Travel Sewing

Hotel Sewing Again

 I did find a few minutes to do some hand sewing between work and site seeing.  I did the sewing mostly after work each night to unwind before going to sleep. This is what it looked like when I first set up.   




What I accomplished

And here is what I accomplished.  The Yo-Yo's are all tacked down and the centers are appliqued down and some of the small ones are also appliqued down.  



Yo-Yo total



Here are all the Yo-Yos I have finished (10) or almost finished (5) as of this morning, and (10) with just centers.  I spent time Saturday and last evening 

making more Yo-Yo's the supply sure seem to dwindle fast.

I Have Been Traveling

Yes it was travel for work time.  This time I was in Wheatland, Wyoming and this time I had company.  My Mr. B. went with me.  He had some vacation time to use up so he kept me company.  I was working 2 PM to 10:30 PM but he had a pleasant time off even if he did wish he had stayed home and worked on his Man Cave.  I enjoyed having his company.  He would have missed me if he didn't come.

Richard in a Wagon Wheel Rut


We did find time to see some of the local sites.  One morning we went over to Guernsey Wyoming to see the Oregon Trail Landmarks.  First we went to the Oregon Trail Ruts.
It is amazing to me that so many wheels driving over this sand stone could make such deep ruts.  One place we read they are as deep as five feet in some places.  Mr. B. did take his key out of his pocket and sure enough it took no energy at all to scape a line in the sand stone.  We did not crave our names into the stone. 


The Trail West


It was interesting to learn more about the pioneers and their trip West.  I am grateful they had the courage to do such a thing.  I am also grateful that when I moved West I had a nice air conditioned car to do it in.   



Register Cliff

 Our second stop on this morning was the Register Cliff.  Here many pioneers carved their names into the sand stone.  One industrious trader blasted a root cellar storage area into the mountain, see the hold in the wall behind the sign. 



Close up without fence





Close up with fence



There were a lot of names craved and the wall was protected by a fence to prevent modern day would be carvers.



Mr. & Mrs. B at Fort Laramie

 Our second day of site seeing took us to Fort Laramie.  This was very interesting and I would have liked to spend some more time there, but I had to be to work by 2 PM.  One of my co-workers went with us so here is a picture of both of us together.


Covered Wagon & Handcart



When the fort was in its heyday it had 187 buildings and a 1000 people living there.  Now there are 23 buildings in different stages of repair. 

We stopped so I could get out of the car and take a picture of this plaque.  Here I meet a Welshman who was following one of his ancestor's.  His ancestor had joined the Mormons and he was following the trail all the way from Omaha, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah.  We were having a hard time getting the picture.  He ended up standing on the fence rail in front of the monument and he offered to take one for me.  I noticed his accent and asked where he was from, he said Wales.  I mentioned I have a second cousin in Wales but of course I don't know the area he where lives.  My other second cousin told me but I forgot.  This was all the conversation we had.  But the exchange left an impression on me.  I wished we had exchanged names or something.  I have thought of him often and wonder how his trip is going.  What did he hope to accomplish and  has he accomplished his goal?  I wish him well on his journey!

We had lovely weather while in Wyoming nice cool evenings and pleasant days.  We came home to 111 degrees and when you have been away and come back it sure hits you hard.

A Little Quilting Update

Yes it is finished!

Last Saturday I did go to Zoe’s trunk to find the binding fabric that I was short on.  I didn't want to use the brown and since I could find what I wanted it all worked.  It was the last fat quarter in the store.  It is a small finish but it is a finish and it feels good.  I have it hanging on the wall by my computer. 

Still making progress on Fresh Picked Flowers for my cousin.  Pressing all those seams is a pain.  I am still thinking about how I want to do the borders.  I might do something different then the suggestion in the pattern, but I haven't played in EQ7 to work out the dimensions.  

