This block is called "The Cottage Behind the Hill."
Years ago I saw a quilt using this block in the book,
Home Sweet Home: The House in American Folk Art, by Deborah Harding and Laura Fisher.
I had never appliqued but I thought the blocks positively charming. I think part of the blocks' appeal was the change in
background. I could imagine morning light, afternoon sun, autumn skies, and winter snow. And for goodness sake, some of the houses looked like they might slip right down their hills. I also liked (and still like) the changes in colors of the other elements of the block: tree/bush, grass/ground, roof, windows. And notice there isn't a lick of green grass. In fact, most of the elements are not realistic colors. Would I ever want to make a quilt like this? Well, maybe. So I photographed just one block thinking I could enlarge it and make a pattern if I chose.
Forward to several months ago. I was leafing through Barbara Brackman's book,
Encyclopedia of Applique...
...when I came across two blocks, one called
"The Cottage Behind the Hill" and the other unnamed but also with a cottage behind a hill.
They are small drawings, perhaps less than 2" square. They reminded me of
the the quilt I saw years ago, its name completely forgotten. The information tells me that
"The Cottage Behind the Hill" is an Aunt Martha pattern published in
Prize-Winning Quilts.
So my memory's not perfect. Forward to two weeks ago. I was browsing through Nancy Mahoney's book,
Applique Quilt Revival: Updated Patterns from the '30s...
...when I saw a quilt made of little houses. I thought I'd found the pattern for "The Cottage Behind the Hill." I noticed, though, that the earlier quilt blocks were round and these were square but the rest of the differences in details escaped me.
Without seeing both blocks together, I thought they were the same pattern. While this is a cute block it doesn't have the quirky charm that "The Cottage Behind the Hill" has.
I don't know how to obtain the pattern for "The Cottage Behind the Hill"
if I should ever want to make a quilt from it. Maybe it will happen that the pattern will make itself available at about the same time I'm thinking about it again and have time and the inclination to make it.
--Nancy.
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