Nestlings By Robin Blog

February Drop and Give me 20!

2012-01-30T09:37:00.000-05:00

Did you read my UFO post and recognize yourself? Would you like some company? Beth has started this challenge and I highly recommend you get on board...even if it is just for the comic relief you will receive from reading her updates... Great sense of humor and fun designs will make February just fly by. Join the fun!

The UFOs are taking over....

2012-01-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

and I don't mean the space kind :) If you are like me, then you know exactly what I mean. This year I will be attempting to finish one per month, put some on etsy, donate some to my guild luncheon boutique and to the Alzheimer's Priority Auctions. That should put a dent in the old ones as I start new ones:)) Here is my January UFO...it has been done except for the frog for over a year and a half. Now the froggie is on and it is ready to be shipped to my sweet daughter, Devin. She has waited patiently long enough!

Devin's Frog
copyright 2007 NESTLINGS by Robin

This quick quilt was made using scrap strips and the very easy Quilt-as-you-go Tasseled Strip quilt pattern from Suzn Quilts. The froggie is my design and was used on my nephew's baby quilt back in 2007.

Meet Avery

The froggies on his quilt were about 4" x 5" so I traced the outer edges of the froggie and scanned that into the computer. Then I printed it as 'fit to page' onto 11' x 17' so that I would have a larger template for fusing onto the quilt for Dev. It isn't exactly proportional, but what she wanted.

Dev's Frog Detail

What UFO will you finish this year?? Pick just one and you will be amazed at how good it feels to finish--so good, you will choose another to work on:) Until February, Keep quilting!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2012-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful way to start every day and a Happy New Year...

How it looked on Dec 5th
This is the view from my computer:))

So a new year is preparing to bloom, what is your biggest goal? Normally this is where I post my list of all that I accomplished this year but it hasn't been written yet since I have my girls visiting and I don't want to waste one moment with them!!

My word for 2011 was 'Transition' and it really was:

We bought a house--moved from NC to FL, leaving my children behind,--I vended at Houston Market for the first time--met new friends. From July to December was the longest I had ever been away from my girls and we have all had to transition through this new stage of family. I would say that has been the hardest of the transitions.

Who knows what 2012 will bring for me, my family, and my business but I am hopeful and excited and looking forward to seeing dear friends in all my journeys!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

MASTERS: Art Quilts Volume 2

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

MASTERS: Art Quilts Volume 2-- Can I just gush for a moment about and say; Wow, Wowee, Wowzee, Wowzer!! I had the amazing opportunity to review this new wonder published by Lark Crafts and curated by Martha Sielman and what an honor it was! Whether or not all the art within these pages speaks to you, it is imperative to our textile/fiber art community that we are aware of what strides are being taken to further our voices as a whole.

The first thing that struck me was the choice to use cool colors on the cover vs. the warm colors used on Volume 1. The formatting of this book is ideal due to the ability to see an artist's body of work, instead of the typical 1 or 2 photos, which allows you to really get a feel for how that artist works.

About a month or so ago on the Quilt Art list there was a discussion about how textile/fiber artists discuss their work and how we generally discuss technique vs. thoughts or how we came to create a particular piece. I don't know that that particular thought process would have mattered to me before the discussion but it stood out to me at this point in viewing. Each artist has a mini bio at the beginning of their section and there are quotes of how they design sprinkled throughout their section but each photo has a list of techniques accompanying it. Since my art consists of pretty basic techniques like photo printing, painting, and thread painting; I am fascinated by the endless variety of techniques used by the artists within these pages.

There is a wonderful mixture of realism vs.abstract, traditional vs. innovative technique and you will be intrigued even when it isn't normally something you would be interested in. I am not an abstract art viewer so when I find some I like, it is usually difficult for me to verbalize why I like it. The following artists made me stop and take a second and third look:
Jan Myers-Newbury for her movement, texture, and Autumn colors. I think color always plays a big part in the viewer being drawn into a piece.
Dirkje van der Horst-Beetsma for the movement of the jagged stitch lines and I really enjoyed the assembly of her work.
Nelda Warkentin for the movement, the sheer and light aspects, the obvious nature feel, and the repetition of design that spoke to me from a traditional perspective.

I would also like to point out a few other artists' work that I was intrigued by for various reasons:
Carolyn Crump for her great use of fabrics and her use of thread work for shading and facial detail.
Paula Nadelstern's work is mesmerizing from the urban (Tree Grate) to the magical (Ice Crystals-which prompted me to buy one of her books) but I am truly blown away by her landscapes, specifically Tulips in the Courtyard....Absolutely Lovely!
Laura Wasilowski's work is not only joyful but narrative and I can't believe she hasn't been approached to illustrate a children's book--specifically Lacking Gravity, Fences and Bridges 2, and Farm.
Linda MacDonald has a wonderful ability to bring serious subjects to the viewer in an extremely accessible way as you are drawn in trying to find other motifs with significance to the piece.
Maryline Collioud-Robert's repetitive lines are soothing even when meant to evoke vibrant energy.
Tim Harding intrigued from the cover and I wanted to see how he managed to create something abstract and realistic at the same time...his rippling water effects make you want to see them close up and/or go for a swim:)
Lastly, I am in love with The Tower by Izabella Baykova and want to visit that magical and ethereal destination.

"Quilting combines the best of what the art world has to give. It can be sculptural. It can encompass drawing and painting. It's the ultimate mixed medium." Thank you, Jim Smoote, I couldn't have said it any better!

New Kitchen

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Before

After

So after a few days of up and down the ladder, taking out all the grape dishes / knick knacks, and then adding in the new dishes; my new kitchen look is almost complete.

The shelf above the stove now needs some color and I will completely

enjoy the search for new fun things to decorate with and new curtains too.

I already had a small sunflower art quilt that I will now mat with

red and frame in black to accent that wall.

I was able to salvage enough sunflowers from the wall paper book

for most of the walls and only had to paint one additional flower to complete the look.

I am very pleased with the look I accomplished mixing painting and wall paper.

Lastly, this is a look into the living room where my tree is up and ready for company:)

ORANGE is in!

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

According to Pantone, Tangerine Tango will be the color for 2012 and I couldn't be happier. In honor of this new vibrant color choice, here is my orange show and tell. Orange has been cropping up in my quilts for awhile mostly in the Autumn, spiced pumpkin shades. Lately, the brighter colors have been sneaking in. Either way, orange is a fabulous color and I hope you will all be inspired to add just a touch to your new work this year.

Autumn Shore
Approximately 12" mounted to Canvas

My Artrageous Challenge
11" x 14"

Journal Quilt about Marriage

Thread painted Lilies
5" x 7"

3D Appliqued Lily mounted to 12" canvas

Abstract from an original design

Floral Windmill pattern
Makes a great signature quilt

Funkins
Inspired from a Micke Dupre class

Harvest Nights pattern

Hawaiian Halloween pattern

Las Flores pattern color variation

Poppy Nouveau Design

Swaying Hearts Trio pattern

Harlequin Rose design

Orange Peel variation for NewFavorites Competition

The Poinsettias are blooming

2011-12-05T09:19:00.001-05:00

Is "blooming" the right word for a poinsettia? Yes it is and mine is blooming. There was already one planted in the front yard of my new home and the dip in tempuratures/shorter days must have pushed it to brighten:) I am loving it!! I might try to plant another this year.

