Wyoming Breezes

stack of “Stealth” blocks will finish @ 6 inches I think these blocks look like colorful Stealth bombers, so I’m going to name the finished quilt “Stealthy.” The blocks are on the design wall but are not sewn together because I want to play with them for a bit to find a pleasing layout. I may or may not use sashing between the larger blocks.  Not much has been happening here recently because I was sidelined by a virus of some sort. It wasn’t COVID, but it left me with a hacking and lingering cough. I’m glad I got the latest vaccinations in September because I think this could have been much worse without them. 

natural bouquet at the top of a rose bush Laramie, WY A couple of weeks ago, I spotted this unusual cluster of roses on the top of a large rose bush near a neighboring apartment building. The bush is large and clearly reaches the eaves of the building.  Thanks to colder temperatures, it is no longer blooming. The colorful cluster of roses made me smile every time I saw it because it was so unusual. Have you ever seen a cluster of roses like this? 

Hand-knit socks summer and fall 2024 I’ve been knitting steadily, but I haven’t posted finished projects in a long time.       Patons Kroy (blue/green marl) - Faternal Twins      Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock (Zombie BBQ) - yarn a gift from Cheryl O.      Unknown manufacturer and color - one sock finished; another on needles - yarn a gift from Cheryl O.      Unknown manufacturer and color - one sock finished; another nearly finished - yarn a gift from        Cheryl O. In addition to knitting for my feet, I knit 16 “socks” for my kitchen table chairs from partial balls of Noro Silk Garden (assorted colors). I plan to knit 8 more for the two remaining chairs. The chairs slide better on the laminate when wearing “socks.”

Fabric donation for making  Quilts of Valor I received this generous donation of fabric from Sue S., a quilter from Massachusetts. I’ll be able to make several QOV with this fabric. Thank you, Sue for this generous donation! It was a miracle I received the box in the mail. When I picked up the box outside my door where the mail carrier left it, the box bottom broke, and fabric came tumbling out. 

Scrappy Stars 58 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor #255

Don’t Overthink It!  (from Facebook)

I was pleasantly surprised that Wyoming citizens visit public libraries so much. I’d be curious of the patrons’ average age. Does your state’s rating surprise you?  I use the library’s Libby app extensively throughout the year to listen to audiobooks. In the winter, I go to the library on Friday afternoons and work on a jigsaw puzzle or just browse the shelves.  The Laramie library also has knitting needles and crochet hooks to checkout, which I think is brilliant. Last year, they were offering free yarn, as well.

Park bench Optimist Park West Side of Laramie This unusual park bench is in a park on Laramie's West Side next to the playground equipment. It's quite unusual because it is also a recycling project. The shelter surrounding the bench is a part of a wind turbine blade.  I'm not a fan (no pun intended) of wind turbines because I think they are unsightly, and the components are difficult to dispose of once they are damaged or outlive their usefulness. They must be buried and will not disintegrate in the landfill. I was very surprised when it was announced that this new park bench was made from part of a turbine blade. Even though this one blade was made into a park bench, I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of others that are in landfills across the nation.

This pile of 3.5 inch fabric scraps may not look like much, but it took me two days to sew the neutral squares to the red and blue squares. The more I sewed, the more the piles didn't seem to shrink.  I chain pieced the squares together and when the last squares were used, I cut them apart into half-square triangles.  Inside the basket are 130 HSTs and in the foreground are another 130 HSTs ready to be trimmed and pressed. Look to the right of the basket in the top corner, and you'll see the piles of red HSTs ready to be trimmed, pressed and counted.  I'm unsure what I'm going to make with these HSTs, but I have some ideas for blocks. The HST are 3 inches unfinished, so will finish at 2.5 inches in a block.  So, you might be asking, "Is the 3.5 inch scrap bin empty?" Well, not exactly. I used all the cut 3.5 inch squares, but the bin still contains 3.5 inch strips. Those will likely be used for borders.  I'm also tackling the 4.5 inch square bin, so I'...

flying geese units ready for another quilt Another scrappy Quilt of Valor is in the works: this quilt uses two colors of flying geese. The top should be finished by the end of the week unless life gets in the way. 

