Wyoming Breezes

My sister, Marilyn and her husband recently took a trip to Southern California and on the way stopped at a couple of quilt shows and a few quilt shops.  At one of the shops, she sent this text: To my surprise, I received two boxes in the mail last Thursday. She sent this fabric to help me meet my 2015 Quilt of Valor goal - it's enough fabric for seven+ quilt backs and a panel of patriotic blocks perfect for a Quilt of Valor. Marilyn, thanks for this generous donation and for your continued support for my Quilt of Valor passion. I'm glad you are my sister and that you always have my back.

Cherry Tree Hill yarn (Pesto) Regular readers of this blog know that I love to knit socks - nothing fancy, just plain Jane socks and that I occasionally offer to knit socks for one or two readers a year. Judy ( Cranberry Morning ) left the comment, shown above, on the Blackjack Socks post , and I offered to knit her a pair of socks. She told me her shoe size and that her favorite color was Kelly Green. As luck would have it, I had a hank of Kelly Green yarn (called Pesto) in my sock yarn stash and began knitting. Judy's socks women's size 9 I also had a pair of short-cuffed socks already knit from some scrap merino, so I included those in Judy's package as an additional surprise. Judy's post about her green socks can be seen here . When I told Judy, I would love to knit her a pair of socks, she generously offered to send me five bars of her remarkable soap in return. Since Judy has such a wonderful variety of soaps, I asked her to chose for me. I...

Doing laundry on the temple steps Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

Simple Stripe 12 x 14 inches Simple Stripe is the miniature quilt featured on the January  Temecula Quilt Company  2015 calendar card. The colored stripes are scraps from larger quilts and the sashing/binding a fat quarter purchased long ago. I pieced some batting scraps together and added some minimal quilting, i.e. "stitching in the ditch" to complete this miniature. The Temecula Quilt Company seems to specialize in mini quilts. Even though I am not a fan of working with such tiny bits of scraps, I hope to complete the monthly mini featured on the calendar cards I purchased in December. Do you like to create miniatures?

American Valor Quilt of Valor 58 x 68 inches The fraternal twin of this quilt can be seen in yesterday's post.  Pattern: Two's Company by Karie Patch A list of all the Quilts of Valor that I've made can be seen here .

Uncommon Valor Quilt of Valor 58 x 68 inches The fraternal twin of this quilt will be shown tomorrow.  Pattern: Two's Company by Karie Patch

12 Days of Christmas 16 x 20 Late November 2011, I was intrigued when the  Temecula Quilt Company  introduced a holiday miniature quilt along (QAL), called the 12 Days of Christmas . Beginning on December 1, 2011, the directions were posted on the Temecula Quilt Company blog for twelve days. Each block contained pieces corresponding to the day's number, i.e. the ninth day's block contained nine pieces. I faithfully finished the miniature blocks  (click on the link to see the original post). Then the blocks were shuffled from pile to pile and box to box in my sewing room for over four years. Temecula hosted the 12 Days of Christmas QAL again in December 2014, which jogged my memory of the completed blocks stashed somewhere in my sewing room. In early January 2015,  Bonnie challenged her blog readers to spend 15 minutes each week to tidy their sewing rooms. I took the challenge and began bringing some semblance of order to the chaos: I sorted patterns...

Lipstick Palm Singapore December 1979

Jerry S. approximately 1941 or 1942 near Pavillion, WY Jerry looks proud of that little red wagon. I wonder how many miles he pulled it while playing on the farm.

Over the long weekend, I managed to get some sewing done on two Quilts of Valor - fraternal twins - one made with red fabric; the other, with blue. The blocks are fairly large, and the tops will be finished in short order, resulting in #52 and 53. Pattern: Two's Company by KariePatch Designs

January 2015 The Post Office held my mail while I was gone at Christmas, and when it was delivered, my box was stuffed with the daily newspaper, advertisements, and a few stray Christmas cards and bills. The carrier crammed as much of the mail as he could in the box and delivered the rest the following day. Sometimes, my life resembles this mailbox - crammed with useless items and tasks: so crowded that it is impossible to discern the important from the trivial. Last week, I had appointments, errands, meetings, and commitments nearly every day. It felt like I didn't have a moment to myself, and I didn't like that feeling. I've grown accustomed to and enjoy having downtime. Frankly, I don't know how I ever had time to work.

