Wyoming Breezes

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. 

Stacks of cut scraps Last Friday and Saturday, I cut and cut and cut all the fabric pieces smaller than a Fat Quarter into sizes I frequently use - 6.5, 5, 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5 inches. The stacks grew as I worked on neutrals, reds, and finally blues.  I have plans for some of these scraps, but others will marinate for a bit until I decide how to use them. I REALLY need to do this after every project, but it’s more convenient to just fold and put the fabrics in baskets and out of sight. 

nice variety of fabric scraps from Susan D. in PA August 2022 Susan D. (central PA) contacted me and asked if I could use some small fabric pieces/scraps for making Quilts of Valor. I readily accepted her offer because I prefer to make scrappy quilts and its the variety of fabric that make the best quilts.  note that accompanied the fabric The fabric arrived last week, and I was delighted with the fabric pieces and the variety. Thank you, Susan! These fabrics will definitely be useful. After ironing the pieces, I cut them into the sizes that I use the most: 2.5 inch strips and squares, 5 inch squares, 6.5 inch squares and 10 inch squares. It's handy to have the fabric cut and in bins, and I often search the bins for a particular size/color when making a quilt.  When working with scraps, organization is paramount. 

anonymous fabric donation May 2022 Last week a surprise package arrived at my front door from two people who wish to remain anonymous. The box was stuffed with wonderful patriotic fabrics for making Quilts of Valor. I haven't seen many of these fabrics before, so I know I will enjoy using them. I appreciate the generosity of the individuals who sent this windfall of fabric. Thank you for making more Quilts of Valor possible to our brave veterans.  

patterns from Karen M.  Recently, I have received donations that will allow me to make more Quilts of Valor. The patterns above were sent by Karen M. from IL. Karen is preparing to move and graciously sent the two patterns. You might remember that Karen sent fabric and an orphan star to me in July .  fabric from Marilyn M.  Marilyn (my sister) sent me a surprise package of patriotic fabric. I love the patterns she selected.  fabric from Sue L. Sue L. from IA contacted me for my address and sent three pieces of fabric that will be fun to use in a QOV.   I can't thank Karen, Marilyn and Sue enough for sending the fabric and patterns. Their gifts will make additional QOV possible. Thank you for helping me honor veterans. 

QOV donation from Karen M. in IL July 2021 A couple of weeks ago, Karen M. contacted me about donating red, white, and blue fabric to make Quilts of Valor. I gladly accepted her offer, and her donation arrived last week. I was surprised to find the star medallion packed in the box with the fabric, a patriotic panel, and a pattern to use the panel. My photo does not do Karen's pieced star justice because it is gorgeous in person. I'm mulling some ideas to turn Karen's work into a Quilt of Valor.  Karen, thank you for your generous donation.

yardage donation from Jean F.  Saturday, I prepared backings for the most recent Quilt of Valor from yardage sent by Jean F. this summer. Jean sent enough of this patriotic, word fabric to back two Quilts of Valor. It's been a blessing to pull fabric from my stash closet instead of going to a quilt shop, especially during a pandemic. The remainder of the fabric will be used for the cuff of a presentation case.  Jean, thank you again for your generous donation.  backings and quilts ready to send to a longarm quilter November 2020

Army Strong 60 x 78 inches Quilt of Valor #186 Army Strong was made with a panel included in the box of fabric I received last week from Jean F. in Iowa . I've never made a branch specific QOV before, so this one was fun and quick to make. The camouflage in the center panel made choosing border fabric a challenge, but I think the dark grey and gold accent the panel well.  The pattern was also in Jean's box - a Villa Rosa Designs pattern card called "Daring Spirit." Jean thank you for making this QOV possible. 

fabric and yarn from Sue July 2020 I received an unexpected package of goodies from Sue, a friend and former coworker. Inside the box, I found pillow panels, yardage, dryer balls, and three cakes of yarn. I'll use the panels to make some community quilts either for hospice or for the Prayers and Squares group.  In the enclosed letter, Sue said that she has worked hard to eliminate her yarn stash or acrylic, cotton and wool. She made 11 wheelchair; shoulder shawls with the acrylic and made hot pads with the cotton yarn. The three green yarn cakes in the photo were the end of her wool stash. Sue said the wool was too thin for her to crochet, and she didn't want to double it. I've got some ideas percolating for the yarn, but I'll probably wait until Fall before I settle on a project.  Thanks for the goodies, Sue, but most of all thanks for the newsy letter that was also in the box. 

fabric donation from Jean F. in Iowa July 2020 I received a treasure chest in the mail on Monday. Inside the box was an abundance of fabric to make numerous Quilts of Valor. This box was filled with possibilities and blessings: I am tremendously grateful for Jean's donation.  Pictured on the sides and bottom are folds of yardage; some large enough for backings. In the center are six patriotic panels, and below the panels are fat quarters. Jean also sent four patterns and Quilt of Valor labels.  Jean, my heart is full of gratitude for this generous gift. Thank you!

