The Little Red School House
This is a fun block to make for sampler
quilts, wall hangings, and even large quilts. There is no easy way to grid this block, so the instructions will
be given piece by piece.
I have constructed this block so that it
will be easy to change parts of the block with different fabrics for more design
possibilities.
Begin making this block by making a flying
Geese Block. Cut a
4 1/2 x 2 1/2 - inch piece of fabric from the print for the school house, and
then cut smaller 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 - inch pieces from two different fabrics - one
for the sky, and one for the roof. Make your geese unit, being sure that the
colors fold in the same direction as the picture.
This
Geese unit makes part of
the Pediment, or the triangular gable on the front of the building, as well as a
portion of the roof.
Next cut a
rectangle 4 1/2 x 1
1/4 - inches for under the Geese unit. This is the beginning of the top of
the front of the School House.
Next you will finish up the front of the School House by cutting out the front
door, and pieces for each side, of the door.
To make it easy, cut the door 2 x 4 1/2 -inches. Cut the side pieces
2 x 4 1/2 -inches. You can trim the outside vertical edges so that
this pieces fits the geese unit.
Sew the door and sides together first,
pressing towards the dark. and then
attach the unit to the bottom of the Flying Geese unit. The front of the building is now complete.
The next unit to construct is the side of the building,
with the two windows.
You begin by cutting five
rectangles.
You will need two rectangles for the
windows, cut at 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 - inches.
Then cut three rectangles out of the red to
go alongside and between the windows at 2 1/4 x 3 1/2 - inches.
Finally, cut two pieces to go across the
width of the top and bottom, both at 1 1/2 x 7 1/2 - inches.
Sew the windows and sides together, and then add the horizontal pieces on the top and bottom.
Next
is the roof unit. Cut a
Rectangle
2 1/4 x 7
1/2 - inches out of the roof fabric. Cut a small 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 - inch
Square out of the sky
fabric. Lay the square as shown in the picture, and stitch the diagonal
line.
Press the seam up so that the blue becomes part of the sky.
After you make the roof unit, you can join the front and the side.
Now for the steeple unit. Again, begin with a
Geese unit. Cut it the
same as the first one you made at the top of this page, only use black for the
rectangle, and the sky print for the small squares.
Cut a rectangle for the piece under
the steeple (red fabric) 3 1/2 x 3 inches. Sew together as in the picture.
Now all that is left is to cut two
rectangles- one to go on each side of the steeple for the sky. Cut
the small piece for the left side 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 - inches and the large
piece for the right side 6 1/4 x 3 1/2 - inches. Sew the units together.
Attach the top unit to the bottom
unit and you are done.
