Quilting for the Grands

There was a time when I decided that I would make a quilt for each of my dozen or so grandchildren. Doesn't that sound like a good idea? Well, since my two sons and daughters-in-law are refusing to cooperate with this plan (the dozen or so grandchildren part) I will probably end up making a dozen or so quilts for each of my (so far) three grandchildren. Whatever works, right?? Gavin is our first grandson, born in 2000, and he has collected five quilts so far.

Here he is when he was just about 6 or 7 weeks old snuggled up with the simple friendship stars quilt I made in preparation for his birth. What a cutie!
The second quilt I made for him was for his 2nd birthday in 2002. It's called "Plaid Quilt" from Debbie Caffrey's book"Quilting Seasons." It didn't just keep him warm it was also a toy!

The next two were tied comforters made from cheater cloths -- oops, I mean printed panels -- Bob the Builder in 2003 ................

................ and Spider-Man in 2004.

In 2006 it was time for a twin-sized quilt. His daddy (the engineer and quantum physics guy ) asked me to make a "Math Quilt." Looking back I think he was teasing, but since there are so many great fabrics out there I went for it and ended up making a reversible Math AND Science Quilt! The focus fabric on the front has very cool fabric that reminded me of illustrations in science books when I was in junior high. The red fabric in the four-patches has elementary math problems on it. On the back is a really fun fabric with Scientist Cats in their Laboratory.

The pics above don't show off the quilts as well as they show off Gavin, but a Gramma does have her priorities! You can see better photos of the quilts in my Flickr album if you'd like -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandypanagos/sets/

Vacation!!

Ahhh, summer vacation. This is the second year I have taken our grandson, Gavin, to Seattle to visit his Aunt Leah and Uncle Aaron. (He adores his Aunt!) I drove to his home in AL to pick him up and we headed out on our adventure.

Two flights and 13 hours later we were in the gorgeous Northwest. Gavin is a great traveler but Gramma is not! I was totally exhausted by the time we got there so the first day Aaron, Leah and Gavin wore themselves out at Wild Waves Theme Park. I slept off and on all day long - just the kind of first day of vacation I needed!

Since Gavin had "always wanted" a latte we indulged (just a half-shot of decaf espresso and using whole milk) and he's hooked. Every morning Aunt Leah took him for coffee. One of those mornings they ended up at the beach to enjoy their drinks and the beautiful atmosphere. We experienced the most perfect weather during our entire stay. It was great.

A few days later my hubby, Phil joined us for a long holiday weekend. We managed to fit a lot of very cool things into a short time actually -- Mike's Chili Parlor in Ballard, Cupcake Royale, Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, and Mt. Rainier. WOW!!

Our son, Aaron and his lovely bride (of 6 years) Leah enjoyed the outting with us, including a snowball fight in July which just made Gavin's day.

Gavin with Gramma (that would be me) and Grampa on Mt. Rainier.

We had dinner one evening at Blue C Sushi in Seattle, a really fun concept in restaurants. Individual dishes of different kinds of sushi make their way around the inside of the room on a conveyer belt, and diners who are seated in booths all around the perimiter, select items as they are passing by. Each plate is color coded to match the posted prices and they are small enough portions to be able to try a real variety of foods. Gavin was brave enough to try something, but ended up with the Japanese equivalent of chicken strips. That's okay -- he braved it for Aunt Leah! Oh yah -- he tried the cream puffs, too!!

Even though I had planned a quilty day with an on-line friend it didn't work out due to a post travelling day migraine, but I'll fit it in for sure the next time I'm up that way. (Which, I hope, is real soon!)

The Rest of the Retreat Story......

Inside of me is a frustrated photographer struggling to get out. Well, she actually does get out every once in a while. Here's a sample from when that happens. At Retreat I noticed my beautiful sewing basket (thanks, again, Aaron and Leah!) and all my sewing supplies and what a colorful arrangement they made, so I couldn't help but snap a photo. Cute, huh??

Of course, you can't just quilt at a quilting retreat, you have to find another hobby to which you can become addicted. Faye has been showing off some of her beautiful knitting on her blog at http://mimispassions.blogspot.com/ so I finally caved and asked her for a refresher course. I had tried knitting a long time ago and never really stuck with it, but she is a great teacher (and Eve helped, too!) so I may just do something with it one of these days. Look what I've done so far! I know, impressive isn't it?!?

I wanted to show you something very cool that my friend Gail showed us at Retreat. She had taken her daughter's bridal gown (at her request, of course) and made a christening gown for her new grandbaby. Isn't it gorgeous? They have the rest of the dress along with the train set aside for a first communion dress. What a sweet tradition!

This is my good friend, Jan. She is a batiks lover like nobody else I know! She just got some new bedroom furniture and everyone knows that means she must have a new quilt. She wasn't sure she would like it until she got quite a few blocks made. It's really pretty, though, and will be just the perfect thing for the new bedroom.

My friend, Rebecca was asked to make a sample quilt for the new book by Jan Krentz, Quick Star Quilts and Beyond. She brought it along for Show and Tell and I was really impressed. She is an excellent quilter and this little quilt is really something. I may need to get the book just so I can have Rebecca autograph it for me!

Well, that about does it for Retreat. About time, I would say! I just spent 10 days travelling with my grandson to see my son and daughter-in-law in Seattle, so next time I'll write a little bit about my family. I like them waaay more than quilting!