I know the blog has been mostly about my new Florida foliage adventures but there has been plenty of quilting going on too....

http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-sale.html
http://www.nestlingsbyrobin.etsy.com

AND more to come:)

December Sale!

2011-12-01T18:58:00.001-05:00

Coastal Christmas in Redwork
You may want to try it in applique too.

The December sale means that this new pattern could be yours for FREE! Now through December 10th I am holding a 2 for 1 sale on my website: http://www.nestlingsbyrobin.com where you will be able to see my new layout along with a few new patterns. Buy one at regular price and get one of equal or lesser cost for free. Make sure to tell me in the message field during checkout which Free pattern you would like or you can email me (email address is at the bottom of the HOME page). I will double check when I confirm that I received your order.

Above is a brand new pattern that is a variation on my very popular Coastal Christmas applique pattern. Here it is done in redwork and smaller, measuring 20" square.
Don't forget to visit my Etsy store for a few wonderful last minute gifts and where shipping is FREE until the 10th.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from NESTLINGS!

Thanksgiving in Key West

2011-11-28T15:11:00.001-05:00

Key West Sunset from Sunset Pier

Thanksgiving in Key West was my husband's idea as a distraction for me since this would be our first year without my girlies. It was a very sweet gift/gesture and we had so much fun. About 13 years ago we lived there for one year and being back on the island was a bit like deja vu or having been in a dream. Most of what there is to do we didn't do because we had small kids and no money. This trip we were like kids ourselves bopping around from bar to bar and chatting with each other while people watching--a great free activity and lots to see. We ended our trip with a wonderful Schooner trip out into the gulf at sunset. This may be the start of a new tradition:))

Houston Market 2011

2011-11-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

Houston in the Morning

The adventure of Houston Market 2011 began as I flew into Houston on Oct 27th to meet fellow vendors/room mates Susan Marth of Suzn Quilts and Celine Perkins of Perkins Dry Goods.

On Friday, Oct. 28th, the Schoolhouse Series started. Susan started the morning at 10:20am and in the same room at 1:55pm, it was my turn to ask, "Does Your Shop Have a Niche I can Scratch?". I design by what makes me happy and not by what all goes together as a style so shops and quilters will find applique, redwork, and paper piecing designs from me.

Above is my booth and although I have been in business for 6 years now, this was my first time vending at Market. The thrill of that is overwhelming until you get into the rhythm of talking to the shop owners and then it just flows....SO Much Fun!

This is Susan Marth of Suzn Quilts

and her collection of 12 'In Season' pieces.

Here is Celine Perkins of Perkins Dry Goods

with her new goodies for Market shoppers.

Houston is a lot of work with Set up, Take Down, 8-10 hour days on your feet but the rewards are great as well if you like meeting lots of people and sharing memories with wonderful friends. Spring Market is in Kansas City in 2012...Hope to see you there.

Juni the Great Lizard Hunter

2011-11-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

Just above this caption you will see a small lizard.

Juni has been fascinated by the lizards here in Florida ever since we moved here. Once she finally learned to catch them (mostly the smaller ones), many a lizard succumbed to her new-found prowess:) Today something new happened--One fought back! I saw she had something and then I saw her jump back and shake her head---She got bit! There he stood all 2-1/2" inches of him (sans tail at this point) opening his mouth and hissing at her. I went out with my camera and sure enough he was attacking her nose every time she got close enough. It still didn't end well for him but so nice to see one go out fighting!

Whirlwind Month and International Quilt Market

2011-11-02T12:58:00.005-04:00

It has been a crazy whirlwind month (ok, September and October both were) and now I am home from International Quilt Market with stories to share.

First, this is a new design that will be released for sale in the spring but some shops were able to have it for free from my Schoolhouse talk. Hopefully they will use it as a Saturday Make and Take to get more people excited about redwork. I named it Spiral Trellis but there has been some talk of naming it DNA Daisies...What do you think?

As you will see over the next week, I am in love with redwork. The variegated threads available to us are just so luscious to use. So I have 2 new designs right now and 3 more coming very soon.

I met some very sweet shop owners this Market and I would encourage you to visit a few of them now carrying my patterns:

Jean's Corner in Livingston, TX

Austin Sewing & Vacuum in Round Rock, TX

STAY TUNED for booth pics, new patterns, and more stories.

Are bananas suppose to be chewy??

2011-10-08T14:42:00.006-04:00

For my friends following the banana saga, here is where the tale ends!
Here are the bananas after I cut them from the tree on Sept 29th following advice from the internet about cutting them once the first bunch start to yellow. My follow up question now would be, "how yellow?". I guess yellow is relative!? They were still pretty hard but within a day started to soften and I got excited and cut one open....Not a banana yet!

Not quite a week later they looked like this and still not a banana--by that I mean soft and sweet. So I decided I could rescue them by making Bananas Foster. I have never made it or eaten it but it sounds yummy! Yesterday I went and got what I needed--mainly more rum:)

Doesn't this look delicious?? The sauce was wonderful over the vanilla ice cream but one bite in and my husband and I both looked at each other with almost the same question:

Me: "Are bananas suppose to get chewy?"

Husband: "Are bananas suppose to be crunchy?"

Somehow they REALLY hadn't ripened the way they should have and no amount of HOT sugary caramel and alchohol was going to change that!

So my first endeavor with bananas and they were wasted but the Rum sauce was oh so yummy!

Thanks for following along on this journey and I promise the next post will get us back to quilting!! I have so much that is just about ready to share, I can't wait!

Before I go, I do have to tell you that another turtle came to visit at the front door-twice and a snake one day too. I didn't know the wild life in FL. was so friendly:)

More from Florida...

2011-08-26T10:41:00.013-04:00

Florida has brought lots of new adventures for us...This was a visitor to our front door the other evening. I heard this scraping noise and ta-da. He was about the size of a serving platter and I am thankful he wasn't an alligator:)

The bananas are doing well. We ended up with about 12 and supposedly it will be another month before they are done...I have learned A LOT about bananas.

Here is our new kitchen table...
It is an antique Mah jong game table from China. It doesn't match one single thing in my house but it is the only table that Jim and I completely loved.

Mah jong is a game played with a set of 136 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols.

The sides have carved panels and a drawer on every side as well.

The top is very rustic looking with chinese red highlights that I will find a way to incorporate into the kitchen decor.

My next wonderful find is this antique silk loom component. I still haven't been completely able to figure out which part it is but am thinking it is the part that packs the threads together once the shuttle has passed by.

Here is a detail pic of the hand carving and the tiny little wooden threads to separate the silk threads.

