Grandmother's Choice: Cats & Mice: Hunger Strikes

In this week 42 of the Grandmother's Choice Block of the Week, Barbara Brackman writes:

In 1909 battles between the London police and the Women's Social and Political Union reached an impasse. The back-and-forth game of  WSPU civil disobedience and routine arrests was escalated when the women began prison hunger strikes. They hoped to disgrace the government led by H.H. Asquith and the Liberal Party.....Initially the government responded to this move by releasing the prisoners. In 1912 the government changed tactics and prison staff began force feeding. Protesters served their four-or six-month terms without voluntary meals as jailers using tubes and brutality kept them minimally nourished.....

The WSPU characterized the tactic as torture and likened it to rape, a campaign effective enough to force the government to introduce a new battle plan in 1913. They jailed the hunger-striking women until their health was in danger, released them in a form of parole to regain their strength, then arrested  them again. The WSPU dubbed the "Temporary Discharge for Ill Health Act" the Cat and Mouse Act, showing their continuing skillful manipulation of the media.

So this week is the Cats and Mice Block.  Some folks have highlighted the star pattern in the block.  I, however, decided to obscure the star a bit by using different black and white fabric for the star points.  Instead, I highlighted the cross effect with black fabric.  All in all, I like the effect:

 

Only seven more weeks to go!

 

Block 41 - Contrary Wife or Incompatible Marriage?

This week's Grandmother's Choice Block of the Week block is called Contrary Wife.  Barbara Brackman's story is about Frances Kemble Butler, who was married to Pierce Butler for a time.  He saw her as contrary because she did not want to and would not be the plantation wife he desired.  She was not a shrinking violet when they met, so who knows why he thought she would change after marriage.  So - he divorced her. 

I am continuing to use fabrics used only once previously and hope I do not make poor decisions as a result.  This week, I went a little psychedelic with a stripe running two ways.  I actually like the result and it works in my planned setting very well.  I put the ovals on the diagonal so that I can lead the eye in that direction in the setting.

This is week 41, we have only 8 more blocks to go!  Then the work of executing my setting vision will start. 

Dixie Diary - Dreams of Home - Strawberries Anyone?

 Traditionally called "Broken Dishes" the May (month 5) block for the Dixie Diary Block of the Month was challenging for me.  I really wanted to use a strawberry embroidered piece since it is June and that is the big month for Strawberries here where I live.  However, the embroidery is around the edge of the dresser scarf and I had to figure out how I could incorporate it into the block.

Middle of the block made wit

Instead of sewing it onto muslin and then into the block, I cut out a plain square from the center of the dresser scarf and sewed it onto the muslin, then made the center part of the block . 

I cut off two corners to use in the block.  To the left in the picture is the cutting line where I cut the square for the half square triangles in the picture above.

Then I overlaid the corner of the piece with the strawberries onto the center block, laid the next piece on top and sewed the seam.  You can see the strawberry piece is just overlayed on the cream portion of the block.

I then finished the block with a cute check that matches the border of the piece.  I considered adding strawberry pieces instead of the check, but decided in this case less embroidery is a better composition. I think it looks like a picnic in a block!

Grandmother's Choice: Art Square: Women in a Box

In week 40, Barbara Brackman talks about the lack of respect and acknowledgment of women in the arts.  I thought it would be quite a challenge to put together because the center square is 6" - pretty large for one fabric in my normal scheme of things.  I remembered a fabric, though, that is in my stack of "use these again" and it is a larger flower that looks like it may have been drawn in chalk or even crayon.  So - it was the perfect center for my block.  I chose to frame it in a bold black and white check:

Now we have only 9 weeks left in this wonderful project.  Here is a collage of my 40 blocks:

I am trying to stick to my plan of using fabrics only used once before....so far, so good!!