OOPS !

Golly, gee, it sure is a good thing that I go up the steps to take my photos from the "bridge" that's over our foyer. I get a better bird's eye view of the pieces all put together. This time I realized that I had put my (4 block) strips together differently than I had planned.

The way it is here, the darker background strips are together.

I had intended them to be separated by the lighter strip like this.

Well, I guess photography helps find mistakes too. I didn't realize until just now that one of the blocks (left center block in this lower photo) has extra little dark blocks. Since this was an "exchange" block, though, I think I will leave it as is. Not quite so noticeable since it's on an edge and not in the middle of the quilt.

My plan for finishing this quilt is to put a 6 inch border around it to make it about 72 x 90.

And I have completed the next birthday sweater -- this one for my soon-to-be 11 year old granddaughter in New York.

I think I'm going to be taking a break from knitting for a while and work on some embroidery on a quilt that I started over a year ago! 'Bout time, don't ya' think?

"CHILDREN ARE A GIFT FROM GOD !"

Many of you are readers of my daughter, Anna Maria's blog so you might recognize that quote from her last entry: the words of their cabbie in New York after they left their oldest at Pratt University.

My words are not nearly as eloquent as my daughter's, but I would have to say AMEN to the cabbie's statement.

My husband and I could wish for no better gifts from God than our three children, their spouses, and our 12 grandchildren.

Since we live only about 3 hours away from daughter Anna Maria (unlike the 5 hours from daughter Eleni or 13 hours--or a plane ride to son George's) I was able to drive to Nashville to stay with the other children while they made the momentous trip to Brooklyn. The night before they left, there was a really fun birthday party for granddaughter Isabela's 9th birthday. I just had to get one last photo of the college girl with her parents before they took off the next morning.

And the rest of the crew, too.

And one of the birthday girl on a quilt "trampoline" being thrown in to the air.

That was the fun time BEFORE the younger ones all headed in to big sister's room to say goodbye before they went to bed, knowing that Mom, Dad, and sister would be off for their flight in the wee hours of the morning. A bit tearful, I might add.

As usual, in a large family, there's always laundry that "Nani" can help catch up with.

But look at the great little helper I had!

No, I didn't have time for much knitting or quilting while I was there (just checking out the many blocks still arriving in Anna Maria's mailbox for the Rainbow project), but I'm back at it now and will get you caught up on my crafty activities next time.

THE END OF THE RAINBOW . . .

. . . well, maybe.

I thought I'd stop making the Rainbow Around the Block items now as I'm headed to Anna Maria's tomorrow for a few days of babysitting while she and son-in-law take their Juliana off to college. (How can THAT be?)

But just as I thought I wouldn't do any more, I found some more fabric that I wouldn't be using for anything in the near future, so I cut out some squares to take with me to work on while I'm there.

The latest to add to her collection:

Well, drats, the one the left turned out too small, so I guess it will stay here.

The one on the right was supposed to be a "pin wheel" center, and I didn't realize until the day after it was all assembled that I goofed. Didn't take it apart, though. It'll just have to stay.

For the blue, green stack:

The two on the left here have baby prints on them, the one on the right nice soft colors (also maybe for a baby?)

And maybe for purple/pink -- or wherever they blend well with all the other donated blocks.

Off to get a bit more knitting done this evening. I'd like to have the sweater ready to assemble when I get home. Hmmmmm, maybe I should take that with me too.

MORE RAINBOW BLOCKS

Still at it: making blocks for daughter Anna Maria's Rainbow Around the Block project.

I didn't mention that when I was at her house last week, I did some block (and she has received a LOT of them)

sorting by color. As I remember, there was an "orange/yellow" grouping, so these will easily go in that category. The two on the left are "Disappearing 9 Patch" pattern which is so easy, and a wonderful way to use 5" squares and not LOOK like a simple 9 patch. The others are simply using up odd sizes and shapes of fabric bits that I just cannot force myself to throw away.

On these greens, the right and left one are an attempt to use us some more small pieces of fabric. The middle on, of course, a simple 9 patch. The squares were too small to give me the leeway to cut and resew for a disappearing 9 patch, so it's just a plain old 9 patch.

I've finished a couple more now and also have a couple 9 patches ready to "disappear" tomorrow !

Oh, yeah, I'm still knitting. Should be able to show you the latest sweater pretty soon.

ALL KINDS OF ART

Ah, what a wonderful few days I had this week with my daughters and their families. My daughter, Eleni (from South Carolina) , and her two children picked me up on Monday and we traveled to Nashville to spend a few days with my daughter Anna Maria and her family.

Of course, no visit can be complete without shopping with daughters and granddaughters, of which we managed to do quite a bit!

At the end of one shopping day, we took a trip to the Frist Museum. Our reason for going was to see "The Golden Age of Couture" exhibit, featuring couture clothing from 1947-1957. It was quite remarkable. I have to admit that I even remember a lot of the styles. Oops, I guess I'm giving away my age!

While there, we also saw the Chihuly glass exhibit which was breathtaking.

Oh, and I guess I must mention that on our way in to the museum we dropped off some artwork of granddaughter Juliana's that will be on exhibit there as part of a Nashville wide student competition exhibit.

I tell ya' that girl is so talented!

And get a load of this -- SO FUN: She gave her cousin a hair cut, right in front of the painting that her mom did several years ago of her aunt (mother of the cousin getting the hair cut) braiding her hair.

Ah, from one generation to the next.

But, really, would we have it any other way?

SALES & STASH

Hmmm, nothing like a good quilt shop sale to help build the stash. For quilters in the Knoxville area, the last shopping day of each month brings with it a wonderful sale. My favorite "quilting haunt" has an end of month/end of bolt sale. If there is a bolt of fabric with less than 5 yards, you can get whatever is remaining on the bolt at a 40% discount. A couple years ago I found some fantastic "nightie" fabric for the grandchildren. There was, however, a lot more on each bolt than I needed. Not to worry: I knew that stash would come in handy for something. And it sure did this year:

One of my on line friends who is involved with Quilts of Valor told me about another project that her local quilting guild is collecting blankets for. The bottom line is that US service personnel are delivering blankets to the children of the war zones. Many of these children have nothing of their very own. All it took for me was a little time and stash fabric to come up with several blankies for these children. So these and a couple others will be in the mail to my friend tomorrow for her to take to her next guild meeting.

Fun thing for me, and most likely my granddaughters too, is that children so far away are going to be sleeping under the same fabric that their 2008 nighties were made from.

And, oh, yes, and not to leave the boys out: the brown stripe fabric is left over from one of my grandson's PJs. I'll admit, it's not all stash fabric. The fun print with the children I got at the Knoxville quilt show a couple weeks ago.

Oh, and as for the sale: Yep, I was there again yesterday and have fabric for this year's PJs! I think that I won't have quite as much fabric leftover this year, but I'm sure there will be at least some that will find its way in to a quilt somewhere down the road! I'll be sure and let you know.