hope that in Heaven you've found all the treats, and balls and squeak toys...
and as many of Joes lost socks, that we could wish for you.
 
~Nancie Anne & Family... 
 
 
 
 

6 comments:

  1. Nancy, I think your houses are just wonderful and so outstanding! I love the different window sizes as well as the sashings you've used/added to the houses. I'm now looking at my houses and I think they might need "more" in certain areas as well.
    I too, am heartbroken to read about Zinnie. I never met her, but I loved all of the posts and pictures Lynn shared with us in blogland. She seemed to have the best, sweetest personality and I can't tell you how many times her pictures just started my day off with a smile. My heart just breaks for Lynn and her family. Very, very sad.

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    1. She was a sweetheart. Quilt Sue & I both had the honor of having Zinnie nap on our feet under the dining table. She was a love.

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  2. Love your houses Nancy and you were fortunate enough to meet Zinnie. Great post.

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  3. Love all of your houses this is gong to be a gorgeous quilt ! My heart just broke in 2 when I read about Zinnie she will be missed

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  4. Love your neighbourhood! It will be such a cozy quilt and I love how you are combining different fabrics and different textures.

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