Wyoming Breezes

Prayer rugs Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque Johor, Malaysia December 1979 These photos give you some idea how large the prayer area (sorry I don't know the official name) was in the mosque.  Some people asked me about the significance of the clock on the top of the altar ( see a  closer photo in last week's post ) but I can't remember. I'm guessing it has something to do with the call to prayer. If I remember correctly, they prayed four times a day.  Tour guide explains parts of the mosque

Garter-stitch is becoming a new love of mine, especially for baby blankets,  as it is thick and cuddly. This scrap blanket was knit on US size 11 needles with double strands of yarn, one light and one dark. The blanket will be donated to a local charity along with the Gradient Garter Blanket  shown in an earlier post. Have you knit anything in garter stitch recently?

Waiting for lunch Spring 1979 Next weekend, clocks will be set one hour earlier and with that action comes the anticipation of Spring. Can it really be just around the corner?

Celebrate Freedom Quilt of Valor 56 x 66 inches In yesterday's post, two fabrics were auditioned for the blue border surrounding the flag panel. Even though the panel and the striped border contain the same hue as the light blue fabric, I decided to use the dark blue. I thought the bold flag panel needed a more contrast, which the dark blue provided. From the comments everyone left yesterday, it appears that many of you agreed with my decision. Great minds think alike, right? Celebrate Freedom is #57 in my quest to complete 64 Quilts of Valor by the end of July. The complete list of QOV that I've made can be seen here .

Celebrate Freedom Quilt of Valor Last week, I explained how Andover #7787-R was the perfect fabric to add width to the narrow flag panel. I wanted to do something similar, using the stars with the red background. The red strip was nearly two inches smaller than the blue strip, so I needed to find some yardage in my stash that would complement it. I found two pieces of blue yardage that I thought would work. Whenever I am working on a quilt, I often "audition" fabric by laying it out on the floor. Sometimes, I take photos and see what appeals to my eye. If I am uncertain of my choice, I ask for opinions from my sisters, my niece, and friends. Can you guess which blue fabric I used for the borders on Celebrate Freedom ? Check back tomorrow to see the result.

Altar Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque Johor, Malaysia December 1979

Rockets Red Glare Quilt of Valor 56 x 66 inches The flag panel for Rockets Red Glare  is long and narrow, and in order to meet the Quilt of Valor (QOV) requirements, I needed to add width. Nothing I had in my stash looked right with the panel, so it marinated in my sewing room. I found the perfect star fabric at the Wild West Winter Quilt Show on February 7, 2015: the fabric line was first released in January 2015.  I cut two strips of the stars with the blue background and used them to add width to Rockets Red Glare . Andover #7787-R the stars on this strip fabric are bright white I also purchased the "antiqued" version of the fabric for future projects. Andover #7787-B the stars on this fabric are antiqued Rockets Red Glare is #56 in my goal to complete 64 Quilts of Valor by the end of July. A complete list of the QOV that I've made can be seen here .

former Farmer's Union Co-op  presently Cenex December 2014 The doors to the railroad locking docks have been barred for years, but once these portals were open and the warehouse bustling with individuals unloading freight and feed, running the auger to unload/load grain, beans, or corn. The Co-op was the lifeblood of the agricultural community surrounding Riverton. Of course, there were other grain elevators in town, i.e., Hughes Elevator, and the Farmer's Exchange, but the Co-op outlived them all. I remember how cool the building was in the summer, the air swirling with grain dust, and the scents that were earthy, familiar, and comforting. Farm trucks loaded with oats, beans, corn, and other crops were weighed and unloaded on the other side of the building. Other times the trucks were filled from the various bins within the building or the adjacent silos. The south end housed salt and mineral blocks, milk replacer, large bags of dog/cat food, canvas dams, and baling t...