I found this little lovely at the local Salvation Army store--$1.99--Bargain. Then another row over I found it's mate so for $4 I walked out with treasures to decorate my new computer room with.

Here is my new computer room. The computer is on a wall opposite the couch. This room is so relaxing--all my favorite colors and quilts!

I have been quilting I promise (Market will be here before I know it:) and there will be pictures coming soon. In between quilting though I have visited the local antique stores for inspiration and a couple of new pieces to add to my very eclectic home.

BANANAS:)

2011-07-13T16:29:00.004-04:00

Can you believe it-We have a banana flower!!!! I am so excited I can't stand myself. This was my new flower on Sunday and today .....

We have 5 bananas so far. Wonder how many we will end up with......

UWIB celebrates the Red White and Blue!!

2011-06-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

What does the Red, White, and Blue mean to you? Do you swell with pride when you hear the National Anthem as you place your hand over your heart? I not only swell with pride but I often don't make it all the way through without a few tears as thoughts of others' sacrifices come to mind. How many military families do you know? There are quite a few military men in my family in past generations. My father was in the Navy and then joined the Coast Guard.
Here I am at the ripe old age of 17 swearing into the United States Coast Guard...I know I don't look happy, but I was very excited and serious! As some of you already know, I met my husband while in the CG and when I got out, I followed him around so I was never too far from the military life I wanted... just in a different capacity.

Here is my husband (in the middle) getting his Warrant Boards pinned on by myself and his Warrant. I was and am so very proud of him. We have been relatively fortunate as to not have to be separated very much during his 24 year career and so when I place my hand over my heart, my thoughts are with all the other families who have not been as fortunate as myself. It was particularly hard for me during my daughter's college graduation as the realization struck me that so many would not be able to be present for their children this year. We are very fortunate indeed and I am always appreciative of that! Every year I take time to decorate my home from Memorial Day to the 4th of July with Red, White, and Blue. Here are some items that can help you do the same...

After 9-11 I designed "Home of the Brave" but it took me a few more years before I could put design into fabric. I have been asked why there is a flower on it? That is actually my stylized version of fireworks. You can read more about it here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/76400399/home-of-the-brave-wall-hang-quilt

"A Hero's Light" was designed in response to the WWII style stars I was seeing in the windows of neighbors when the war continued on. Since I am a fan of candles, I made candle mats so that a light could be lit for a loved one.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76665490/a-heros-light-candle-mat-quilt

The premade mats will come with a votive holder.

Kits to make your own mats can be found on my website here: http://nestlingsbyrobin.com/gifts_kits.html I love these because they come with a hand-etched votive holder that has my logo on it.

Lastly, I wish I could remember where I saw this pin! It was on etsy somewhere and it is a vintage CG pin that an officer's wife in the 1940's would have worn. It has crystals on it and was way out of my price range but man o man would I have loved that pin!!!

If you know a military family, send them a special message this 4th of July and if you don't, send out a special message on Facebook or on one of your email lists. IT will surely touch another family!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY to all the military members, family members, spouses, and children dependents and THANK YOU!!!

Please take some time to check out my fellow UWIB members' blogs:

RitaWetzel http://www.handmadebits4u.blogspot.com

JudyWoodley http://www.wellspringcreations.blogspot.com

LindaStranger http://capecodjewel.blogspot.com

TrudyMiller http://mommagoddesstreasures.blogspot.com/

Wendy Kelly http://blog.vintageday.com

AnnRinkenberger http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com

Miriam Nelken http://goldcrestbags.blogspot.com

Cory Trusty http://store.aquarianbath.com/index.php/blog

AudreyFetterhoff http://audreygardenlady.blogspot.com

Janet Bocciardi http://thehoneyfromthebee.blogspot.com

Lychee anyone?

2011-06-23T09:35:00.004-04:00

When we lived overseas and my children were smaller, we used to be able to buy these fun little asian jellos in different flavors: kiwi, apple, and lychee. The white lychee jellos were my favorite although I had never actually eaten a lychee and didn't really know what they were.
One of the things my husband and I like to do is go to Saturday/Farmer's markets. When we went to the St Petersburg market last weekend, I found these wonderful little red things... Since I am adventurous (selectively:), I asked what they were and behold-they are real Lychee nuts. Aren't they a wonderful color?
You eat them the way you eat another of my family's favorites-Quenepas from Puerto Rico. You peel the red outer layer away and eat all the pulp off the inner nut. I have a few I am going to try and grow now that I am in Florida.
We also found real Guava fruit that we thought we would put into a refreshing rum drink...not so easy to do. The Guava has a bunch of hard seeds in the center and so it had to be blended first so that the seeds could be strained off. I understand now why this juice is so expensive.

Until next time, keep trying new things!

Coming to you now from FLORIDA

2011-06-19T18:22:00.012-04:00

I can't believe it has been 2 months. Although I knew that I would lose a lot of time during the move, it still surprises me just how much.

So what have I been up to? Well after Easter and my girlies' birthdays, we prepared for my older daughter's graduation from ECU with 2 degrees no less!! I couldn't have been prouder.

Copyrighted 2010, "Flutterbys" NESTLINGS by Robin

These little framed butterflies were good-bye gifts to a wonderfully fun group of women I met with occassionally. They were gracious enough to invite me into their world and I will be forever grateful! Thank you!!

It was then time to visit my mother in Virginia one more time before moving. On the way, I FINALLY got the photo of the Tobacco Flowers that I had been trying to get for 4 years. They are so delicate for such a deadly plant.

Copyrighted 2010, "Spiked Pinwheels" NESTLINGS by Robin

Since the visit was right after Mother's Day, I was able to hand deliver my gift to her. Plus that gave me the excuse I needed to have a few more days to finish it:)

Added bonus: I was able to see my nephew that I hadn't seen in 2+ years...WOW he had grown and what a little personality. Here he is being a ham AND being licked to death by my Juni:)

All the work I had done before my trip to finish entries for the local quilt guild show paid off with 2 Blue Ribbons. Here is one for the challenge quilt that I named, "Snow Bird". The second one I will not show since I have entered it in Houston and don't want to jinx it:)

So now I live in Florida (Tampa Bay area) and this is a flower from my backyard. I don't know what it is but it is Orange, one of my favorite colors, so it doesn't really matter to me as long as it keeps blooming:)

Happy Belated Easter and ...

2011-04-25T08:35:00.003-04:00

what a crazy month it has been:)

Since I last wrote to you, I have:
-taught another class
-helped write the standards for a local Saturday Market
-prepared my Paducah entry for shipping-- "Groovin' Grove" was juried in:)
-worked up my business taxes so my husband could do our family taxes-yuck
-finished all the minutes for 2 boards I sit on and submitted my resignation for both due to the impending move
-mapped out entries for local guild show and started actually making 3 of them--they are entered but not started. How's that for confidence? :)
-continued to work on a new design in applique along with a fusible version
-reviewed a pattern for another designer
-showed our house 3 times even though we are renting
-had my pup in for a follow up visit because her stitches didn't look well and we were kenneling her for a week--she was fine:)
-prepared moving lists
-prepared lists for houses to look at
-went house hunting in FL and bought a house
-started one of the miniatures for my quilt show
-start preparing for Easter company which will consist of both my daughters and one boyfriend. It will also be my daughters' birthdays so we celebrated that too.
-had both the sewing machine and computer take a vacation-Yikes. Both were fine too:)
-started cleaning out studio and while doing so found this bunny below.....

