On Gratitude

Hi Everyone!  Two posts in as many days. How about that?

I have recently started reading Yvonne’s blog over at Quilting Jetgirl. She is a really talented quilter and her blog is fun to read. She has begun a link up on Thursdays that she calls Thankful Thursdays. This week she has a great post about the inspirational quilters from Gees Bend that recently spoke at Quilt Con. It was really an interesting read. I think it is a timely reminder to focus on what we are grateful for. My last post was a bit of a downer because I recently finished a quilt and was not so thrilled with the final product. Rather than point out the nice things such as the amazing, hand dyed fabric that I used as the center accent fabrics (which I won from the monthly giveaway sponsored by Angela on soscrappy.com!) or the overall look of the quilt, all I could see was the less than perfect quilting I had done. Way too negative.

So this post is a reminder for me to remain mindful of the positive. This week I am filled with gratitude for the amazing spring blossoms that I have in my garden. We are having a very early spring – it has been unseasonably warm here in CA while the rest of the world is enduring a very harsh winter.

My peach tree is blossoming. Crazy early and I am hoping we will still get peaches. Hard to say with the blossoms coming about in February. Either way, it looks lovely.

image

Daffodils and primroses are in bloom as well.

006

004

Hard to believe how the climate can be so incredibly opposite from one side of the country to the other. The silver lining to a crazy warm winter are these blossoms that are popping up in my yard. Hope the eastern half of the world begins to thaw soon.

I had lots of finishes this week. I started replenishing the little clothesline/clothespin bags that I sell on Etsy. I was almost sold out (it is warm enough to use a clothesline in parts of the country!) This week I made them with upcycled denim jeans that I thrifted. They came together so quickly compared to the ones that I have made with burlap. (Burlap can be tricky to work with.)

image

imageAnd now a polka dotted version.

image

 

imageNice to add a few new items to my Etsy shop.

Also finished up the February Row for my RSC15 quilt. I am following along with Mari over at Academic Quilter on her Classic Stitches Row Quilt. She should be releasing the next block for March on Tuesday of next week. Looking forward to seeing what she has planned as well as what color Angela has picked for March.  For February Mari did a tutorial on these little heart blocks. I did 6 inch blocks. They were very simple to piece.

image

Here they are with the broken dishes blocks that we did for the January row.

image

They look cute side by side like this. Tempting as it is, I won’t stitch any rows together until I see what the others look like.

Hope you are all finding reasons to feel grateful. Some days you have to look deeper to figure it out but there is always, always something. Thanks to Yvonne for the reminder. Leave me a comment on gratitude. I would love to fill the page with positive thoughts. 🙂

Linking to Thankful Thursday and Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, as well as TGIFF.

 

 

20 thoughts on “On Gratitude

    1. Bernie Post author

      Thanks Yvonne. I will read the post. I do love Angela. I saw your post on IG – you have a keeper there with your husband!! 🙂

      Reply
  1. JanineMarie

    I read Angela’s post this morning, too, and felt like she was talking directly to me because I always find fault with my work. I will have to go read Yvonne’s blog. She always has something thoughtful and thought provoking, and I love her work. Well, today I’m grateful for beautiful sunshine despite the cold. It streams in the windows and really brightens up (and warms) the house. I know spring will get here eventually, and your post just gave me the shot of spring I need with your beautiful flower pictures. Your clothespin bags are so cute! We don’t have a clothesline anymore (in fact, some areas around here ban them–can you believe it?), but I’m thinking of getting one if for no other reason than to have a place to photograph quilts!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Hi:
      Yes, hang a line — I do love to take pics of my quilts on the clothesline. Why are they banned? Unsightly to see all those “unmentionables” hanging on the line??? 😉
      Take care Janine!

      Reply
  2. Reta Cole

    Bernie, I don’t know if this comment goes out to all who read your blog
    But
    I couldn’t help thinking about all that I’m grateful for.
    I miss Rod so very much but by moving to Santa Rosa, I’m so grateful having family close by.

    I miss my neighbors and friends but I’m grateful we still stay in touch.
    Hugs to you and your family.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Yes, comments are public but this is so sweet. Of course you miss Rod – I am sorry for that. But very glad you are near Dena and the boys. The neighborhood misses you Reta! Hugs to you too.

      B.

      Reply
  3. Shauna

    Ohh I wish I had flowers blooming, today we had 5″ of snow…not as much as the east coast but for north Texas that is a lot.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Hi Shauna,

      Hope the snow doesn’t last too long for you. We have thunder tonight and a bit of rain. I love the thunder though. Doesn’t happen too often here so it’s a treat.

      Come by again!
      Bernie

      Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thanks Angela. I’m looking forward to digging into the bag of yellow scraps. It will be a challenge as that is one color I know I don’t have tons of scrap in. Surely enough for a row though. Also looking forward to seeing which block Mari has decided on for March! Hope all is well.

      B.

      Reply
  4. Kate

    It is so easy to let all the imperfect stuff ruin the other stuff we do. Glad that you were able to shift your perspective a bit. In contrast to your early spring, Oklahoma is having a late winter. Usually we are starting to see buds around here, not this year.

    Love your row of hearts and broken dishes. Sounds like a fun scrappy project.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Hi Kate,
      It has definitely been a weird year for weather. Hopefully you’ll get some springtime soon. Thanks for your sweet comment. Come back again sometime!

      Bernie

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Bernie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.