Gratitude #78 Glimmers

I readily admit that I have had a bit harder of a time lately in some ways finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness. Being grateful, however, has become a habit, and it does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. This one makes my heart sing! About a year ago, an Etsy customer, Wendy in Boston, messaged me after she'd bought my pattern, Grace, asking if I thought she could reverse the pattern to make two quilts that fit together, like a friendship necklace, she said,  for her niece's twin baby girls. I loved the idea and sent her a colouring sheet in reverse image. It is now a part of your download for the pattern. She sent me this photo last week!

The twins are now about ten months old. Wendy did the smooth-edge heart. Instructions for the smooth or jagged (broken) heart are included in the pattern.

2. The weather turned colder a week ago, and Xena needed her hoodie. I like the phrase on it: Taking my Humans for a walk.

As of yesterday, it is colder still (we had our second frost last night) and so I put her new Canada Pooch jacket I got her this summer on a sidewalk sale.

Dayna was in town 🥰 for the Lions game on Monday Night Football so she was walking Xena. I was just there for dog poop retrieval and photo ops! 

That jacket is warm! I love that it has sleeves, and love all the zippers in it, one even at the neck, so smart, to ease the getting on and off of the jacket, but zipped up it keeps her neck warm. The hood has a snap to keep it from flopping over her eyes, which her hoodie tends to do. It is very well made and keeps her poor pink naked belly warm.

3. I like the sun that slants into my sewing studio in the morning, showing off the quilting on Heading North, a quilt that was in Make Modern issue #39. It's also a pattern available here. Tinker Toys (see sidebar) was up there for a while, and now Beothuk Star, a QAL quilt, and also a pattern, is there. That's my private gallery wall! Observant types may notice the building of another Grace quilt on my design wall, which is now on Avril, and has about 1/3 of the quilt left to quilt! Both quilts went with me on my 'Quilt Tales for the Heart and Mind' presentation.

4. I like this fall colours makeup bag I made for Cathy, who instigated (lol) who encouraged me wholeheartedly, to venture out into the presenting to guilds world. I stitched the outer layer on my Featherweight, and quilted it on my Bernina. I like the new zippers I got from Zipper Valley, though they're a bit heavier and require very slow stitching over the metal teeth when I sew the end tab on!

5. I just love fall colours. Every year I seem to be more in awe at the wonderful display. This photo in particular I really really love:

I shot that with my iPhone through the open car window as we slowly cruised the river road in Campbellford, Ontario, on one of the days between presentations. The sky! The water! The reflection! Ahhh. And I've always loved shots looking up into the soaring branches of trees, here swathed in glorious rich colours. This is at Lake Scugog.

6. I like this thought for the day, a fitting one for the challenge I was in the midst of, in the restaurant Copper Branch, where I had supper with Yvonne of Sew Yummy, and Leah, before the Kindred Hearts Guild presentation. Incredibly more so, I love the rock, Sparkle, beneath it. In my presentation is a photo of a rock that inspired my quilt named Shine, a Christmas quilt, but with a double meaning: shine, as in twinkly lights at Christmas, but shine, as in let your inner beauty shine.

Crazy how similar the two are!

7. I like this sign in that same restaurant:

8. I love this little book library in my town, painted on both sides:

9. A bit further on that same dog walk, I spied a quilt block on the side of this house. Love it!

10. I've mentioned before in my Gratitude Glimmers posts, the glimmer of joy I get at the murals in Kingsville that keep appearing around town. Beautify the place where you live!

11. I just love the little cushion Cathy stitched and sewed for me. It perches on the wood ledge or rail that tops the half wall at the top of the stairs leading up to my sewing room. A perfect welcome to my happy place.

12. I love burning bush shrubs in fall, pretty massive around here.

13. Finally, I love this photo of the day my mum and dad were married, February 14, 1959. My cousin Susan sent it to me. Her mum is my Auntie Norma, my mum's best friend, right beside her as she was from age 16 through not quite 82. She sent it to Susan, and I'm grateful she thought to send it to me. It was taken  in my grandma's (my dad's mum) house. My dad's Uncle Chris, in front, married them. My dad's brother, Don, was best man, and three years later Don and Norma married. I wore my mum's 'tiara' though I replaced the tulle, on my wedding day, and Dayna wore my mum's wedding dress to the rehearsal and dinner of her own wedding. There's so much to love in this one photo!

Wait! Here's a Xena snoot to make you smile:

Not sure if you've seen the email from Connecting Threads, (affiliate link) but they are having some pretty amazing sales during their Big Sale which runs all month. The first few days of November is selected books and patterns up to 40% off. 

Cheryl's newest book, Just Two Charm Packs is 30% off, just FYI😉 as is Kelly's Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs and Nine-Patch Revolution by Jenifer Dick and Angela Walters. I've made a few from that book:

This is my favourite

The blocks have 9-patches in three different sizes, and the entire quilt is a 9-patch!

Hmm, I was sure I'd made three from it, but can't find the third, if there is one, right now. I didn't even look at the patterns yet...