Baseball Star Quilt Block

     I found the pattern for this 9" Baseball Star block in Judy Martin's Ultimate Book of Quilt Block Patterns.  (I reduced it from it's original 12" down to 9".)    
     In these diary entries, Frank is Hattie's date and will later become her husband and my grandfather.  Betty, Fannie, Lucile, and Bobbie are Frank's siblings (and my great aunts and uncle).  Ada Sullivan later marries Frank's brother Russell and becomes my great aunt, too!
     The Grange (officially The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry) is a fraternal organization for American farmers that encourages farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being.  It was founded in 1867 and is the oldest surviving agricultural organization in America.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_National_Grange_of_the_Order_of_Patrons_of_Husbandry
   
Wednesday, August 30, 1916 -
"There hasn't been much excitement today.  I have spent a good share of the time ironing, but we were anxious to get it all finished as we are taking in the Grange Fair tomorrow - at least some of us.

Thursday, August 31, 1916 -
"After a little skidding and hair breadth escape from being ditched, we just now got in at eleven o'clock.  I think it's a shame it had to rain today when we wanted the sun to shine, but of course we are very thankful for the rain.   

"At a quarter before twelve, Frank phoned that he would be over in about an hour if it didn't rain anymore.  Right after dinner I got ready, and we started soon after one.  Betty went with us, and there was quite a crowd assembling, but the weather was so doubtful that many turned back.  We listened to the vocal and reading contests and looked at the exhibits which were splendid, and after awhile, Ada Sullivan and Gladys Condon went with us to the ballgame.  It was very exciting.  Plymouth beat Key West about 7-0, and there were still more exciting horse races after the game.  There was a light drizzle going on during the game, but it let up while we ate supper.  They had fixed up the nicest lunch, and we were so hungry that we all did full justice to it.

"The play was the most unique one I ever attended.  In itself, it would have been very good if it hadn't been that it started to rain again about the middle of the first act.  Frank's car was furnishing lights, so we had driven right up the center aisle of the 'Airdome' and sat in the car.  Fortunately, we were in shelter.  But the actors and actresses had no roof over them, and some of them wore their rain coats during it all.  Of course, they had to rush through and put on no extras whatever.  The cattle over in the show grounds were bawling full force, and everything was making so much noise that we could hardly hear.  It had stopped raining by the time we got started, but the roads over there were surely slick.  Fortunately, we encountered no deep ditches.  We took Betty, Fannie, Lucile, and Bobbie home first.  We didn't find the roads quite so slick over this way."

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post:
http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheel-quilt-block.html