Cups for Block Lotto

I love these cups! I made 8 of them for the November Block Lotto drawing, will try to make one more, so I can maximize my chances to be a lucky winner. I think I've won blocks 3 times in the past few years, but haven't won any for a long time. Julie, send some luck my way!

Our fearless Block Lotto leader Sophie suggested that we create these using the wonky method, but I found that really difficult and made lots of mistakes and wasted lots of fabric trying. Why is wonky so difficult for me when it's supposed to be easy? 

The blocks started to come out much better after I found two paper-pieced cup patterns on the internet and blew them up to the correct size. I ended up being much happier with the ones that were paper-pieced, and they didn't take me any longer than the wonky ones.

I've been sewing a bit more than usual for the past week in the wake of the big storm Sandy because it's been impossible to get out of Brooklyn! For a long time the subways were stopped, and even now the major tunnel leading from Manhattan to Brooklyn is closed and there is NO gas to be had near where I live.

We were extremely fortunate that our property came through fine, and we didn't even lose power or experience any flooding, but areas of Brooklyn only 1/2 mile from us were absolutely devastated. My neighborhood, Park Slope, has been active trying to help those who were hit harder by the storm, and I've been involved in some of those efforts, as we know how lucky we were to escape so lightly.

One extremely sad event connected with the storm was the death of a young man, just 24 years old, who was the son of a friend I'd made walking my dog. I didn't know the young man, but I had become close to his mom, and my heart broke for her. Some 300 people attended his funeral, and spoke about him in glowing terms. It was so moving---not a dry eye in the house. She's a wonderful woman, and I know she'll get a lot of support from the community as time goes on, although nothing will make up for this loss.