Summer fun

The Mr. and I have always taken some "Marvelous Adventures" here in Wyoming.  While I quilted on Monday with my pals, he and a friend loaded up the gold panning equipment into the ol' Land Cruiser and headed south for riches unknown.  His ultimate goal I believe (as we are still waiting for the riches) was to locate this old site he had read about and knew the approximate location.  He is a mad man when it comes to maps, and technology now allows him to "google" these locations with a touch of the finger on the keyboard.

There are a few remnants remaining at this site, including the old truck with the tree growing from the midsection as well as an old stove.  There are many of these old sites and some very interesting history attached to them.  Much has been written in various articles and there is still a lot of Marvelous Adventures to take. By the way, I did not see any gold nuggets, although I know he did reach the stream with shovel and pan.

So while I was at the library quilting, a wonderfully talented lady came in with this item and strolled toward me.  I immediately got up and was drawn to this primitive "make do".  A make do is something made to serve a purpose and is created with what you have.  You "make do" with whatever is at hand.
I have always loved primitives and perhaps that is because I grew up in an era where we always had to make do.  It was a way of life for us and a lot of others.  This gal had been at my home only once and realized it was something I would like.  I did not know when she approached our group that she had actually meant it for me.

If you look closely, the bottom pedestal is a glass candlestick, painted to look like rusty metal. The petals are felt and the pincushion is rug hooked.  (I remember my grandmother hooking a rug). Of course, the black crow is always used in primitive decorating.  So I love this "make do".  Thank you Kathy.

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." ~ Sir James Barrie

More quilt projects from our Retreat

 This shows a few of the girls' projects at various stages near the end, attaching the binding. These angles were different from a typical 90 degree corner.  The girls from the Rock Springs shop taught this table topper which was a "quilt as you go" project.  I learned a lot from this instructional and the bottom picture shows the finished project, with the binding attached on top rather than the bottom.  She used a decorative buttonhole stitch from her machine, eleminating any hand sewing!

We are experiencing a good deal of smoke from the fires out west and although the wind is blowing it out, it is blowing it in.  We need some

rain badly.  The prairie grasses are so tall and the fire danger even here is high.  We try to keep the
brush down around our structures, but if we got a prairie fire, it might be devastation for us.

This retreat was such a success and we are thankful for so many organizers and volunteers who made this possible.  Quilting arts are experiencing a popularity now that I have not seen in my lifetime.  Modern quilters are contributing much to prolong this manner of expression and are delving into the history of quilting.  Victorian women used it as a place to display and practice their needlework with the beautiful Crazy quilts using silks and velvets and our pioneer ancestors quilted on the rough trails to provide warmth for their loved ones using whatever pieces of fabric could be salvaged.  Black American women in the south used a different way of putting fabrics together and that documentation is available in museums and examples still in some homes.  All tell a story of sorts and we today have such a myriad of fabrics and tools to work into the art of quilting along side of the many, many experts who still quilt by hand.  Admiring this skill and hoping that this type of quilting does not go out of style, I have not yet and may not ever be a hand quilter.

Quilt retreat

With at least 21 quilters attending our 2 day retreat in the small town of Encampment Wy, I think I can speak for everyone in saying that it was a success. Held at the historic Opera House, the sewing machines kept buzzing until the power went off on Saturday for about 3 hours.
(It actually occurred to us that we may have put a strain on the power grid with our activity.)  Not so!  But with 2 paper piecing classes, two jelly roll classes on Friday and a "quilt as you go" class for all on Saturday we learned so very much.  Thanks to some dedicated people who supplied food for both days, including a local gentleman who

made a delicious fried chicken dish for our evening meal on Friday, we ate well and of course, there was wine and chocolate.

These pictures are examples of what these gals did with my paper pieced pattern, choosing to orient the 4 squares in different ways.  This was the first class in quilting that I have had the privilege to teach and I was pleased to see that most actually got their blocks finished.

There was much ribbing, giggling, teasing and my goal was to make this class relatively stress-free and to see that it was fun.  The Jelly Roll

class was held simultaneously with mine so I was unable to take it, but the girls were able to get far enough along to be able to finish on their own and they chose their own fabrics in advance so it will be fun to see the finished tops.

