Wyoming Breezes

E pluribus unum 57 x 66 inches Quilt of Valor "E pluribus unum" is the official motto of the United States and means "out of many one," so it seemed appropriate name for this Quilt of Valor. I've been making the strip sets for several months and determined it was time to put them to use. The first sets I made were sewn on adding machine paper , but I abandoned that idea, as it didn't seem to make any difference in fabric stability. Many of the fabrics in this quilt were used in previous Quilts of Valor; thus, the name of this quilt is significant for two reasons: out of many quilts one was created, and out of many pieces one was created. E pluribus unum is Quilt of Valor #73 - complete list of Quilts of Valor that I've made can be seen here .

It’s official, the Take & Replace Swap box is on the move, and it is going to be traveling from shore to shore. How fun is that! Participants (click on their names to check out their blogs) in mailing order include: Kathyb (Illinois) posted photos of her take from the box here Grace (New Jersey) Judy (Wisconsin) Sylvia – no blog (South Dakota) Kay – no blog (Wyoming) Paula (Colorado) Ellen (California) Me (Wyoming) I’ll email the mailing addresses to the participants when the person before them receives the box. An email will also be sent with the tracking number once the box has been mailed. Hopefully, each person will post a photo of the items they took on their blog. Want to join? I can add your name to the list, if let me know by 5 PM today.  That USPS truck you see zipping down the road just might be carrying the Take & Replace Swap box to its next location. 

catnapping at a temple Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

Fourteen presentation cases August 2015 When I returned home from my trip and began to put fabric away that I purchased, I pulled some older fabric from my stash to make Quilt of Valor presentation cases. The cases don't need to match the quilts and are used basically for storage to keep the quilts clean and dust-free until they are presented.

close-up of lower edge of knitted capelet August 2015 I purchased two skeins of this yarn at the Fremont County Fiber Arts Guild Fiber Fest in 2014 because I loved the color variation in the skein. The DK weight yarn knit beautifully into a child-size capelet, and I love how the yarn striped. Knitted Child's Capelet August 2015 Pattern: Library Capelet (free pattern on Lion Brand website) or Ravelry link Yarn:  James C. Brett - Woodlander  (80% acrylic, 20% wool - shade L7) Needles: size 9 No te: the pattern is written for Homespun yarn, which is considered a bulky weight. If knit with the specified weight of yarn and needle size called for in the pattern, this should an adult-sized capelet. This capelet is going in the donation box along with a matching hat made from the yarn remnants.

Grain Elevator Oshkosh, NE July 2015 Many of these gentle giants (grain elevators) are disappearing from the rural American landscape. While on a morning walk, I was delighted to find this one next to the railroad tracks in Oshkosh. Previous posts about other grain elevators can be found here . * * * P.S. Did you see the post on Wednesday about the  Take and Replace Swap  that I'm organizing?         The box is filled (it's stuffed with yarn and patterns) and ready to send         You can still join         Click on the link and leave a comment if you're interested. •  As of Friday, six individuals from New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming have joined the Swap. Want to join the fun? Click  here .

found on Pinterest Anyone who is retired can appreciate the humor behind this quote. One of the hardest things for others to accept is that even though you are retired, it does not mean that you have to say "Yes" to their requests simply because "you are no longer working." One of the benefits of retirement is setting your own schedule and selecting the activities and obligations that you really want to do. On this Labor Day, I am doing "nothing," and I'm loving it! * * * P.S. Did you see the post on Wednesday about the Take and Replace Swap that I'm organizing?         The box is filled (it's stuffed with yarn and patterns) and ready to send         You have until September 14th to join         Click on the link and leave a comment if you're interested. •  As of Friday, six individuals from New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming have joined the Swap. Want to join the fun? Clic...

Bugis Street "Queen" December 1979 One of the stops on our nighttime tour of Singapore was Bugis Street. Wikipedia states this about Bugis Street : After World War II, hawkers gathered there to sell food and goods. There was initially also a small number of outdoor bars set up beside rat-infested drains. When transvestites began to rendezvous in the area in the 1950s, they attracted increasing numbers of Western tourists who came for the booze, the food, the pasar malam shopping and the "girls." Business boomed and Bugis Street became an extremely lively and bustling area, forming the heart of Xiao Po. It was one of Singapore's most famous tourist meccas from the 1950s to the 1980s, renowned internationally for its nightly parade of flamboyantly-dressed transwomen and attracted hordes of Caucasian gawkers who had never before witnessed Asian queens in full regalia. The latter would tease, cajole and sit on visitors' laps or pose for photographs for a...