This design was suppose to be a wall hang with 4 blocks where 2 would have chenille bunnies and the opposing 2 would have chenille carrots. It is amazing what you find while cleaning:) I found a few started designs that now I have to decide how to proceed. Since I only had one bunny done, I decided to stop there and make a smaller table topper out of it. This measures approximately 13" and turned out very cute! My older daughter took it for next Easter.

Now what to do with the others?? My cleaning will result in fabric going to a friend, a quilt club, and then donating other supplies to a local Girl Scout troop.
I have to keep editing and forcing myself to stop being such a pack rat!

Now back to cleaning and designing- I have to get lots done on this end before all is packed away for a month...
Have a fabulous week!

Spring into UWIB

2011-03-25T07:46:00.027-04:00

Welcome to our 2nd Unique Women in Business blog hop where we are helping everyone hop into Spring with wonderful gift ideas for birthdays, easter, graduation, and Mother's Day.

'Swaying Hearts'

'Swaying Hearts' is one of my newest designs done in an adorable 3-1/2" x 4-1/2" size: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68120369/swaying-hearts

Because I am a designer, most of my quilt patterns are applique designs vs. pieced patterns and this allows me endless ways of recreating my designs.

With the new lines of beautiful variegated threads on the market (Sulky, YLI), I can do outline embroidery in any color I want and the variegation adds more interest than the traditional redwork. Beading is one of my passions: Since I like the look of variegated threads so much, I have started learning how to make my own bead mixes to create variegated bead embroidery. Above, 'Swaying Hearts' was first painted and then beaded.

The applique work is available now at the etsy store link above. If you are interested in either the embroidery or beaded work, please email me at robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

I absolutely love the challenge of taking a sketch or idea of mine and finding how many different ways I can rework it, taking it from black and white to beautiful colors represented in the world around us. Now that Spring is here, we are surrounded by color in various shades and hues and tints: The flowers that nature provides us are already variegated for our joy.

Please enjoy the wonderful Spring bounty provided by my fellow UWIB ladies:

RitaWetzel http://ritascreativenest.com/

JennNolda http://brynnsbeautifulbows.blogspot.com/

Ann Rinkenberger http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com/

RobinKoehler http://www.nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/

LindaReynolds http://bellalindadesigns.net/

Audrey Fetterhoff http://audreygardenlady.blogspot.com/

Birgitte Hendricks http://sewdanish.blogspot.com/

Wendy Kelly http://blog.vintageday.com/

JanetBocciardi http://www.honeyfromthebee.com/

LindaStranger http://capecodjewel.blogspot.com/

KarenTerry McDuffie http://jmjcreations.blogspot.com/

JudyWoodley http://wellspringcreations.blogspot.com/

TrudyMiller http://mommagoddesstreasures.blogspot.com/

Cory Trusty http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com/

Nancy Pace http://nancyswildwirejewelry.blogspot.com/

Lois Stifel http://foxygknits.com/

Jenn Brockman http://alexshares.com/

Also, here are the links to our ETSY TeamLink http://www.etsy.com/teams/6263/unique-women-in-business-uwib

Link to UWIB Blog - http://uniquewomeninbusiness.blogspot.com/

Artrageous Challenge Reveal

2011-03-08T08:58:00.011-05:00

ARTRAGEOUS, my art quilt group, revealed our 2010 challenge this past weekend. It is really hard to work on something fun and not share it for a whole year! 'Fabric Gossip' used the Telephone Game as our guide but using a photo vs. a whispered secret.
Since I was the first person in my group, I got to see the photo and I knew immediately that I wanted to use one of Gloria Loughman's techniques in my background. The technique isn't hard but it was very challenging, to me, trying to place the colors the right way so that it would be pleasing to the eye, not too drastic, and be recognizeable.

I started cutting a batch of diamonds in various sunset colors.

Once they were sewn together for the sky, I wanted to portray the water with a different directionality. Kathy Loomis had just posted on her blog about piecing gentle curves. I followed her directions and considering it was my first time doing this, was ok with how it turned out. The sky was then hand appliqued to the water area where the darker orange is.

Here is a cropped photo of the background all pieced with the tree and horizon line fused on. I then added a bit of fabric paint along the horizon line and below the tree to represent the reflection in the water.

Here is the finished piece completely quilted and faced. The moon was portrayed using the small holeless beads that you glue on. I am not quite sure this was the best technique to use since they want to flake off with too much handling. I fear as this piece gets put up in exhibit after exhibit, the beads will continue to wear off. They would be fine to use if you just hung it on the wall and left it alone.

This was so much fun and when you click on the link below, you can see the original photo along with all the other pieces and how the photo changed as each person received their bit of information.

http://artrageousfibreart.blogspot.com/2011/03/2010-challenge-reveal.html

UWIB Goes Green:)

2011-02-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the UWIB Blog Hop...we hope you enjoy seeing all we have to offer and find something wonderful for yourself or a friend.

"CLADDAGH"

Wall Hang finishes to 22" Square

What says green more than the Emerald Isle itself, Ireland. I am Irish on my mother's side and on a visit back in 2002 she and I started designing this piece together.

It is based on a 500 year old romantic Irish lore from the ancient fishing village of Claddagh just outside the walls of the City of Galway on the west coast of Ireland.

A fishing boat from the village of Claddagh was captured by Algerian pirates and the crew was sold into slavery. One of the crew was a young man by the name of Richard Joyce who was to be married the same week he was captured. Instead, Richard found himself far away from his love and his homeland.
He was sold to a wealthy Moorish goldsmith who taught him the trade and, eventually, he became skilled enough to design a ring of special significance: the hands were for friendship, the crown was for loyalty, and the heart was for love.
Years went by, but Richard never forgot his sweetheart. When he was finally released, his master asked him to stay and offered him riches and the hand of his only daughter in marriage. But Richard Joyce declined, eager to return to his Irish love. With much trepidation he returned to Galway to find that the girl he had been due to marry so many years before had herself never married. They were wed immediately and their wedding band was the Claddagh ring he had designed and made for her.
By tradition the ring is taken to signify the wish that love and friendship should reign supreme. The hands signify friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart love. Often representing the sole major investment of a fishing family, they have been traditionally handed down from mother to daughter. Today, the ring is worn extensively across Ireland, either on the right hand with the heart turned outwards showing that the wearer is "fancy free" or with the heart turned inwards to denote that he or she is "spoken for." The pride of place is on the left hand, with the heart turned in, indicating that the wearer is happily married and the love and friendship will last forever, the two never separated.
But one word of caution: it is said to be very bad luck for a person to purchase a Claddagh ring for themselves. It must be given or received as a gift.

