Wyoming Breezes

. . . you remember desk phones and curly cords.  

close-up of a vintage phone The Virginian Hotel Medicine Bow, WY My maternal grandfather had a hand crank wall phone similar to the one in these photos, but the first phone I remember in the farm house was a black, desk model, rotary dial phone.  .  What do you remember about the telephones in your lifetime?

vintage valentine Remember the days when valentines were full of puns? Valentines currently on store shelves seem to feature super heroes and princesses rather than silly puns. I think the silly sayings are the most memorable. A favorite valentine I received in elementary school was handmade from red and white construction paper and looked like the gift tag in the photo below - a woven Scandinavian heart. from Google images Did you ever make valentines to give to your friends?  Did you keep any valentines from your childhood?

box of 8-track tapes for sale Goodwill - Laramie, WY September 2018 . . . when these were popular? I played some of mine so much they literally wore out.  Lots of wonderful memories of cruising down the highway with the windows open (no A/C) and singing along to the Mamas and Papas, The Carpenters, John Denver, The Beach Boys, and Buck Owens. Somewhere in my garage are two 8-track tapes one of my students made of the musical Godspell that I directed at Wheatland High School in the mid-1970s. I don't have a player anymore, but I can't bring myself to throw the tapes away.

vintage advertisement Wheatland, WY circa 1978 Advertisement painted on the side of a building in downtown Wheatland, Wyoming in the late 1970s.  I wonder if it's still there?

Mom's denim cathedral window quilt circa 1970s One fabric that was plentiful on the farm was denim. Mom kept old jeans and used them to patch ripped and worn jeans or coveralls, but some of the denim was used to make durable quilts. For the cathedral window quilt, Mom cut circles of various colors of denim and then placed a square of fabric in the center. She folded the denim circle toward the fabric squares and machine zig-zagged the curved edges. The blocks were then attached to each other. I wish these old photos were a better quality, but they, too, are vintage. large (and heavy) denim cathedral window quilt

Mom's String Blocks circa 1940 - 50 I remember Mom working on these string blocks when I was probably 6 or 7 years old, maybe younger. Mom sewed the fabric strings on newspaper blocks, and to keep me out of her hair  occupied, my job was to tear the paper off of the finished blocks. After Mom died in 1989, her projects (many unfinished) were divided between my two brothers, two sisters, and me. The string quilt top became Marilyn's: she had it machine quilted and proudly displays it in her home.   Mom's string quilt tells a story of using what's available to make something useful and attractive. Mom's String Quilt April 2017 It's fair to say that my sisters and I came to love quilting through our mom's example. Did your Mom teach you how to do one of your hobbies?

vintage Double Wedding Ring quilt circa 1930s

vintage medical display Lander Medical Clinic Lander, WY 2017 I love viewing the display of old medical equipment and supplies while I wait for my appointments at the clinic. Some items are drastically different and others only slightly. vintage medical cabinet and exam table Lander Medical Clinic Lander, WY 2017 My current primary care doctor is a young physician who listens and makes me feel like I am a member of my own healthcare team. I hope she stays in the area a long time. Is your primary care doctor "vintage" or "modern"?

Friendship Garden vintage quilt block circa 1940s The quilt has an interesting history (see photo below) quilt history click to enlarge

Lander Mill Lander, WY Autumn 2015 The old Lander Mill building is now a bicycle shop, and the bottom section has been recently remodeled. Previous posts about the old mill building can be seen here  and here .

vintage quilt Winter Quilt Show Riverton, WY February 2016 The Winter Quilt Show had several vintage quilts on display, and it was the signatures on the blocks of this particular quilt that captured my attention. The quilt, owned by Jacque Harris, was given to her grandmother when she and her husband moved from Missouri to Pavillion. WY. The friendship/signature quilt clearly captured the cultural tradition of the time, as nearly every signature block did not identify the woman who signed it, but the identity of her spouse. I remember my mom and neighbor ladies were identified by their husbands' names as if they did not have an individual identity. My mother signed legal documents and checks with "Mrs." plus my father's name many years after my dad died. It was simply the way it was in those days. Fast forward into the late 1960s when I, too, made a signature quilt . I asked women to sign their names on the quilt blocks, which I later embroidered. O...

vintage knitting pattern book I have two copies of this pattern book and would love to send the extra copy (free) to someone who would use it.  The book contains 63 pages of patterns for infants to four-year olds. I've used my copy of the book many times to knit sweaters. sweaters for babies The book contains mostly knitting patterns, but it does have a few crochet ones, too. blanket patterns  A few of the patterns are for knit and crochet baby blankets. toddler sweater Patterns include sweaters, coats, and dresses for toddlers and even some hats and slippers. Most of the patterns are classics, but a few are clearly dated. If I receive more than one request for the book, I'll put everyone's names in the hat for the drawing.  I will gladly mail the book to the winner.  Let me know in the comments if you are interested in the book. If a drawing is necessary, I will select a name on Friday, September 16, 2016 - 5PM MDT Based on my skill set, I w...

Wringer on a vintage washing machine April 2016 Marilyn has a vintage wringer-washing machine on display in the basement bathroom. It makes me smile to see it tucked in the corner. vintage wringer washing machine  with agitator  The machine even has an agitator. After filling the tub with hot water, the laundress would place a foot in the metal stirrup on the front and pull back on the handle to agitate and clean the laundry. Once the pieces are clean, they are placed in the wringer on the back of the machine, and the crank is turned to squeeze out the excess water. Doing laundry with this machine would have been easier than using the wash board leaning against the wall to the left of the machine. My mother used an electric wringer washer for years, and I have many memories of laundry days. Have you ever used a wringer washer?

Life Savers' advertisement circa 1950s Shirley S. lost her sleek appeal                                      Slim Sally Hayes stays light on her feet She never stops eating from meal to meal                     She makes Life Savers her 'tween meal treat  What are your impressions of this vintage advertisement?

Vintage Dresden Plate block with "modern" quilting My sister, my niece and I went to Dubois last week to the annual Never Sweat Needler's quilt show. A lot of the items of display this year were small, but a couple of large quilts caught my eye. I was particularly drawn to a vintage, Dresden Plate quilt. The blocks, made by an unknown quilter sometime in the 40s or 50s, were all hand-pieced and then stitched to the background fabric. The woman who acquired the blocks did some minor repair and then let the longarm quilter add her magic to the blocks. I love the lacy edge around each "plate" and the additional lace where the sashing intersects. The quilt was finished with "feathers" in the outer border.

from April 1949 Workbasket Has anyone ever heard of this product? It almost sounds too good to be true - no smell, quick and easy to use, and lasts for months. I got my first permanent in the 1970s and a handful since then. My hair takes the curl too well, and I end up looking like a poodle for about three weeks. I got my last permanent about two years ago. What kinds of experience have you had with permanents?