grandmas-bits and pieces: another witch

http://www.shabbyfabrics.com/Free-Patterns-W4.aspx

House Block number nine has been posted. If you are following these house blocks #9 is up.

http://nanayane.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/rainbow-coalition-of-witches/

These little witches are easy to make and you can give each witch a different face. It looks like a bit of fun.

Here is the Block of the day. Broken Sugar Bowl Quilt Block.

The instructions for this 6 inch block by Susan can be found

Step 1 - Use the rotary cutting techniques.
Cut 2 patches 2½” square from the purple fabric.
Cut 2 patches 1½” square from the purple fabric.
Cut 1 strip 1½”x 3” from the purple fabric.
Cut 2 patches 3½” square from the red fabric.
Cut 1 strip 1½”x 6” from the red fabric.
Cut 1 strip 1½”x 3” from the red fabric.
Cut 2 patches 3½” square from the white fabric.
Cut 1 strip 1½”x 6” from the white fabric.
Step 2 - Place one 3½” square of red fabric and one 3½” square of white fabric, right sides together. Draw a line on the diagonal on the lighter fabric from one corner to the opposite corner. Stitch ¼” on each side of the marked line.
Cut on the drawn line with your rotary cutter or scissors to separate the square into triangles.
Fold open the square and press the seam allowances toward the darker fabric. Using your plastic ruler, trim the square to be 2½”. Be sure to use the 45 degree angle on your ruler.
Complete 4 red/white half square triangles.
Step 3 - Using the strip piecing method, sew the red 3” strip to the purple 3” strip, right sides together. Press the seam allowance towards the darker fabric. Use a ruler and rotary cutter to sub-cut the strip into 1½“ patches. Make sure you align the ruler with the seam line of the strip set to be sure your cuts are straight.
Step 4 - Use the strip piecing method again and sew the red 6” strip to the white 6” strip, right sides together. Press the seam allowance toward the darker fabric. Sub-cut the strip into 1½” patches.
Step 5 - Sew two red/white sub-cut patches together, making sure to rotate the red and white to be opposite each other and matching the center seam.
Step 6 - Sew a red/white patch to a red/purple patch, making sure the red patches are opposite each other and again, matching the center seam.
You will need 2 red/white/purple squares.
Step 7 - To sew row one of the broken sugar bowl quilt block, sew a purple square, red/white half square triangle, red/white/purple four patch.
Step 8 - Sew row two. Red/white half square triangle, red white four patch, red/white half square triangle.
Step 9 - Sew row three. Red/white/purple four patch, red/white half square triangle, purple square.
Step 10 - Sew the rows together to complete the broken sugar bowl quilt block
Hmm did not expect the instructions to be so long but what can I do about that? Nothing!
I had to go to the doctor today just to basically report on the heart specialist and to get the prescription he ordered but forgot and to see if she wanted anything more on my lab test.

I'll be most of you have seen or sewed on one of these old Singers. I have not sewed on one but before I had my first child Adam, I lived with the daughter of an Native chief. She was amazing, so creative as well as gentle and kind. Bessie was her name. She created the Native Cowichan Sweater designs. She drew up the patterns of native designs on graph paper then translated them into wonderful sweaters.

Now how does this relate to an old Singer sewing machine? Bessie bought the wool from a farmer, black and white. She carded the wool with 2 blocks of wood on which she had added nails on one side and a handle on the other side to hold on to the carders. After she had made the wool soft and pliable and clean with no things stuck in it she started to spin the wool into strands. Here comes the Singer to which she had added a spindle. My memory is not up to an exact description but it was on the right side and she would then spin the wool. Black and white and grey came off the spindle, the grey was a mix of the black and white. She wound it into a big ball as it came off the spindle. Then she knit it into those wonderful patterns. Amazing woman! There the story of the Singer!

I let Ray go shopping today and he was gone for 2 hours and bought stuff at Hop On's. Now we have lots of fruits and veggies. He made me a nice salad for dinner. Thank you Ray.