I was once told that it was tradition to receive the ring from your grandmother and I proudly wear my grandmother's claddagh today.

My quilt pattern can be found in my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68715701/claddagh-quilt-pattern

This is another color way and you can read more about how I have played with this design in an older post: http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-takes-on-old-favorites.html

If you are a quilter or know one, you can find more of my patterns on my website: http://www.nestlingsbyrobin.com/

If you are not a quilter but would love to own one of these designs, please contact me at robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com and I will send you my contract for commissioned work.

Please be sure to visit all our Participating Members:

Karen Terry-McDuffie http://www.jmjcreat%20ions.blogspot.com/
Linda ciaobelajewelry1@gmail.com
Birgitte Hendricks http://sewdanish.blogspot.com/
Judy Woodley http://www.wellspri%20ngcreations.blogspot.com/
Rita Wetzel http://ritascreativenest.com/
Audrey F http://audreygardenlady.blogspot.com/
Robin Maria Pedrero http://www.pocketfullofcolors.blogspot.com/
Ann Rinkenberger http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com/
Trudy Miller http://www.mommagoddesstreasures.blogspot.com/
Cory Trusty http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com/
Cory Trusty http://delicateadornments.blogspot.com/
Nancy Pace http://nancyswildwirejewelry.blogspot.com/
Wendy Kelly http://blog.vintageday.com/

RETREAT Spells.....

2011-02-20T14:15:00.010-05:00

Relax, Enjoy Time with friends, Reflect on ideas, and EAT.

L-R: Susan, Beth, Me, Kathy, Susan, Chris, Lorraine

Right after my last post, I flew to St. Louis to meet up with friends in Illinois where I used to live. The year I moved away was the 1st Annual Quilt Retreat and they have had one every year since that I have not been able to attend. There is a wonderful little quilt shop in Highland, Ill. named Rosemary's where you can sew and live amongst the bolts:) and this was my Christmas present from my husband. It is so relaxing and sort of lets you feel like you are getting away with something...
Susan and I kept the secret from the others for over 2 months which is quite the feat when you consider all the ways we could have let it slip...Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc.We all had projects we wanted to work on. Here you can see Kathy and our other Susan and the table is still relatively neat:) There was plenty of fabric and conversation to keep us busy late into the nights.
The table is starting to get a bit more creative looking as more fabric and ideas get tossed about. Now let's talk about the food....Italian, Chinese, and Mexican- ALL OUR FAVORITES and the restaurants are all within a 2 block walking distance when the weather allows.

Above is a sneak peek at one of the 2 designs I started working on while in Ill. This particular one is very abstract and so different from how I normally work. I chose familiar colors though to help me work through this and I find I am enjoying this new piece. Stay tuned for the finished wall quilt.

Retreats don't have to cost a lot of money with a little imagination and what you receive in return is priceless!

Thank you Friends.

FIREWORKS:

2011-01-05T08:50:00.012-05:00

Do you get a vision of brightness and awe and a feeling of exhiliration?

In my adult years I have heard people say that fear holds you back. My whole life has been ruled by fear but I didn't think I was fearful of good things....how could you be?

Every now and again in my life a song comes on the radio that overwhelms me with emotion and I don't always recognize why at first. The last time I remember going through this was about 9-10 years ago when the Dixie Chicks redid "Landslide" (originally by Fleetwood Mac). I listened to it and cried. I was not very happy where we were, my daughters were entering teen/pre-teen which scared me for reasons I won't name here, and I didn't like where I was in my life. The lyrics touched me because I was stuck, afraid to move forward- because,
"I've been afraid of changing 'Cause I've built my life around you" I had put everything of myself into my girls and trying to build my fantasy family and marriage. I had it and yet I knew I wanted more and then felt selfish for wanting more.

The other day I heard the song, "Firework" by Katy Perry-what a fun catchy beat (and you can dance to it:). The next time I listened to the words and they hit me like a ton of bricks.....they are bubble gum pop but still spoke to me:

Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed

So you could open one that leads you to your perfect road.

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow

And when it's time, you'll know.

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine

Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework

Come on, show 'em what you're worth

Make 'em go "oh oh oh"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y.

Baby you're a firework

Come on, let your colors burst

Make 'em go "oh oh oh"

You're gonna leave them all in "awe awe awe".

Lately I have been feeling like I am meant to do something amazing and exciting with my life and in my career. While choking back the tears I realized that I am afraid of moving forward because that might mean losing what I have and love; my comfortable quiet existence with the love of my life. He is very supportive and proud of me and what if succeeding means being with him so much less that I lose my balance? I don't do well out of balance. I feel safe and secure right now but also unfulfilled....so aren't I already out of balance?

My word for 2011 is Transition and expanding my heart and my mind's boundaries for myself will fall into this word's definition for me. I would challenge all my reader's to do the same and take one step beyond your secure zone and take a chance.

My monthly horoscope had this to say:
Keep in Mind this Month Playing it safe will only prolong your insecurity. Bold action, however, burns away fear in the excitement of new undertakings.

I joined a Haiku group for this year to expand my writing/creative skills. Our first challenge word is "Beginnings" and my haiku is:

Beginnings bring fear
Beginnings bring excitement
JUMP NOW, Feel Breath Live

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T12:16:00.008-05:00

What a year 2010 was in many ways. As I reviewed what I had accomplished it didn't seem all that impressive compared to 2009 and then I realized I made huge strides in confidence....and though the list may appear a bit shorter in length, it was in no way smaller in the depth of the accomplishments.

Last year my word was Diligence. I was diligent in rewriting my book proposal even though it has been rejected for a second time. I was diligent in not letting opportunities pass me by and that enabled me to be published twice along with having a design be included in the Quilter's Club of America promotional CD. When the gallery that had been representing me closed, I found a new gallery. I know I could have done much better but I also see how much forward progress I made.

My word for 2011 is Transition. Transition number one:

Meet Junie (short for Juniper)

Our beloved little Schmoopy died last February and we were completely heartbroken. She was the sweetest little beagle ever and the only dog I have truly loved! Just saying her name, Schmoopy, made me mushy inside.
We swore that we wouldn't get another dog for years so that we could travel, get settled, blah blah blah:) A couple of weeks before Christmas my husband stated that he missed having a dog--I agreed. After a couple of other beagle opportunities fell through, we found an ad for a pure breed beagle female, 3-4 months old, $50-family couldn't keep her.
We got there and she is so NOT a pure breed but she was also so malnurished and unwanted (wanted a hunting dog and she was too skittish) that I couldn't leave her there. She came to us the Sunday before Christmas and everyone loves her.

How could you not? Look at that face:) Having said that, I had forgotten how much work a dog---especially a puppy is! My nice quiet work days are gone for awhile as we all take turns on puppy watch.