Tranquility Quilt of Valor 58 x 69 inches Tranquility is Quilt of Valor #51, and the first QOV top for 2015. Pattern: Simply Susan   (free pattern) by Wood Valley Designs

Takamatsu, Japan April 1980 I can honestly say that the parks in Japan are the most beautiful and serene that I've visited.

Chris Christmas Day 2014 After we finished eating Christmas dinner, Marilyn posed the question about a memorable gift we received in the past. Not many could recall a specific gift, so we started talking about past Christmas gatherings. Somehow, the conversation turned to a particular Christmas celebrated at Bull Mountain Ranch near Laramie, WY, and I mentioned a gift that Chris had received that year - a storage bag for his Darkwing Duck figurines that his mother (Maria) had made and painted for him. Chris' face brightened as he remembered a favored toy from his childhood. Then, Harold said there was a Darkwing Duck bag in the storage garage. Chris asked if they could go get it right then, so coats and shoes were donned, and flashlights gathered, and off they went in search of a treasured childhood toy. They returned with the denim bag with Darkwing Duck characters and a Darkwing Duck airplane, and suddenly everyone at the table was transported back to an earlier Christmas...

Nature's simple beauty Hawaii June 1976

Parker, CO January 2015 I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this sign in Colorado. On the way north to Riverton, I spotted a sign for $1.93 along the Interstate in Cheyenne, WY. Riverton, WY January 2015 However, the prices are still in the $2.40-$2.50 range in Riverton and the surrounding area. The photo above was taken last week, and since then the price has dropped to $2.45 a gallon. Even though Riverton consistently has higher prices than other towns in the state, that is a considerable price range. I doubt the lower prices will be available in Riverton for a long time, and possibly never.

Helen's Tulip Quilt December 2014 Maria, my nephew's wife, made this tulip quilt several years ago, and gave it to her mother. The nursing home frequently washed the quilt, and either the strong chemical wash or the laundering itself was not kind to the quilt. Since Maria lost her mother to Alzheimer's this year, the quilt had a special meaning for her. She asked if Marilyn and I could salvage enough of the quilt to display on a quilt rack. We looked at the quilt and discussed ideas with Maria. We wanted to know what her expectations were. She rolled up the quilt and took it back to the bedroom. The following day, Christmas Eve day, Maria and Dwight went to visit Maria's aunt and uncle, so Marilyn and I tackled the project as a surprise Christmas gift. Damaged portion of the quilt This photo clearly shows the damage and its severity to one area. We determined an action plan and began picking stitches to remove part of the binding so it could be reu...

Mt. Fuji taken from the Bullet Train April 1980 Even though I was in Japan two years, I only saw Mt. Fuji this one time, through the window of a speeding train.

Emma Dutch Shepherd (approx. 11 weeks old - November 2014) Emma became a part of my nephew's family in November, and she accompanied Dwight and his wife Maria to Denver for Christmas. Now, 4 months old she is larger but is still a rambunctious puppy, full of love and mischief. She was constantly on the move, so I decided to use this older photo of her. Emma's Cowl The knitting bag I took to Denver did not have a zipper closure (I must remedy that in the future), and Emma was fascinated with its contents. If the bag was left unattended, she would grab one of the balls of yarn; therefore, I decided to name this project: Emma's Cowl. Emma's Cowl - the frogged edition The first edition of the cowl was frogged. I could not believe that I twisted the stitches on the first round and fought with it until I saw the problem. Once I corrected the twist, the cowl progressed nicely. The cowl is based on Sixes and Threes Cowl by Very Pink. The pattern is free wit...