ninety-six HSTs and trimmings May 2020 Another Quilt of Valor is in the works: this one using the four-patches I posted last week. I'm using a pattern I saw on a Missouri Star Quilt Company video tutorial. The video directions did not use half-square triangles. The tutorial's method created a LOT of "waste" or "bonus" HSTs. I wanted to avoid creating even more scraps, so I decided to make the secondary block with HSTs, making eight at a time. Using this method easily created the necessary 96 HSTs for the quilt. The final step which I dread when making HSTs is trimming; however, I was happy that eight at a time method created only slivers of trimmings to make them square and accurate. sneak peek at two blocks for the new QOV

starting a large twined rug May 2020 I worked on the twined rug a bit last week and have enough rows at both the top and bottom to hold the warp on the frame.  Hopefully, the weather will cooperate enough this week so I can work on this project on the patio. Twining is messy because of all the strings and lint that comes off of the fabric. It't just easier to do it outside. Over the years, I've taught several community classes on twining and have made over 30 rugs. Mom, who made rugs for the farm house, taught me how to twine when I was in 4-H. The photo below was used in an earlier post that can be found here . Mom working on a twined rug possible late 50s or early 60s

small rug frame with UFO rug May 2020 Friday I worked in the garage labeling the plastic totes on the shelves. I've been meaning to do it for over a year but kept procrastinating. I discovered the small rug frame in one of the bins, and decided to finish the long neglected UFO. finished placemat and/or rug May 2020 Finishing the mat did not take very long - probably two or three hours. It's the perfect size for leaving my shoes when I come in from outside. I rarely wear shoes in the house. The larger rug frame was also unearthed in the garage. I grabbed a ball of prepared denim and loaded the warp on the frame. I haven't twined for nearly five years and look forward to sitting outside on the patio to twine. Previous twining posts can be found here .

Over the weekend, I went through some project boxes in my sewing room and found a stack of neutral triangles left over from this project. This stack has been moved from box to box and pile to pile for over a year, and it was time to actually DO something with them. I slipped into a rabbit hole when searching for scraps to pair with these triangles. I unearthed even more triangles in various sizes and colors, and before long, I had stacks for HSTs, ranging in size from 2.5 - 4.5 inches. I'm sure some larger triangles may also be found in the scrap bins. over 100 HSTs - some trimmed and others waiting to be trimmed January 2020 It appears I need to plan a project to use all of these HSTs - perhaps they will become star points or pinwheels or remain HSTs.

Surprise package from Connie H. January 2020 Connie ( Far Side of Fifty ) has been going through her " stuff " and deciding what can stay and what must go. I was the lucky recipient of a package of fabric panels and some white yardage. She even sent a crocheted scrubby. It's fun when someone's "stuff" becomes your treasure. Thanks, Connie for sending this unexpected, yet welcome package.

yardage from Marty S. Knoxville, TN January 2020 A heavy package arrived in last week's mail from a generous lady I haven't had the pleasure to meet. Even though, we've only connected through email and snail mail, Marty S. has blessed me with two wonderful gifts. First, she sent the beautiful blocks made by her mother, Eileen, which I turned into a QOV I named Eileen's Stars . Second, Marty sent fabric from Eileen's stash. Marty emailed photos of four fabrics and asked if I could use them for Quilts of Valor. I responded that they would work perfectly. When the package arrived, I was surprised that it wasn't simply fabric: it was yardage. The box contained 15+ yards of 100% cotton, quilting fabric. Readers who are also quilters will understand my amazement: quilting fabric is expensive. The fabric in this package is perfect because the colors are basically neutrals and can be used for backgrounds in blocks or quilt borders. This gift will allow me to m...

Tiny Tree Quilt Along Temecula Quilt Company December 2019 The directions for the eleventh block and the finishing instructions were posted on Saturday, and by that evening, the tree was finished. I assure you the tree is straight (again my camera angle is askew). The colors are pretty true to life. I probably should have fiddled with the block placement, but I followed the finishing diagram. This small project was a delight to sew and used tiny bits of fabric. Brenda suggested charms could be added to the tree. She also suggested the tree could be used as an advent countdown, which I think is a great idea and one I will probably pursue. I haven't decided if I'm going to hand quilt it or do some simple machine stitching for quilting. The directions for the Tiny Tree Quilt Along can be found here .

Prairie Star #1 56 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #161 When I got the email from Larry (QOV volunteer longarmer) about the need for additional quilts for the November presentation in Fremont County, I decided to make more quilts. I paired some of the fabric Sharon F. sent recently with some Civil War fabric scraps from my stash. The tan fabric I purchased recently complemented the fabrics. The fabrics resulted in two antique-looking quilts. Prairie Star #2 56 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #162 The Villa Rosa Design pattern uses eight fat quarters, and some background and border fabrics. The pattern results in a quick and easy quilt. Pattern:  Stars N Stripes  by Villa Rosa Designs

American Star 56 x 79 inches Quilt of Valor #160 August 2019 I sent the last three QOV to a gentleman near Riverton, WY who is a volunteer longarmer. I asked if the group had enough quilts to award to the veterans in November. Here is his response: This year is a “make as many as we can year.” At last count we have about 350 nominees and 75-80 quilts. I’m hoping for 100 quilts going into November, but we’ll see what happens. As they say, “the best you can with the tools you’ve got.” We awarded 28 quilts in Lander last spring, then another 11 at Atlantic City this summer. Needless to say that cut into our Veteran’s Day count of available QOVs. PLUS there have been a few “home awards” along the way. Have a good day and thanks again for your help! Larry * * * * * * I decided to dig into my stash and whip up some quick quilts (large pieces/big blocks). I finished American Star in two days; I could have finished it in one, but life got in the way. I've since started two more ...