Transition number 2: We received our official transfer orders 3 days before Christmas. We will be moving to Clearwater, FL in June. This will be our first move without our daughters and feels very strange to be considering what items will stay here with them, getting the younger settled into an apartment, and making sure they are prepared to be on their own. It feels against nature to me that the parents should move away from the children. So far I have been great at stuffing the feelings but June will be miserable for me....so bittersweet! I am so proud of them moving forward in their lives and I don't want to miss any of it. The military will not allow for that I am afraid. We have always done everything as a family and this will be a major transition for us all.

Transition number 3: This will take place in my work although I am not 100% sure of just how yet. I have been sitting on the fence for the past 2 years about how to balance my time between the artwork and the quilt patterns. I love them both and at times one is progressing further than the other. Sometimes I feel that I should choose one over the other and I am getting closer to a decision. Moving will also put a crimp in what I can get accomplished this year due to the lost time from packing up and then unpacking.

Transition this year will involve my work, my friendships, my living environment, my schedule, my family. I have some wonderful goals set up to guide me so that I don't get too off course with everything else that will demand my time.

Setting the goals is a great opportunity for me to always feel that I am moving forward since although it doesn't all get done, more gets done than if I didn't have it:)

What will you make happen for yourself this year?

Tree Skirt-Along Finale

2010-12-08T18:27:00.013-05:00

Did you think I forgot about you? I may be running late but I wouldn't leave you hanging...

Hopefully you have a full top done- Mine measures 49" square measuring from red point to red point. I won't be making it into a tree skirt since I love it as a table topper.

Here is one of the blocks with a quilting design idea for you. I like the swirls going in all directions and will probably quilt mine this way...especially the center area...Love it! If you like these, save the diagram below. Print it out to an 8 1/2" x 11" and you will have the designs for a 12" block.

I did have some issues on my end getting it to print out the correct size. You may need to print at 90% once saved. Here are the measurements for each component so you will know you are close:

Large Swoop: 2-7/8" x 4-3/8"

Small Swoop: 1-1/2" x 2-1/4"

Center Swirl: 4-3/4" x 6-5/8" (measured along the spine of the swirl)

For backing fabric you will need 3 yards (trim selvages off):

Cut in half for 2 pieces at 54" x 40".

Sew back together along the 54" length to create a backing piece 54" x 80". You can trim away from the 80" dimension for a 54" square if you prefer. The 54" gives you approximately 2.5" extra on either side for quilting. You will need more yardage if you want extra backing fabric.

The 54" is also your batting dimension.

Layer your top with batting and backing for quilting. Quilt your tree skirt in a design of your choosing.

After the quilting it is time to make your cuts (represented in black on the diagram above) in order for it to become a tree skirt. You will want the center hole to be 3 1/4" across- this allows for the 1/4" seam allowance when sewing on your binding so that you don't cut the points off the red. Check the openings of drinking glasses/mugs in your cabinets-my water goblets are 3 1/2" across. Don't forget to check tupperware lids, coasters, candles: Most homes have readily available templates if we just look around and get imaginative:)

Once you have marked your hole, draw a straight line from the hole down through the center of one of the red points. Cut up the line and cut away the hole.

You will need 1 yard of fabric for 260" of continuous single-layer BIAS binding: (I cut my strips @ 1-1/8")

I don't usually make true bias binding but you will need it for the hole in the tree skirt. Since I don't claim to be an expert here, I will refer you to the Connecting Threads tutorial on how to make the bias binding.

After you have quilted and made and attached your binding all that is left is to find a way to close your slit.

Options include:

Making ties that can be sewn on from the back at the binding edge. Ties could be fabric tubes that match the binding or strips of ribbon. Make ties approximately 12" - 15" long.

You could also attach buttons on one edge and create a ribbon or elastic loop.

You can choose to not have closures at all:) Then you would be done!

The important thing is that you finish it and label it and love it.

Don't forget to email me a photo of your completed top by Dec 16th (since I was a bit late I will add a couple of days) to be entered into a drawing for 2 free patterns.

Email: robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

Can't wait to see what they look like!!

Tree Skirt-Along Pt. 2

2010-11-22T23:08:00.010-05:00

Welcome back! I hope you were all able to find a copy of the magazine so we can get started. Technically as I write this it is still November 22nd for 22 more minutes:) which means you will have plenty of time to work on this before the holidays.

This is what 1 block looks like and you can see that the red and white were alternated in the center so that you get a nice twist or swirl affect. I searched my stash for red and white and found this wonderful little gingerbread man print for my red...so cute.

I want to give you some measurements for making your paper piecing experience a bit easier and reduce waste. You will need to copy the pattern from the magazine 16 times....remember 4 quadrants per block x 4 blocks.

If you cut all your pieces out first,
1. you can lay them out in the order you will be sewing to avoid confusion
2. you can chain piece and it cuts your time.

The block is numbered 1-9 and I am giving you a measurement that will insure that each piece will be covered.
1= 3 1/2" x 6" (16) 2= 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" (16)
3= 2" x 2 1/2" (16) 4= 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" (16)
5= 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" (16) 6= 2" x 2 1/2" (16)

7= 2 1/2" x 7 1/2" (8 red/8 white)
8= 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" (8 red/8 white)
9= 1 1/2" x 4" (8 red/8 white)

As stated before you will need 1 yard of red and 1 yard of white fabric.

My paper piecing tips are:
1. Lower your stitch length to help perforate the paper as you sew. On my machine, I lower it to a 1.4 and I use regular copy paper as my foundation.

2. I would suggest using the Add-a-Quarter Ruler if you have access to it.

3. I also take a colored pencil and place a checkmark in each area of my templates to match the color fabric I am to put there...helps to keep me from getting confused:)

This is my sewing area and if you are able, I would highly recommend this. There is an Ott light (any desk lamp will work) to my left along with a small cutting board/rotary cutter and the Add-A-Quarter ruler. You can also see the piles of red/white rectangles all precut.
This photo shows that you are placing fabrics right sides together on the back side of the printed template. If you can see the triangular outline above the red, notice how the red is positioned so that when pressed open it will cover the point of the triangle.
This photo shows how the stitch line looks after chain piecing. On straight lines such as the one above, chain piecing is easier than coming in at an angle. On the pieces where you have to come in a little further, don't cut your thread, just lift foot and needle and then put needle back down into the paper right before the line. All the pieces will be connected by a thread and all those minutes of cutting your thread and restarting between each piece really do make a difference.

So I chain piece all the blocks: 1 to 2, separate, press them all open, trim for piece 3 placement, sew all of 3 to 2, repeat, etc.

When chain piecing the thread will interfere a bit with preparing your template for the next piece (in photo above see how thread goes all the way to the edges) but it is ok because the paper has been perforated and easily tears to where you need it.
This photo above shows how I have torn back the paper and folded it back ON the line where I will sew next. The outlines of triangles you see are on the back side of the paper and shows the importance of having that light there!

Now for the Add-A-Quarter ruler ....once you fold back that paper, the ruler has a lip that fits against the fold so you can trim to a 1/4". This puts your seam allowances in as you sew and you get a more precise fit to your pieces of fabric as you place them.

