Wyoming Breezes

May 2021 Yesterday, I grabbed the stack of four-patches  finished in April and began sewing them into eight-patches that will eventually become sixteen-patch blocks. It sounds confusing, but it's just simple math: 4 x 4 = 16 For the last two Sundays, I sewed (during FaceTime calls) on the machine I recently picked up from the repair shop. I've sewed with it over four hours and changed the bobbin at two/three times, and it hasn't given me a bit of trouble. I think the thorough cleaning solved the problem with the feed dogs.  When finished, the sixteen patch blocks will probably be used for another Quilt of Valor.  Yesterday, was a dreary day - chilly with rain off and on most of the day: it was a good day to sew and visit with my sister and niece as we FaceTimed. 

I've been driving since I was about 13 or 14 (on the farm), and I got my driver's license when I was in high school. I took driver's training from the physical education teacher - Mr. Frost. He was a tall, intimidating man, but he was patient with the beginning drivers.  Mr. Frost taught his students to hold the steering wheel at 10 and 2, and to this day, I find that the most comfortable position to drive. However, that hand position is no longer considered safe. Drivers are now taught to hold the steering wheel at 9 and 3 or  8 and 4. I've tried changing my hand positions, but it is not comfortable, and it doesn't feel like I've got good control over the vehicle in either of the "new" positions.  I suppose the lower positions will prevent the air bag from breaking arms when it activates. How do you hold the steering wheel when you drive?

Alpine Shire May 2021 "Shire" is a term seldom used in the United States, but whenever I hear it, I think of J.R.R. Tolkien"s Middle-earth in The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings . How I loved reading of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and Frodo. I plan to reread the series this year. The color way of this ball of Perth is called Alpine Shire. If you've read the series, which of Tolkien's character(s) do you like?

A week ago today, my left eye was zapped to remove a cataract. Next month, the right eye will be done. Tuesday's surgery was fast and all went well: I was impressed with my surgeon (Gary Foster) and the staff at the Eye Center of Northern Colorado . My niece and sister came to Laramie from the Denver area to shuttle me back and forth to Fort Collins for the surgery. I appreciated Brenda's help and grateful she offered since it was well out of her way and cut into her schedule.  Nearly twenty years ago I had LASIK surgery, so I had experienced laser eye surgery before and wasn't too apprehensive about the procedure.  replacement lens photo from Google images My eye was dilated and numbed with eye drops. The surgery was painless (I didn't feel a thing): I was lightly sedated but conscious. I arrived at the surgical center at 6 AM and left the building with a new lens and an eye patch at 7:30 AM. By 10:30 AM, the eye patch was removed, and my vision was somewhat clear and...

May 2021 Last week, I was notified that my sewing machine was repaired ready to pick up. Several weeks ago, the feed dogs refused to pull the fabric through, and the stitches bunched up and the thread knotted. Of course, my machine didn't act up when the technician ran it through its paces, but it was thoroughly cleaned and oiled and given a clean bill of health. Making Ritzy Cracker blocks with patriotic fabrics from the 5 inch square scrap bin seemed a good way to test the machine and also eliminate some scraps. The machine is running well, and my fingers are crossed that a good cleaning resolved the issues. 

. . . you remember desk phones and curly cords.  

adding binding to a Quilt of Valor May 2021 Last week, I added the finishing touches to two Quilts of Valor. Teri S. from Iowa recently returned the QOV after she machine quilted them. I am grateful for those who have volunteered their time and talent to machine quilt all the QOV that I've made and donated. Without the volunteer longarmers, the quilts would not have been possible.  front and back views of binding sewn on by machine May 2021 I used to hand-tack the binding on the back of the QOV, but about four years ago, I began sewing the binding by machine. The process is faster and far more secure. 

If you regularly use FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and other social media sites, I recommend taking the time to watch The Social Dilemma which is available on Netflix. It's a docu-drama that is well written, presented, and produced: I highly recommend it. It includes interviews from several individuals who helped develop the various social media platforms. After watching this presentation, I guarantee you will not look at social media the same and may even delete your accounts.  More information can be found about The Social Dilemma  in this article on Wikipedia

Perth socks May 2021 I finished the socks knit with the Perth (Great Barrier Reef) yarn on Friday afternoon. The yarn clearly produced a pair of fraternal twins, but close enough to complement each other.  The socks were started in March and a preliminary review of the yarn was posted here . The final test for this yarn will be how well it reacts to being washed and worn. 

