Gridster Bee 2018 - Pixie House Blocks - Finished Top

Rolling around to this year's Gridster Bee, May was once again my month.  This really works pretty well, as I get mail all month and its my birthday month!

I had asked each member to make one of each house from the Pixie House patterns by Intrepid Thread.  I had sent out the neutral background fabric and asked for fussy cut windows and doors.

 It was great fun to pin them up as they came in the mail.  A couple members made me neighborhoods :).

 I worked on piecing trees for the neighborhood.

Planning the layout.

And the finished top!  I barely squeaked out enough of the background to get this put together, but I was determined not to go buy more! 

One more top to the pile.....

Gridster Bee - May is my Month!

May is my month to be Queen Bee for the Gridster Bee that I'm in.

I think its perfect since it is my birthday month, too.  What a great way to celebrate - getting blocks from bee mates in the mail!

This month I am asking for house blocks.  (Have you noticed how popular houses seem to be on social media?

I was looking for a (free) pattern, but preferable not one that everyone else was doing.   I found the perfect house blocks by Julie of Intrepid Thread.  She did a quilt along almost two years ago called The Pixie Summer Home Quilt.

The first house block can be found here on her website - There is a link there to download the pdf.

My version looks like this:

Maybe a little more like a tent with a cat in it - but still fun.  

The  second house pattern can be found on this page.

My version in orange with more cats.

OK, beemates.  Here is the deal.  I am asking for one each of the two houses.  You will receive the background fabric from me shortly. (Its in the mail)

The houses can be any color combination that you like - I'm aksing that you put some fussy cut images in the windows and doors.

Following is a short guide on fussy cutting.   I'll start with the bad examples - things I've learned by trial and error.

These were the first couple of houses I tried out.  While I love Hello Kitty and Snoopy - the fabrics are really too busy to work.  It is hard to single out what you are looking at and there are too many cut off faces.

I made a window to help with previewing for fussy cutting.  This is also not great.  The flowers don't really stand out from the background and would look like just another patch in the block.

 This was a fussy cutting mistake I made a while ago with hexies.  What started as a flower turned into an eyeball!!

 So now a few photos of better planned fussy cutting:

 I really think it helps to make a little window for previewing.  Flip-flops

 Cats.

 Bunny

 A bee (of course)

 Sunglasses.

Even Snoopy would work with a smaller frame. 

Thanks so much -  May promises to be a great month!