Speaking of EQ7 I started working on my handouts for a Beyond the Basics class for the fall.  I am starting early because I have a lot to decide on what to teach.    See here is my first slide, I am reusing some of the slides from when I had a Beyond the Basics of EQ5.  To see more you have to come take the class.

I also spent some time making more Yo-Yos.  I had a bunch made and I want to make a lot more.  I am going to need a lot, I am not counting how many I will need, that would be too discouraging.

What I had made before June

Here are what I made during the last two weeks. Well 15 more is better then none.

I am trying to find different colors to add to my collection so I raided my reds and yellows and cut a bunch of squares, all ready to make more Yo-Yos.

Happy Stitching Everyone and thanks for stopping by!

 

Man Cave Update

Yes it has been a long time! 

Mr. B. has been taking a break on his Man Cave.  Yesterday he had the urge to work on it plus he had helping hands and a new toy.  He purchased a new saw to cut wider widths.  Now he can cut the cement siding in one cut. 



I can see my reflection in the glass!



Mr. B. was so very proud of that circle cut out around the light fixture.  It was a perfect fit and lined up perfectly.  He did a great job of measuring twice and cutting once.  He wasn't too happy about the right side over the door but I suggested a notch out and he was very happy with my suggestion.  Of course I didn't know the name of it and when I described it he knew what I meant and the name.  He is so sweet and told me that is the perfect solution.  Sometimes it takes two.

Beautiful Blog Award

My Genealogy & quilting blog friend Cheryl over at  Heritage Happens gave my blog the Beautiful Blog Award.  Thanks Cheryl this was very thoughtful of you.  May your blog, quilting and genealogy have continued success. 

Now I have the honor of sharing this award with five other blogs.  These are five blogs I follow and enjoy.  Hopefully you will also. 

A Little Bit Lorene

Bountiful Heirlooms

The Shy Genealogist

Colleen's Quilting Journal

Hartman's in Gilbert

Each one of the gals are very talented enjoy visiting their blogs!

Side Tracked Quilter

Sometimes I am a little AADD, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.  That translates to sometimes I jump from project to project.  The last project I had started was for my cousin in England, and I did work on it but it was the thing I worked on this week. 



Jelly Stars

 I started a small project/kit that I had purchased at the quilt show in March.  I don't know why I got the bug to finish it but I did get the bug and all I have left to do is the binding.  The other small quilt that was in this same kits was the small flag quilt I made earlier this year.  You can see it on the small flag link.

The patterns are from The Bread & Butter Society.  The sponsoring quilt shop is Zoe's Trunk.

I did change the pattern a little and I made one fabric substitution.  I didn't like the brown they had for the patch block so I changed it to something I had and I liked better.  I wanted my small border to be a little wider, 1 inch instead of a 1/2".  The fabrics that was the small border was also to be the binding, so I don't have enough for the binding.  The brown I used for the patch blocks I will use for the binding.  I like how it turned out.  I just wanted a little something to quilt on my new machine.  I quilted in the ditch and straight stitching in the brown patches.  I did a design from my machine in the large outer border. 

Kierra's Double Irish Chain

The other project I started was for my daughter Kierra.  I wanted to put a couple of the blocks together to make sure she liked the fabrics she had picked out before I purchased the rest of the fabric.  Kierra knows what she likes and it is very different than from what I like, so I wanted to make sure she liked it.  She does like it!  This is very similar to the quilt I made her when she was 15.  Then it was a solid black & solid red double Irish Chain.  She has made progress and I have some texture and a third color.  I even found a picture of it stretched on a frame to baste.



1997 Quilt



The first two or three years that I quilted I scrapbooked a quilt journal.  I don't have time for that anymore.  I use my blog as a journal of my quilts.  I was able to order the fabric on line since three of my favorite shops here in the valley did not have the two I need.  The black came today but the red is on back order and should ship about the 15th of the month. 



Fresh Picked Flowers

 And finally I did work on my special project.  I have the rows together and next I will do the other seams.

I did a lot of sewing last week.  It was fun, hopefully I will do more this week.