Waterwheel Quilt Block

     This little 6" Waterwheel block was easy to make since it's nothing but squares and half square triangles.  I got the pattern from The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird. 
     A fun fact : "On May 20, 1916, the first cover illustration by Norman Rockwell appears on the Saturday Evening Post, which will soon feature ten Rockwell covers a year.  Rockwell's idealized scenes of small-town American life strike a chord with Post subscribers, many of whom have recently moved to large cities from the country." from Scholastic Timelines: The United States in the 20th Century by David Rubel. 
     In these diary entries, Howell Lusk is her date for commencement.  (In the next generation, a Lusk does marry a Woodbury - but that doesn't happen in Hattie's generation.)  Ted is Hattie's 14-year-old brother.
 
Friday, May 19, 1916 -
"Howell just now brought me home from the commencement exercises, and although I didn't have as much downright excitement as we did last year, still it was very interesting, and I enjoyed it.  The ushers were not so clever about separating dates as we were a year ago.

"Today was the last day of school, and each room celebrated by having a picnic.  Of course, they chose the river for their 'stomping ground,' and we were 'bothered' all day with requests for can openers, tablecloths, buckets, water, etc.  Mr. Miller asked me to come down and have lunch with them, but Mother was about played out, and I didn't like to leave her to get the dinner alone.  Ted came up, soaked from head to foot, and said he had been in swimming.  I told him he was very modest, going in with his shoes and his watch in his pocket.  Papa took the car up to the garage this P.M., and I greatly improved its appearance by giving it a sponge bath before he started."

Saturday, May 20, 1916 -
"It seems very fond of raining on Saturday nights - is fairly pouring now.  'Course, just when we had planned on getting out in the car tomorrow!

"Although it isn't nine o'clock, I am dead tired and am going right to bed.  I worked very industriously today, and the rain makes me want to sleep."

You might also enjoy reading my previous post:
http://starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2011/12/envelope-motif-quilt-block.html