Here is the same piece from above with the paper folded back, the ruler in place, and my small rotary cutter ready to make my life a bit easier:)

The next step will be the green striped triangles. You have enough red and white left over to cut your strips:

Red: 4 @ 4 1/2" x 13" White: 4 @ 4 1/2" x 9"

For the green triangles you will need 2/3 of a yard. From this cut 2 strips @ 11 1/8" x 40". Stack the 2 strips together and cut 11 1/8" inches in so that you end up with 4 squares @ 11 1/8" sq. These four squares will be cut once on the diagonal for 8 triangles.

NOTE: It would be better to make quarter triangles so that your bias edge was toward the inside but I went with this measurement to save on yardage so be very careful of your bias edge and try not to stretch it.

From the strips now cut 4 squares @ 7 1/8" square. These four squares will be cut on the diagonal once for a total of 8 triangles.

Follow this photo (or diagram below) for placement:

Lay a 4 1/2" x 13" red strip out right side up and place a larger triangle to either side of it with the long side creating the diagonal.
Sew the triangles on from the bottom of the strip up.

Press seams to the triangles.

Fold the red strip in half at the top and make a mark where the halfway point is (should be 2 1/4" in from the edge).

***See left side of photo above and how square the red strip looks***

Lay completed piece out on a cutting board and following the line of the diagonal to the halfway mark, trim away the corners of the top of the red strip.

***See right side of photo above and how the red strip is pointed now***

Follow this process for all four larger triangle units.

Repeat the process above for assembling the smaller triangle units with the white strips.

Once all triangle units have been assembled, you will attach to the 24 1/2" square.

Fold bottom edge of red strip in half on the larger triangle units to crease your center mark. This will be your guide for pinning to the center seam.

You will sew a triangle unit to top and bottom and then the 2 opposing sides --Press toward the triangle units.

Fold bottom edge of white strip in half to crease your center mark. This will be your guide for pinning to where the seams are from the larger triangle units.

Following this diagram be sure that you sew on the red triangle units first: top and bottom and then the 2 sides.

Hope you are all on your way to creating something lovely. Please don't hesitate to ask questions if you get stuck.
See you here on the 6th of December:)

AND THE WINNER IS....

2010-11-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

Today I get to help give away a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks...YAY!
Thanks to a random number generator the winner is BillieBee of Billie Bee's Blog-CONGRATULATIONS!

AND since I have an extra copy, I generated a second number which belongs to Nancy of A Little Bit of Heaven blog. I will need your contact information in order to mail this out to you. Please email me at robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and took the time to leave a lovely comment on Monday...I wish everyone could win:)
Some of the comments:
"versatile", "love the variations and different colorways", "so many design possibilities", and someone even like the "tilted" look it can have once put together-Thank you, I enjoy that 'tilted' look too.

This has been such a fun week as I tried to peek in as much as possible to the QM blog to see the other designers and to pop over to some of your blogs as well.
A BIG GIANT WELCOME to my new followers as well! I will be visiting each of your blogs very soon:)

It isn't too late to sign up for the tree skirt-along. IF you send me an email to robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com I will send you an email when the next set of instructions goes out since I know how easy it is to forget something:)

If you feel a bit timid about paper piecing, not to worry:
Starting on the 17th (after I know the magazine is out), I will be posting additional tips for paper piecing.

I am so excited about the formation of my own little tree skirt group and can't wait to see our accomplishments. One of the comments stated wanting to make this as a table topper and, Donna, you are so right... I had that in mind until tree skirt was suggested by a friend.
Remember that everything is attainable is small steps. I read every single comment and found 14 who want to do the tree skirt along with another 7 'maybe's. IF every one of us finishes a top, what a wonderful SHOW AND TELL we will have!

I look forward to all the variations. You may think with just red and white there won't be, but there are so many shades of red:) Variety makes the world go round...see you soon.

100 Quilt Blocks Blog Tour Monday

2010-11-08T02:00:00.004-05:00

IT'S COMING..... On newstands November 16th, Volume 2 of Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks...can you feel the anticipation? This is my first time participating in the 100 Quilt Blocks Collector's Edition and also my first time participating in a blog tour....it is all very exciting. There will be many giveaways here and there including the original signed blocks from this issue. You will want to go 'there' (100QB Blog) to visit all the designers linked to the blog tour and to enter the drawings for fun prizes. Everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will be entered to win a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks Volume 2. At the end of this post you will find an additional opportunity to create, participate, and win so come along for the journey:)

Here is my block, "Spiked Pinwheels" #125 on page 34. The paper piece template is available in the magazine. I have been experimenting with paper piece designs lately which is quite a departure from the applique designs I am used to creating. The first time I tried paper piecing, I was very intimidated and not overly thrilled. Now I find it easy and even enjoy the monotony of taking out the paper. Paper piecing offers such accuracy and the designs I am working on now offer the quiltmaker a variety of personalized creations based on color placement and block rotation.
You will need 4 quadrants to make one block and this is what the colorway in the magazine looks like in a 3 across x 4 down block layout...look at that wonderful secondary design. Keeping the center fabric a light color really gives you a sparkling star effect.

This photograph shows a completely different look by rotating the quadrants before sewing the block together. I was amazed at the striping you get when you multiply the blocks into a quilt. Think of all the color possibilities.

Then one day as I was driving down the highway, I noticed a soybean field that had started to turn that acid green color. Along the highway rows of white and bright purple wildflowers had been added-what a striking color combination.
I know not everyone loves earthy autumn colors the way I do, so here is a completely different colorway for you---

I love the vividness of this and notice I only used 3 colors in this version vs. 6 in the original block. I also alternated the color placement in the center vs. using the same color in the same placement in all 4 quadrants.

This is how a quilt would look in this colorway/layout. The German in me is a bit put off by the crooked feeling it gives off but that is also what makes it kind of cool! Just changing the color placement in the centers gives it a zig zag feel.

I felt that the picture of the whole quilt might overwhelm some especially if this is your first attempt at paper piecing (I promise it is easy!) so I pared it down to a 4 block layout. Once these triangle pieces were added, I started to get very excited.

Who is up for a challenge?? I have never made a tree skirt before and I think this pattern would be perfect so here is what I am proposing:

Peppermint Swirls.

The instructions for this tree skirt will be given in 3 sets:

November 8th: The center 4 blocks and initial fabric requirements

November 22nd: The striped triangle sets

December 6th: The finishing instructions including cutting the hole, quilting, and binding.

These dates make each step very attainable and gets it finished in time for a sweet Christmas gift.

You will need:

1 Yard each of red fabric and white fabric. This will complete 4 blocks with enough left over to add the stripes to the triangle sets in the next installment.

The instructions for the block will be in the magazine (on stands Nov 16th). You will make 4 quadrants for one block and you will make 4 blocks.

NOTE: See the color layout here and notice that the centers have been reversed for 2 quadrants. Two quadrants have a red/white/red placement and two have a white/red/white placement which allows for the swirl effect.

