My goodness I've had some disrupted weeks just lately. Keryn and I had quilting deadlines that put everything else on hold, then my DIL Liz hurt her shoulder and couldn't pick up Isobel without causing more damage. So what's a Nanna to do but help out for a week or so?

I went in every day and did the heavy stuff and the rocking and cuddling and general smooching and I loved every minute of it. Isobel is the only grandchild I have close to me, and it's wonderful to see her on a regular basis and see her grow up. Travelling in every day was fun but it put me behind on a lot of jobs around here and I've been trying to catch up since.

I looked after Matt's little dog Jessie for a week and while she was no trouble herself, Pippi reacted badly to having to share everything. She was soo needy and anxious all the time it was exhausting.

 Even though Jessie has her own tiny bed she kept stealing Pippi's, just because she could. It was a battle of wills, and most of the time Jessie won- my dog is a bit of a wuss. Pips kept running to me and telling tales "Jessies on My bed!...she's on My cushion!... She's eating out of My bowl!..." Each tattle was accompanied by a clawing at my arms or legs and a frantic "Do Something" look on her face.

 If only she had stood up to Jessie, who is a fifth of her weight, and not just given in all the time. At the end of the week Pippi had developed her own revenge which consisted of rushing at Jess and barging her to one side then looking around as if to say "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there!" It was a long week....

I needed to have something mindless to sew while I was so busy, and squares are certainly that.

Scrap 16 patches...

 leader ender four patches....

red nine patches....

more 16 patches....

However I think I've od'd on them for now, I need some triangles for heavens sake!

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  Just lately I've been trying to use up groups of scraps, like the florals and yellows in Florabunda, and dark greens and yellowy creams in four patches for another 4-4 Time. I had a little bundle of red scraps and some tan bits that I wanted to get rid of, so I cut all the reds into 2" squares and pieced them into nine patches. I sewed thirty of them, a very nice amount  for a little quilt, and then set them with tan squares, on point for something different.

I went a bit overboard on the borders, butI like the overall effect. I forget how much work is involved in doing multiple borders, these took a couple of nights to cut, piece together and then sew to the blocks.. I still haven't sewn the mitre down, but I have chosen a backing fabric already, so that feels like I'm trimming down the stash. It's good to assign homes to material that has been around for years.

Keryn and I, ( known collectively to my first grandson  Logan as "The Nannas") have been going to visit Miss Isobel a few times every week, and she is growing so much it's incredible. I've been trying hard to capture her beautiful smile, but all I seem to get are the 'Preparing to Smile" faces, and the "After the Smile" ones. My camera either goes off when I don't want it to, or takes so long that the moment is past. Oh well, she's adorable no matter what she's doing and somewhere along the way I'll photograph some of those gorgeous expressions.

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