Rock Springs is the location of the quilt shop where our vendors call home and this is the second year that they have both held a class for us as well as bringing their store to us.  Like Christmas for quilters, bolts of fabric, precuts, tools etc were available for purchase and we did buy!!

Thanks to all for making this 2nd annual quilt retreat such a fun time and there will be more of the projects on the next post.

No time to die

Even though this may look a little like a voodoo doll or something similar and I did put "die" in my title, I read a quote that pretty much sums up how I feel.  "God put me on this earth to sew and finish things, I am so far behind that I will never die."  I expect to have a good many more birthdays and speaking of which....Happy Birthday to my little brother on the 14th.

I have been dying to make this garden angel!  I love primitive things and had acquired 4 of these architectural pieces and was going to make a birdhouse.  However, I saw a garden angel similar to this a while back and could not get it out of my head.  I also had saved some pieces from an old chair and while scrounging in my boxes of "funky junk"....her head appeared!  Wings from trim scraps finished her except for her halo.  (have to dig some more)

Scraps of wood, metal, and fabric of course, don't always get tossed.  They may have a chance at a second life (and not die) in my world. (there is no time)  So along that line, I am privileged to have been asked to teach a paper-piecing class tomorrow at our 2nd annual quilt retreat in Encampment.  I love paper piecing, but it is not for everyone.  One quilter says it is like ballroom dancing.  You have to move backward, in high heels while watching your feet in a mirror.  In other words, you are sewing in reverse, (something uncomfortable), and stopping to look and see if it is right.  But actually, it gives such precise points and angles, that once mastered, the outcome is reward and it gives scraps of fabric another life.

"Quilting gives me someplace to go when I have to stay where I am."

County fair

 First of all, Coalette is not a fair animal, although many 4-H kids do show cats.  Here she is perched on an 1 1/2" quilt padded rocker back.  Cat owners know that cats find the most unlikely places to hang out.  We find her upstairs in the bar sink, in the closet on a shelf of sweats and numerous other places.

 Our county is mostly ranching country and our fair reflects this.  When we first started going to the fair here, 40 some years ago, it was a place to find lots of needlework, crafts, gardening and foodstuff.
As our society has evolved, it is mostly 4H and ranching displays and believe me, these kids are talented and dedicated. I gathered eggs when I was a child with my sister.  I hated this task as I always got pecked until we teamed up to chase the hens off the nest first.  But I digress.  These are a couple of the chickens at the fair.  Aren't they pretty? (I get my eggs from a gal out here who even delivers them to me).

As we strolled through the barns, we watched the beef cattle being bathed and groomed and all of the hard work these kids do to prepare for this week-long event will pay off for the rest of their lives.  I did not photo the welding projects or the woodworking, but the amazing projects reflect the work ethic they are taught and what 4H does for our youth...the leaders of tomorrow.  There will be many Carbon County projects going to State Fair and more blue ribbons and best of show.

"Not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize." ~ Caxton

Art for the soul

We are still struggling to get these pictures from the iPad to the laptop and in the process the pictures are not always as we would like.  All 5 of us painted a birdhouse and one of the gals was responsible for the pattern.  This is not the first time we have had a painted project, as we always paint.  It is in our blood I guess and is my favorite project always.  This lady from Cheyenne has painted a mural on her wall and also on just about anything that doesn't move.  We all worked at painting a life size antelope several years ago along with quite a few other artists which were then auctioned for a fund raiser.

My two children had a wonderful art instructor and as a result went on to further their education in that area and although they are not always able to use this talent in their careers, my daughter has advanced hers as a result of her creativity and my son's talents are apparent in his home.  I have been just recently hearing about nursing homes and other facilities where the residents, some with various forms of dementia, are given coloring books and crayons.  One of my buddies spends time with the elderly and she tells me that these residents are really enjoying this activity.  Obviously, it is stimulating.  So to you two children.....just buy me lots of crayons, paints and coloring books and paper when you decide to institute me.  I will be fine!

"The mind grows by what it feeds on." ~ Josiah Gilbert Holland