I remember "helping" my Mom hang clothes to dry: I handed her the clothes pins. I'm sure she could have done the work in half the time. In the winter, her hands would turn red from the wet clothes and the cold weather. Jeans, on the clothesline, would freeze in the winter and could stand on their own when brought into the house to thaw. I miss having a clothesline and the smell of sun-dried sheets. 

metal sculpture east Laramie, WY May 2021 The metal sculptures are located on the east side of Boulder Drive. Look closely at the bases of the cattle and the horse/rider: these pieces are designed to turn with the wind, which is a unique feature, making this a changing piece of art. The cattle are spread out, giving the scene a realistic look from a distance. 

Nuts and Bolts 54 x 60 inches community quilt for Prayers & Squares Nuts and Bolts was made with the boxed squares I made a few weeks ago from the 2.5 inch scrap bin. I added a few orphan pinwheel blocks, some HSTs, and some solid blocks.  This top will be donated to the Prayers and Squares community group.

Red and Rover by Brian Basset has become a favorite comic strip of mine.  More of Red and Rover can be found here .

This is a repost from 2014. Spring always brings back memories of the geese Mom raised on the farm.  Nesting Goose approx. 1977 My mother loved her geese, and the numbers grew steadily every year. It was common to see the flock (gaggle) parade around the yard and even across the County road to swim in the irrigation ditch. One year the ditch rider complained about the geese in the ditch, but his complaints fell on deaf ears because the geese kept the algae in the ditch under control. Mom's flock of geese grew to nearly 50 in 1977 Mom's geese got a bit territorial in the spring, and it was wise to give them a wide berth, especially near their nests. The goose and gander took turns sitting on the large eggs, and they both would extend their necks and hiss if someone got too close to the nest. It was common to see the ganders chase the dogs across the yard if they got too close to the flock or to the goslings. I've also seen the geese as well as the ganders chase people who go...

Boxed Squares 54 x 60 inches for Prayers and Squares Boxed Squares was made using the scrap 2.5 inch strips from leftover binding, backing trimmings, and scrap lengths of fabric and shown in a previous post . The darker colors in this quilt will make a nice "guy" quilt. So often donation quilts are made from fabrics that appeal more to the ladies. I still have a stack of blocks remaining, so I plan to make a smaller quilt using them.  • The quilt is really not uneven on the top edge. I didn't smooth it out correctly before snapping the photo.  

a "gazillion" four-patch blocks April 2021 The smaller pieces (2.5 inch squares) from the scrap bin are now combined into four-patch blocks. I don't have an exact count, but the four inch stack contains at least 130+ four-patch blocks. It seemed to take me forever to sew them and even longer to press.  I know that some people would have turned them into a leader and ender project (sewing them between other project units), but leader and enders just don't work for me. I chain-piece the scraps so I don't have to deal with them here and there.  You might want to know how I'm going to use the four-patches. Honestly, I don't know, but the scraps are easier to contain when they are sewn together. 

I can begin to tell you how often this happens . . . When I was young, I would "sew" with Mom's machine - following a design drawn on paper - no thread in the bobbin or in the needle.  It was fun to "air sew" then, not so much fun now! I'll admit sometimes a few choice words slip out of my mouth when I realize (after pulling out multiple pins) that I'd been sewing with an empty bobbin. 

Stars of Courage 61 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor #202 Stars of Courage was completed last week. I pulled the fabric for the quilt mid-March and prepared the kit, but I only worked on it during the weekly FaceTime calls with my sister and niece(s). It's nice to have a project to work on during the calls that doesn’t require concentration. Even at that, I managed to flip a few pieces around, requiring using the seam ripper.  The pattern for this quilt is free and can be found here

knit with Perth yarn April 2021 Will the Perth yarn create a matching pair of socks? That is the mystery on my knitting needles. First impressions of the second sock's cuff give the indication the socks will be somewhat similar. Of course, that could change completely as I knit. I love the gradual change of color in this yarn, but that large orange section is still a shock to my eyes. Maybe it won't be as glaring on the second sock.

Orphan Nine-Patch quilt 51 x 66 inches for Prayers & Squares  A couple of weeks ago, I received a package from Mary R in CO. She sent 21 orphan nine-patches, some scrap fabric, 10 presentation cases for QOV, and some QOV labels.  I used some of my 2.5 inch scraps to make a few more nine-patch blocks. I added sashing and borders and a nice-sized top was created for the local Prayers and Squares group.  Thank you Mary for your donations.