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!!

Grandmother's Choice - Weeks 36, 37, 38 and 39

It's been a busy few weeks so I've neglected posting my blocks.  My goal from here on out with the Grandmother's Choice block of the week is to use fabrics I have used only once before in previous blocks.  So far, so good - mostly!

This week is Endless Stairs: Rank and Rights, where Barbara Brackman relates the historical viewpoints around how people occupy a rank and are therefore entailed (or not) certain privileges.

I made this one scrappy and used some of the more unique prints that might have been more of a challenge in a different block- 8 different fabrics in total.  I tried to balance scale and darkness of the prints and I quite like this result.

Last week was Nonsense: Anatomy Lessons, where the discussion related myths about what women could not do because it might harm their anatomy -- ride a bike, use a treadle sewing machine, ride a horse.  These examples seem crazy to us now.  I remember that I was not allowed to use the weight room in high school because I was a girl and it was thought it would be damaging to my development.  This seemed ridiculous to me then because we already knew that boys develop in many ways slower than girls, but the boys were allowed to use the weights!  Sheesh!  Each generation smashes another silly assumption.

Here I mixed strong prints with a strong floral to signify we women CAN be strong and athletic and feminine all at the same time!

Week 37 discussed Lucy Stone League where women fought for the right to retain their own name after marriage, promoting "the idea that its women are integers and not halves."

Here, I just had fun with a graphic sense to the block, sorely needed after the previous week's traditional applique.

Week 36 was mentioned in my last post and here is the final version of my Sunbonnet Sue:

I made this one like my Grandma did using her pattern and methods.  I'm pretty sure she would not have used the fabric I used for the sleeve, but hey, I had to get some of myself in there, too!

Week 36: Sunbonnet Sue

This week's Grandmother's Choice block is an applique block called Sunbonnet Sue.  Barbara Brackman writes 'The ubiquitous doll can remind us all the girls who've rebelled against becoming "an entirely ornamental young lady."'

My grandmother made LOTS of Sunbonnet Sue blocks, and I have all of her patterns -- both applique and quilting templates.  She kept her patterns in a dresser drawer up in the attic bedroom.  She did NOT organize any of it. I remember her rummaging around in that drawer picking out the pieces she needed, then just tossing them back in when she was done.

I now have the contents of that drawer in a large rubbermaid under-the-bed box and I rummaged through it this morning to see if I could find anything for Sunbonnet Sue.  I sure did, along with other ladies applique patterns. (couldn't seem to get it to stay rotated!)

Here are a couple quilts and a bag my grandmother made for me with Sunbonnet Sue and a Dresden Doll:

Included in the box of Grandma's patterns were some dress and hat pieces already cut, coincidentally from fabric in my color pallete!  So I will use the dress fabric my grandmother already had - I had to cut it down to fit this block. Here's my plan for the block:

I may take it with me next week on my business trip to work on.  I will include the black outline stitch and the ribbon embroidery on the hat, like Grandma did. So, although I used a "new" fabric, I have still used two fabrics I had only used once before, so my desire to include more of those "one-timer" fabrics is being met.

The Home Stretch for Grandmother's Choice!

We are down to 14 weeks remaining on this fabulous project!  So I am working on my final planning.

I went through all of my blocks and recorded what fabrics I have used and in which blocks.

So - now I know which fabrics I have used only once.  The goal will be to use them in the remaining blocks.  Unless, of course, I see something I cannot live without!!  No - I am going to make a concerted effort to ensure some more cohesiveness in the blocks for the final 14 blocks.  Really.  I have pulled the fabrics and intend to only pull from that bin for the blocks.

I also have a plan for the final setting and it will also dictate what colors I use in the remaining blocks.  My plan has groups of nine blocks in each corner.  In those nine-block groupings there will be a red block in the middle; bold black and white in the corners, lighter black and white and blue and white in the middle blocks on the sides.

Separating each group of nine will be three blocks with red in them.  The middle one on the veritical lines will have a white background.  The horizontal blocks will be those with bolder red or red/black fabrics.

The center block is the star pictured below on a white background.

I will frame the large sets of nine and sets of three with tiny white on black polka do, then sash in between those with a solid light blue/turquoise.

This picture was taken several weeks ago.  I think now that I need to make three blocks with some red in them, five or six more with bold black tones, and then around six with a calmer tone. 

Wish me luck!  It's a plan, and will be adapted if necessary.