Wyoming Breezes

Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

Clue #8 28 churn dash blocks Coincidently, clues one + three + four =  clue eight. I now have 28 churn dash blocks that measure 9.5 inches. Previous clues resulted in the following:      •  Half-square triangles from  Clue #1      •  Plain Squares from  Clue #3          •  Two-patch units from  Clue #4      •  Nine-patch units from  Clue #6      •  Nine-patch units from Clue #7 I have a feeling that Clue #9 will use the remaining plain squares from Clue #3 and the nine-patch units from Clues #6 and 7.

John Stearns Plowing "Over North" west field Spring 1989 When the sun begins to warm the soil, farmers get the itch to work in the fields. My brother rotated his crops between alfalfa, oats, and corn to build up the soil, so plowing was only done between alfalfa and corn and then from corn to oats. Rich seeded alfalfa with the oats, so the following year the alfalfa would be established and ready to produce. A field was left in alfalfa for several years. In these photos, alfalfa was being plowed under so the field can be prepared for the next crop (corn). I love the feel and smell of freshly plowed earth, and recently seeing plows in the fields brought back a lot of memories. It was common, especially on the home place for seagulls from Ocean Lake to follow the plow and gobble up worms from the turned soil. Other birds joined the gulls in the feeding frenzy. nearing the end of the field My oldest brother often helped Rich in the spring and during harvest.

stack of large scraps Last week, I stopped at Neat Repeat (local thrift shop) after running some errands and had fun browsing the craft section. Often the area is bare, but that particular day, I found some great cotton for baby/child quilts. Many of the scraps were large (roughly 8 x 12 inches) and some were shapes like a shirt bodice or sleeve. It looks like someone was making multiple garments as the fabric was cut with several fabrics layered together. I rummaged through the rumpled fabric and retrieved the ones I liked. It was difficult to resist the abundance of large scrap pieces. The salvages declared that these are Michael Miller Fabric - most released within the last three years. thrifted fabric Once the pieces were pressed, they formed an impressive pile of fabric and all for $2.00. I'm going to have fun turning the scraps into a quilt. Currently, I'm considering the Kelsey Baby Quilt pattern by Rebel Perfection - free on Craftsy. In addition to the f

Two-Step QAL March clue March 2017 I'm currently working on two mystery quilts - Quilts for the Military (weekly clues) and From My Carolina Home Two-Step Mystery QAL (monthly clues), and I have managed to keep up with the sewing required. The March clue of the Two-Step QAL used 5 inch squares to create Half-Square Triangles (HSTs), and they have been squared and trimmed to 4.5 inches. components of the Two-Step QAL February 2017 March's clue used the 5 inch squares in the upper left, and the only cut fabric not used is the stack of 4.5 inch squares in the lower right corner. After three months of clues, I have completed:      •  Two patch units (lower left) - January      •  Hour-glass units (upper right) - February      •  Half-square units (shown in the top photo of this post) - March January and February segments were shown in this post .

Government apartments Singapore December 1979

Quilt Show Riverton, WY January 2017 The squares on this quilt were tiny and the stitching was spot-on accurate. It was a "happy" quilt  a baby-sized quilt  I admire those who can work with tiny pieces of fabric and have consistent stitching. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the quilt's information, so I can't give credit to the quilter.

postal boxes Riverton, WY February 2017 According to the Riverton Museum website, the Riverton Post Office construction started in 1940 and was completed in 1941 as a part of the recovery projects implemented by President Roosevelt during the New Deal act. The purpose of these projects was to put people back to work, and the intent to make projects that would have an enduring contribution to the states and the nation. Work on the building began in 1938 but was halted in December 1938 due to no available funding from Washington, D.C. Several other setbacks occurred that prevented the construction of the new federal building, namely the preparations of new plans and specifications for the enlarged structure delayed the construction of the building for nine months. In January of 1940 bids were finally opened in Washington, D.C. for contractors. The Jensen Construction Company won the bid for construction of the Riverton Post Office, submitting the lowest bid of $94,789.00. The

Clue #7 112 nine-patch blocks March 2017 Another week, another clue to Mystery Quilts for Military project. All of the small three-patch units previously made in Clues 2 and 5 have been combined into 140 nine-patch units: 112 made with three colors (clue #7) and 28 (clue #6) made with two colors. Currently, I have several sets of 3.5 inch units:      •  Half-square triangles from Clue #1      •  Plain Squares from Clue #3          •  Two-patch units from Clue #4      •  Nine-patch units from Clue #6      •  Nine-patch units from Clue #7 (this post) No mention has been made of how these units will be combined into quilt blocks, but I think Sara's prediction that the units will make a Churn Dash block is a good one.