QOV kit fabric for quilt top, binding, pillowcase and label I attended the Winter Carnival Quilt Show on February 7, 2015 and selected a free kit for a Quilt of Valor. The Wyoming QOV coordinator asked that the finished quilt tops be returned to her before August so they could be quilted. The fabrics in my kit were precut, so making the top was quite easy. Once I had all the blocks made, I placed them, according to the included diagram, on my design floor. Something about the block placement bothered my eye. The dark blue and light blue "arrows" were aligned in rows and headed in opposite directions, however, all my eye could see was a chunky dark blue house shape. block layout shown in the pattern I flipped one of the rows of blocks and saw a chevron, so I flipped every other row of blocks which resulted in a design where the "arrows" were alternating in each row. My eye was much happier with this design. The chunky houses were gone. block layout w...

vintage Valentine printed in Germany circa 1920s Even though this vintage Valentine doesn't feature a cartoon character, glitter or a silly verse, its message is timeless. The angel's face is very expressive, and I think it resembles that of my great niece, Stephanie . This treasure is tucked in a Depression glass cup in the china closet . I keep it because my mother kept it: it was obviously dear to her. vintage Valentine circa 1920s I don't have a clue to the identity of "Imo," but I think it is short for Imogene, possibly a childhood friend of my mother. It is written in pencil. Note the slit in the card: I wonder if it held a sweet treat. Did you save any Valentines from your youth?

Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque Johor,  Malaysia December 1979 Another photo taken at this site can be seen on this earlier post .

Sweet Valentine 12 x 16 inches Sweet Valentine  is the small quilt featured on the February  Temecula Quilt Company  2015 calendar card.  Since I was fired up to sew at the end of January, I pulled some fabric and created this delightful small quilt. (Sorry that the photo quality is so poor.) Temecula Quilt Company is currently offering a new February project, called Hugs and Kisses , on their blog. Here are the links you will need to participate: •   Fabric requirements •   Block instructions •   Finishing instructions Check it out and create your own small quilt for February. 

Update : I found a solution for this frustrating problem and posted about it on Cautiously Optimistic It started several weeks ago when I received an "undeliverable email message" after posting a comment on Thankful Me , then it expanded to JulieKQuilts , to Dakota City Quilter . Recently, The Quilter , Irish Eyes Knitter , Suburban Jubilee , This and That , High Plains Footprints , and Institches with Bonnie were added to the list. What was causing this? I've read and commented on many of these blogs for years, so why are my comments bouncing and the blog owner no longer receiving emails for the comments I left on their blogs? After a lot of research and frustration, I have discovered, despite the "advice" show above there is little I can do to change this frustration because in order to comment, I must be signed in with one of the required profiles. Mine is Google, and I have NO control or how Google lists the "From" and ...

Baby Blanket February 2015 Pattern : Gradient Garter Baby Blanket (free pattern - Ravelry link)                 Gradient Garter Baby Blanket (free pattern - PDF link) Needles : size US 11 - 40 inch circular (Ravelry link recommends size US 13) Yarn : Lots of Caron Simply Soft (Soft Peach, Baby Blue, Orchid, Soft Pink, White) as the blanket is knit with two strands of yarn. Size : approximately 36 x 38 inches Impressions : this makes a thick, heavy blanket and is a fun and mindless knit. I've already started another blanket, using scraps. Acknowledgement : the yarn used for this blanket was donated by Mary - who surprised me with a generous gift in May 2014        

Fourteen QOV presentation cases February 2015 While cleaning and organizing my sewing room, I found some scraps and yardage that I no longer wanted hanging around and taking up room. That pile of fabric was turned into 14 pillowcases. Now, they are laundered, pressed, and ready to become useful. I have no idea how the purple fabric found its way into my stash because it is one of my least favorite colors. Update : the purple cases were donated to the local hospice home, and the other cases will be used for QOV presentations.

Singapore Street Scene December 1979

source Cheyenne, WY Blizzard of 1949  Last week's blizzard in the New England states will go down in the history books as a memorable storm system, but many old timers in the West remember the Blizzard of 1949. source Cheyenne, WY Blizzard of 1949 While it was before my time, I remember my parents talking about the winter of '49 Several years ago, this article about the Blizzard was published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle . source Snow plow leading a convoy of truck loaded with hay to feed stranded livestock. Blizzard of 1949 source Clearing the path for a snowbound train Blizzard of 1949 At my Uncle Otto's funeral, I learned he was employed by the state of South Dakota for several years to clear the highway from Edgemont, SD to the Wyoming line of snow, and that he did it with a team of horses. I can't even begin to imagine the conditions that he must have endured while doing this job. This video includes interviews of old-timers who e...

Walkabout Quilt of Valor 56 x 77 inches Walkabout was created using scraps from Autumn Splendor and the brown border I removed from Kismet . In fact, I had just enough of the brown fabric for this quilt, as the photo above shows the remaining scraps are minimal which made me very happy.