Judy and Mr. Riverton, WY August 2015 The morning before I left for the road trip with my sister and niece, I got an email from Judy at Daily Yarns 'n More, and she threw me off balance when she asked how far I lived from Casper, WY.  I explained that I lived in Riverton, which is about a two-hour drive from Casper. I was delighted to hear that Judy and her Mr. (that's the name she gives him on her blog, so I won't reveal his name here) were driving right through my town, and I gave directions to the Roasted Bean where I would meet them for lunch. We had a wonderful visit over lunch: Judy and I have been reading each other's blogs for a couple of years, maybe more, and we knew quite a bit about each other's interests. Her poor Mr. was at a definite disadvantage, but when I asked him some questions about his barn and the sugaring process , he jumped right in, and the conversations between the three of us flowed smoothly. Judy and Mr. were on their way ...

I'm organizing a Take and Replace (knitting/crochet related) swap. Here's how it will work:  •  It is a Take and Replace Swap. I will start the USPS Medium Flat Rate box containing at least a dozen times on its journey. •  When the box arrives at the next swapper's house, she may take as many of the items as she wants as long as she replaces one item for another. If the item is yarn, she doesn't have to replace it with yarn, but it would be nice if the majority of the items are knit related (patterns, notions, etc.) Please replace with something equivalent to what you take. • Put the items in a USPS Medium Flat Rate box and send to the next person. Be aware that the Medium Flat Rate Box is $12.65 to mail no matter what it weighs . Boxes are free at any post office, ask the clerk if they are not in a floor display. Just make sure you get a Medium Flat Rate box •  You can post a photo on your blog of the items you took, but do not show what you put in the ...

country school students Art S. (center back), Charlie S. (back right) Provo, SD date unknown The small country school at the Prairie Museum in Colby, Kansas sparked my interest in finding and posting the three photos that I have of my dad. I don't have a clue where I got these photos because my family didn't have many photos of my dad's side of the family. These probably are photos of photos that were on display at the last family reunion. Art S. at right holding his school lunch pail. near Provo, SD date unknown Dad and his siblings rode horses to school (probably about 4 miles one way) when the weather was nice and in buggies and wagons when the weather was nasty. Art S. - far right going to school on a winter day date unknown I don't know if my dad graduated, but I would guess he was needed on the farm and did not go past the eighth grade. Brenda and Marilyn Prairie Museum - Colby, Kansas August 2015 The one-room school house at the Prairie M...

Garden of Eden Lucas, Kansas August 2015 Driving northeast of the church last Wednesday's post , we arrived in Lucas, Kansas home of one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen: the  Garden of Eden . Garden of Eden Lucas, Kansas August 2015 S.P. Dinsmoor built a "log cabin" out of native limestone with the intent of creating a tourist attraction. The main floor was designed to entertain visitors, and he used 3,000 feet of oak, redwood, and walnut to create elaborate moldings and baseboards. No two windows or doors in the "cabin" are the same size or style. He and his wife lived in a walk-out basement, which was probably a good thing because the stairs to the upper floor and basement were narrow and extremely steep. S.P. Dinsmoor carved his name above the door of his limestone log cabin in Lucas, KS Dinsmoor, the artist and social commentator, spent the years between 1907 and 1928 creating the Cabin Home and the Garden of Eden. He locat...

Treasure Chest  63 x 73.5 inches Quilt of Valor With the exception of the white sashing, Treasure Chest  was made entirely from scraps. This is Quilt of Valor #72, which makes #22 for 2015. Lori gave me the inspiration to make the Granny Square or Album blocks.  Thanks, Lori. I have plans to make at least one more Granny Square quilt from my 2.5 inch scraps. A complete list of the Quilts of Valor that I've made can be found  here .

near Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

This post is for the non-quilting readers who asked how I was going to sew the zig zag edges of the Granny Square blocks that I've started making with scraps in June. Earlier posts can be seen here . Granny Square blocks I put the blocks together like a jigsaw puzzle to photograph them, but I doubt ANY quilter would ever attempt to sew the blocks together without squaring them, which is what I did once I had enough blocks for a complete quilt. First, I measured 1/4 inch from the tips of the colored squares. The 1/4 inch is needed for seam allowance. Once the seam allowance was determined, I cut off the edge, rotated the block and measured the other sides - making sure the entire block was square. These blocks were trimmed to 9 inches and with the seam will finish at 8.5 inches. Trimmed block Now, that the blocks are square and are all the same size, putting them together into a quilt top will be easy. trimmed Granny Square blocks ready for sashing ...

The Basilica of St. Fidelis "The Cathedral of the Plains" Victoria, Kansas August 2015 One of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting this gorgeous church. It towers above the small town (population 1,214 in the 2010 census) and has an amazing history. It is 220 feet long, 110 feet wide at the transepts, and 75 feet wide at the nave. The ceiling is 44 feet above the ground and the towers rise 141 feet. The seating capacity of 1,100 made it, at the time of its dedication, the largest church west of the Mississippi. Construction of the Cathedral began in 1908 and was completed in 1911. The exterior is constructed of native limestone, quarried seven miles south of Victoria. Besides collectively contributing $132,000 for the building, each parishioner was required to haul 6 wagonloads of stone, so large families easily hauled 70 to 80 loads of stone to meet their obligation. Each stone weighed 50 to 100 pounds and engineers estimate that the people hauled and dres...