Let's Be Neighbors 60 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor #254 Let's Be Neighbors  was made using the Briar Rose pattern by England Street Quilts. I eliminated a lot of 2.5 inch scraps making this quilt.  I made the sixteen patches before I selected this pattern. If I were to use the pattern again, I would not use white fabric in the sixteen patches because some of the corners of the design melt into the background fabric; thus, distorting the design. Despite that error on my part, I like the pattern and this quilt. 

My next project uses four-patches - lots and lots of four-patches!  I’m still trying to bring the scrap bins under control. I managed to use some larger scraps to make a couple of quilts, but now I’m focused on the smaller ones -- 2.5” squares.  I made piles of four-patch units and then sewed them into eight-patches, and finally sixteen-patch blocks. I think I have enough for two, possibly even three quilts. Stay tuned . . .

Lady Liberty 58 x 71 inches Quilt of Valor #253 Lady Liberty  was made using Bevels, a pattern by  Mountainpeek Creations . I’ve used the pattern before, but the combination of fabrics and colors on this quilt really show off the design to its fullest.

Staircase at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Cheyenne, WY

Base Housing 60 x 84 inches Quilt of Valor #252 This quilt used a lot of scraps from my 2.5 inch bin. The rectangular shapes remind me of the barracks and BOQs on Edgren AFB, so I named this one Base Housing.  Pattern used: Rectangle Dancing with Stars by Lisa Sutherland

Recently, I’ve been surrounded by a lot of activity. First the roof was replaced on all the buildings in the complex, and this week, the trim and soffits were painted on all the buildings. One thing that attracted me to this complex was the condition of the buildings and grounds. The management team has been stellar!  In the lower right, you can see my tiny garden plot. Compared to Valerie’s garden  mine is pretty pathetic, but I like the color that it provides to my entryway.  Classes at the University of Wyoming start next week, so students are moving back into town. Last Saturday was “move in” day at the dorms, and this week students are moving into off campus apartments. I live on a corner, so I’ve noticed a considerable increase in both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Soon, everyone will fall into a routine, and it will be less chaotic.

Sawtooth Stars 60 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #251 Sawtooth Stars was made using a free online pattern found at SewCanShe. To meet the Quilt of Valor size requirements, I added the navy outside border. 

Celebrate! 56 x 73 inches Quilt of Valor #250 Celebrate!  was made using the Villa Rosa Design pattern called Fernanda.  I purchased a couple of these Lady Liberty panels (printed by Timeless Treasures) along with several other designs in December. This QOV panel jumped ahead of the remaining prepped quilt kit because it was an appropriate panel to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth Quilt of Valor I've made in the last fourteen years.

QOV kits update Three down  &  one to go Ironically, the first one cut will be the last one finished.  Star Roundup is quilted, labeled, bound and on its way to Idaho to be awarded to a veteran.

American Icons 60 x 73 inches Quilt of Valor #249 American Icons  was made using the Town Square pattern by Fabric Cafe. All the fabrics (except the white) were backing scraps from previous QOV. close-up of the focus fabric that  features American icons The red fabric was very difficult to photograph to capture the true color, but the red in this close-up is nearly spot on.

Independence Day 59 x 73 inches Quilt of Valor #248 This quilt was finished on the Fourth of July, using the Town Square pattern by Donna Robertson (Fabric Cafe). I like this pattern as it allows the focus fabric to become the star. The flags and red fabrics are backing scraps from previous QOV.

You may remember I mentioned last year the USPS lost a package containing two Quilts of Valor being returned by a volunteer longarmer from Wisconsin.  I had given up hope of ever seeing the quilts again because our efforts to find the package were unsuccessful.  Then . . . Last week, nine months after the package was lost, I got the following email * * * * * Hi Nancy, I have some good news and quite a story behind it.  The two lost QOV quilts from last October have been found and are back in my possession!!   Here's the story...I received a call a few days ago from a lady in southern Minnesota. Seems your QOV quilts found their way to the donation bin for their church.  She said they get a lot of donations and are never exactly sure where something comes from. But the ladies noticed a beautiful unfinished quilt and thought it was just someone cleaning out "Grandma's things."  One of the ladies even took it home and finished the quilt while they were tr...