100% cashmere Hitchhiker in progress March 2017 Remember the cashmere yarn that was a gift from Julie and that Briana plied? I decided to knit it into a Hitchhiker scarf/shawl. My first plan was to knit a Hitchhiker Beyond shawl, but realized the yarn is so soft, the shawl would not have a lot of body. Pattern: Hitchhiker by Martina Behm (Ravelry link) Needles: US 6 Yarn: Art Yarns - Cashmere 2 (Color 143)           The two strand yarn was plied by Briana F.

Beppu, Japan Spring 1980

Parker, CO February 2017 My niece Brenda often snaps photos of ponderables ( here , here ) while on her morning walk, but this one is clearly the strangest sight I've ever seen. The house is not new and is currently occupied. I can't think of any reason why someone would mount a downspout that is clearly not connected to the gutter.  Can you?

Hitchhiker Beyond February 2017 I found these photos of  Hitchhiker Beyond  that came off of the needles in early February. Since I listened to Friction by Sandra Brown while knitting this shawl, a library photo shoot seemed an appropriate way to feature the finished shawl. blocking Hitchhiker Beyond While blocking, I pinned the center point (top and bottom) and worked out from those points, keeping the top edge straight and the bottom edge at the correct angle. center point on the top and bottom edge I loved this pattern!  If you decide to knit the Hitchhiker Beyond, it's important to follow the designer's recommendation to weigh the yarn before you begin so you can calculate when to begin the decreases. I had 2 grams remaining Pattern:   Hitchhiker Beyond  (Ravelry link) by Martina Behm Needles:  US size 6 Yarn:  Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select (African Grey) 4 oz/114 grams The pattern is easy and fun to knit.

Clue #6 (28) Nine-patch blocks March 2017 Clue #6 was fast and easy and resulted in 28 nine-patch, 3.5 inch blocks.

Helical Stripes - no jog March 2017 The concept of Helical Stripes ( Mason-Dixon Knitting ) is interesting and "new to me," so I used the technique to make a baby hat with some small yarn scrap balls.  It's easy and really does eliminate the jog to create an unbroken stripe. The photos in this post were taken at the beginning and end of the row - can you spot that point? from the small balls of scrap yarn I worked with a "light" and a "dark" to create stripes, using the Helical Stripe technique It's easier to spot the beginning and end of the row in this photo showing the cast-on edge. I like how the odd bits of yarn worked well together. I even tried it with two distinct yarns - orange variegated and black. two Helical Striped hats made with scrap yarn March 2017 Have you used the Helical Stripe technique?

Taipei countryside Taipei, Taiwan December 1979

sneak peek of scrappy Quilt of Valor March 2017 Last week a scrap bin filled with 3.5 x 6.5 inch bricks caught my attention. I pulled red, blue, and "neutral" bricks - 90 total to make a Bricks and Stepping Stones quilt. The black and white four-patches were made from 2.5 inch scrap strips that I trimmed to 2 inches. Obviously, working on two mystery quilts has put me in the mood to sew again.

quilting detail Winter Quilt Show Riverton, WY January 2017 Today, I'm sharing a bit of quilting eye candy. Once a quilt is finished, it is usually sent to a longarm  (a type of machine, not a quilter with long arms) quilter who typically adds texture and beauty to a quilt if the customer wants to pay for custom quilting. Judy Powell's gorgeous bearded iris quilt was displayed it at the Winter Quilt show. She made the top and did the machine quilting herself. quilting detail Winter Quilt Show Riverton, WY January 2017 complete quilt January 2017 This quilt with appliqué and detailed quilting was a work of art.