Among the flood of touching 9/11 tribute photos and status updates on Facebook this morning, I came across a link for the 9-11 Day Tribute Movement and the message, "Good deeds unite us on 9/11." How perfect, to commemorate this day by doing good deeds!

So I made my pledge: Today I will (finally) sew some quilt blocks for Quilts of Valor, "to honor and comfort our wounded service members and veterans."

It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time now, and what better day than today? And so, I will sew -- and remember...

(Stay tuned for updates)

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1:20 p.m.

Okay, so I decided to go with the Breezy 4-Patch pattern from Lyn Brown's Layer Cake Quilts download. And here are my first four blocks.

(Beware, this might make your eyes water a little bit.)

Gag! Large prints apparently NOT the way to go! Lesson learned. Going back for round two -- with something a little more subdued in mind...

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5:30 p.m.

Four hours and several interruptions later:

I was hoping to "lose" those gag me blocks in the mix, but nope, not yet anyway. Need more subtle prints. Back to the sewing room...

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10:30 p.m.

I'm ready to call it a day. Ended up finishing sixteen blocks in all, and I'm seeing now how they look better and better the more different fabrics you add to the mix. At this point, the "gag me" blocks are starting to blend in a bit. Thank goodness! For a quilt top, you need 48 of these (they finish at 7.5"), so this isn't even enough for half a quilt -- but it is a start. (And I'm fortunate to know someone who will add to these and turn them into something beautiful for Quilts of Valor. Thanks, Denise!)

So here are the final sixteen...

All in all, I feel pretty good about what I accomplished. I also learned two things about my current sewing situation: 1. I am sorely lacking in red, white and blue fabrics, and 2. I desperately need to clean up and organize my sewing room before I do any more projects. It is becoming a health hazard.

Most of all, I am very thankful for the 9/11 Day Tribute Movement, for making this a day of giving as well as remembering.