GRANDMOTHER'S BLOCK COLLAGE

All the Blocks in a Picture Collage

These are the blocks.  I've put them into a collage to see what it might be like in a quilt top.

49. AN ARC: BENDING TOWARD JUSTICE

49.  An Arc:  Bending Toward Justice

This is the last block in the weekly sew along.  The arc or fan was paper pieced and then appliqued to my background fabric.  We are done with all the blocks.  I have successfully stuck to this project and have successfully used only the fabric that I had on hand...which was my purpose for doing this in the first place.

Along the way, I perfected my piecing and applique techniques.  This was a great project.  Now it's time to put it all together.  I look forward to it.

For more information on the history of each of these blocks visit http://grandmotherschoice.blogspot.com

48. FAIR PLAY: CANADIAN SUFFRAGE

48.  Fair Play:  Canadian Suffrage

All the fabric is from my stash (mostly small pieces of scrap). This block was both pieced and appliqued. I pieced the background 4 patch first.  I then pieced another smaller 4 patch.  I centered a circle template on the blue 4 patch and cut around leaving a 1/4 inch margin.  Then I threaded around the margin and pulled for my circle.  I  cut the center of my template out, then leaving a quarter inch margin on my fabric, cut out my center fabric.  Using a Fons and Porter glue stick and snipping here and there,  I glue basted the center fabric of the ring to the template.  The fabric ring was then centered and glue basted on to the background 4 patch and appliqued.  After applique, I cut out the back and pulled the ring template out.   Lots of fun making this block.  Using applique techniques I forgot I had.

The block still needs to be cut down to 8.5 inches.

Fair Play is a four patch block given the name by the Ladies' Art Company in the early 20th century.

BLOCK 47. HEROINES CROWN: CHOOSE YOUR OWN

47.  Heroines Crown: Choose Your Own

This block is all applique, which I love to do.  Placement is important here to get the swirl effect.  I used scrapes again.  The Center green portion is appliqued and then the embroidery is put on for segment effect.  The circle was made with a plastic circle template.  I left the template in while appliqueing it down.  This made for a very crisp circle.  I fussy cut the circle fabric to center a flower.

The applique block is from Ruth Finley's 1929 book Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them.

46. Barrister's Block: Legal Battles

46.  Barrister's Block:  Legal Battles

 
This block was foundation pieced in my normal fashion.  Paper pieced in 2 sections and then the paper removed to put the two sections together.

Again all from my stash and scraps.

45. AUNT MARY'S FAVORITE: THE CHILDLESS WIFE

Aunt Mary's Favorite:  The Childless Wife

My Aunt Mary Passed away in January 2012.  I always thought of her as a mother more than an aunt.  Everyone said I was just like her and I am.  We both loved to craft.  She knit and crocheted and taught me crochet.  A frequent taunt from my Mother and Father was "Your just like your Aunt Mary!"  Aunt Mary never had children.

Aunt Mary

Aunt Mary Loved Green and Purple.  This block is in her memory.  Foundation pieced.  Used up some of my purple scraps and had this flower pattern in green and orange...fussy cut.

BLOCKS 42 and 43 and 44

BLOCK 42 - CATS AND MICE: HUNGER STRIKES

BLOCK 42 - CATS AND MICE:  HUNGER STRIKES

 

I hand pieced this 42nd block in the Grandmother's Choice weekly 
sew along.
I've continued to use up my scraps.

 

Block No. 43: Gentleman's Fancy

Block No. 43 - Gentleman's Fancy - Dropped from the Clouds

Unnamed (Ohio Farmer 4/5/1894)

See BlockBase for more published names.

 Mary Boykin Chestnut Civil War diary she observed:

"Like the patriarchs of old our men live all in one house with their wives and their concubines and the mulattoes one sees in every family exactly resemble the white children---and every lady tells you who is the father of all the mulatto children in everybody's households, but those in her own she seems to think drop from the clouds, or pretends to think."

The pattern was published by the Ladies' Art Company.

BLOCK 44 - STAR OF HOPE: 
THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN

BLOCK NO. 44 - STAR OF HOPE: THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN

 This the 44th block in our weekly sew along, they named the Star of Hope.  

The block was given that name in the 1930s by the syndicated Nancy Page quilt column. 
I know this block as the Ohio Star.  This was given the name by Nancy Cabot.  


To read along with the reasoning for the blocks visit Grandmother's Choice: Votes for WomenI paper pieced this block.  I continued to use bits of scraps.

  

41. CONTRARY WIFE: FRANCES KEMBLER BUTLER

THE WOMAN WAS CONSIDERED CONTRARY IF SHE HELD HERSELF TO BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS HER HUSBAND.  IN CONSIDERING HERSELF AN EQUAL MALES AND PROBABLY SOME FEMALES FELT THAT SHE WAS LESS THAN A WOMAN.  BLAH.  WHAT CRAP. 

 

 I CREATED THIS BLOCK FROM MY SCRAPS, USING DIFFERENT COLORS TO DEPICT THE COLORFUL NATURE OF WOMEN WHO REBELLED.  PERFECT SHOW OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS OF THOUGHT.  THIS WOMAN AND WOMEN LIKE HER PAVED THE WAY.  WE IN OUR TIME HAVE A FIGHT BUT NOT AS DIFFICULT AS THE WOMEN BEFORE US.

 

SECTIONS OF THIS BLOCK WERE PAPER PIECED AND AS IS MY HABIT, I REMOVED THE PAPER FROM THE SECTIONS AND THEN HAND PIECED THE SECTIONS INTO A BLOCK.  

 

Block for week 41.  Contrary Wife - Frances Kembler Butler

BLOCK 40. ART SQUARE - WOMEN IN A BOX

BLOCK 40:  ART SQUARE-WOMEN IN A BOX

Now on week 40.  The center of this block is from Moda panel fabric (Friendly Folk by Sandy Gervais). Putting a woman's art into the block seemed appropriate.  I appliqued the squares into the corners so I could be sure that the lines of the striped fabric all lined up nicely.  All from my stash.  I'm not sure how long I've owned the panel or when the "Friendly Folk" panel came out.  It's been a hidden gem and I found it when I was organizing my stash onto comic book boards.  Same with the striped fabric.  I thought the tree made a great focus fabric. 

COLLAGE OF BLOCKS

My Grandmother's Choice Blocks in Collage

Yesterday afternoon, working with Picasa, I put all the photo's of my blocks together.  Some of the blocks were done more than once so I was able to get an even number of 42.  This gives me a bit of an idea of what it may look like in a quilt top.  10 or 11 more to go. 

BLOCK 39: ENDLESS STAIRS - RANK AND RIGHT

ENDLESS STAIRS - RANK AND RIGHT

Pieces from my past.  The dark blues from my long ago stash.  The light from several years back for a challenge at Sauders Quilt Festival.

The block is paper pieced.  

 

 

This is the block for week 39.  Endless Stairs representing the endless hierarchy in our society.  Named by Hearth and Home Magazine over 100 years ago, when put together in a quilt, it gives the look of endless stairs going on and on.

 

Using EQ7, I've made the block and the quilt.  

To make the quilt, you would use this arrangement of light and dark and prepare a block like this:

 

and then setting the blocks, it would end up looking like this:

 

Blocks are 4 across and 5 deep

 I didn't use the light/dark arrangement I used in EQ.  My block will join all the other blocks to make one large quilt, so I used the color arrangement that was pleasing to me.

 

Block No. 38: NONSENSE - ANATOMY LESSONS

BLOCK NO. 38:  NONSENSE-ANATOMY LESSONS

This block was paper pieced.  I like this method for the accuracy it gives me.  The colors are from my stash.  Really old, from the late 90's I think.  I was buying night sky fabric for an appliqued Christmas Quilt - I love Christmas.  These are the bits of leftover's that I could never part with.  

 

 

This block is called Nonsense or Boys Nonsense and was featured by the Ladies Art Company over a century ago.  

Any little thing the "boys" could come up with to keep women in the place of inferiority they did.  Women should not ride horses or bikes astride - not good for their anatomy.  Women shouldn't spend hours at the sewing machine.  (Yes, ok - go for it guys.) And you know it still exists...just look around.  Not as flagrant, but it's there.  I'd love to hear what you all experience in this nonsense.