My paper piecing tips are:

1. Lower your stitch length to help perforate the paper as you sew. On my machine, I lower it to a 1.4 and I use regular copy paper as my foundation.

2. I would suggest using the Add-a-Quarter Ruler if you have access to it.

3. I also take a colored pencil and place a checkmark in each area of my templates to match the color fabric I am to put there...helps to keep me from getting confused:)

Paper piecing isn't your thing? Please let me know why in the comment section (be sure you leave a way for me to contact you) so that I can still enter you to win a FREE copy of 100 Quilt Blocks. I will announce the winner on this blog on Friday Morning. Good Luck:)

Paper piecing is your thing? Great! Follow along for the next 5 weeks, email a picture of your completed top (I am giving us all a Nov/Dec craziness out:) to robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com , and with your permission I will be posting all our wonderful tree skirts in a special Dec 14th post.

In addition, every completed top will be entered into a drawing for 2 FREE patterns of the winner's choice from my website. They make great stocking stuffers:)

Education of the Artist Pt 3

2010-11-04T08:43:00.008-04:00

Esterita Austin

I took a workshop with this leader in my field.

"The school years may be the perfect time to take on large problems, but do you really want to pencil in 'Change Basic Premise of Educational System' at the top of your To Do List?", Ted Orland.

A friend posted this video link and I was blown away...not only by the information within but the artistic way Sir Ken Robinson shares the information with us. I sometimes found myself drifting as I watched him draw and wondered how long it took him to condense this down for the clip. Enjoy and make sure you come back:) (or watch once done reading)

"A degree in art doesn't automatically make you an artist any more than lacking a degree precludes you from becoming an artist."

We need to remember that everyone learns differently though. Some artists will thrive being/learning on their own while others will crave the energy of a room filled with like-minded people. Which one are you? Whichever one you are, do you make the effort to balance your life with the other?

If you are the latter, it doesn't mean you must apply to college, rather that you should be open to alternative learning opportunities. Back in the day artists became apprentices of the masters. As Ted talks about apprenticeships, he points out the obvious, " ...there aren't enough masters to go around."

What is attainable to us all are extended workshops with a top artist in your medium. These offer great one on one opportunities as well as critiques and feedback and comradery with fellow artists of a like passion.

They can be costly so do some research on scholarships offered through guilds or grants offered through local/state art councils. My local council just offered such a grant and my local quilt guild offers a scholarship every year to Symposium.

"Workshops offer aspiring artists arguably the best- and absolutely the most concentrated - of all educational possibilities."

"Moreover, every student figures out sooner or later that the really important discoveries don't even occur during the formal morning or afternoon sessions- they happen in the spaces between sessions, out in the field or over lunch or coffee, or late in the evening when everyone's sharing sketches spread out all over the floor and arguing about the future of the world. These intense and often intimate encounters at the edges of the main event bring another revelation-that finding your friends is every bit as important to your future as learning your craft."

I couldn't have stated this any better! The electricity I feel when working alongside others in my medium can be overwhelming at times. I always come away feeling scattered and focused at the same time. In the last few years, I have transitioned into teaching and that is an amazing experience in itself and I am so grateful to have all of these opportunities.

So go forth and learn! :)

Quilter's World

2010-11-02T11:30:00.005-04:00

Quilter's World December issue is chock full of vibrant reds and greens to make your holiday season POP!

In the midst of all these wonderful designs you will find my new pattern, Gingko Romance. My family is all about traditions and you can read about a fun international tradition as you set out to make your own.

Enjoy,

Robin

Harvest Nights

2010-11-01T21:01:00.016-04:00

It isn't too late to have this adorable wall quilt hanging for Thanksgiving....

Harvest Nights 22" Square

"Harvest Nights" was created to satisfy my need for pumpkins:) To me there is no smell more wonderful than pumpkin pie and a slice with redi whip- YUMMM!

This is a 12" candle mat that is the bonus layout in the pattern. It is also what I use for my beginner hand applique class because the curves are nice and gentle. The leaf gives opportunities for inner and outer points without being too tough.

My tester's version used the same fabric as the strip to give a wonderful frame effect...lovely job, Susan.
Use fusible applique and machine quilting and you are done in a weekend. That is something to be thankful for :)

The Education of the Artist Part 2

2010-10-31T09:38:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween:) Above are my daughters' pumpkins from this year representing their college teams: ECU Pirates and NC State Wolfpack. They did a great job! I am so very proud of them working hard at school to learn all they can for when they go out into the world....but what are they learning and does it matter to them?

In part 1, we discussed 'everything matters'...so 'What Matters' to you??
"We hardly need to 'decide' to scan for knowledge- it's already hard-wired into us. Our species seems to harbor a singular need to understand why things are the way they are- a need to grasp their underlying nature." There are many areas from which to choose to enrich your understanding of the world around you. Each of us has already headed down a path and we can make decisions every day to lead us to the goals we set for ourselves; but we don't really know where we are heading.
"Where did you learn the things that really matter to you?"
"Where was that critical fork in the road that directed you to this point?"
"Who have been your real teachers?"
These are great and fascinating questions and the answers will number the stars for every one of us. I think a good portion of us can say our parents taught us the most basic values that we then tweaked to our individuality once grown. As to "...that critical fork...", I can't count just one. There have been multiple pivotal moments and hindsight is 20/20:) As to my entry into the quilt world, a fellow Coast Guard spouse named, Michelle, taught me while I was stationed in Puerto Rico 10+ years ago. She was passionate about quilting and wanted to make some new friends....so a small group of us would gather at her house once a week and she taught us the basics while enjoying chocolate cake and rum punch:) It is amazing my seams are still together on that first quilt!

"For better or worse we've created an educational system that only works on any large scale when the knowledge being offered is first pre-packaged into teachable gradable transferable and preferably marketable semester-length courses- and in recent years, structured as well to satisfy the current political demand for quantifiable proof that learning has occurred." I cherish those memories and learning moments that would not have been attainable through a formal art education process. The education system is set up to teach lessons with definative right and wrong answers. In an art mind there are no right and wrong answers. Don't misunderstand me: We do need the education system to give the basics of design element, history, etc. because without any exposure, how do you move forward? If you don't have a basic understanding and a platform from which to start, how can you possibly go in a different direction or reject the status quo?

When learning something new, there is a lot to be said of learning on your own. Yes you may be doing the process the hard way (at first) but it is Your way and the way your brain works things out can't be taught in a classroom. Once you have sorted out a process and then you learn other methods of doing the same thing, you have a basis from which to accept or reject those other methods. Sometimes in a classroom setting you are only taught one way as the 'right' way.

"Wisdom does not reside in facts alone-experiential, intuitive and moral judgements on how knowledge should be used lie near the core of our definition of humanity. As history suggests, getting a rocket off the ground is only half the equation."
How many of you had a formal art education?
How many of you have learned as you go?
It is our responsibility to educate ourselves in whatever path we are taking whether it be through reading, workshops, experimentation, or a formal degree. I personally feel that all methods available to us should be seized upon in order to allow us the freedom to buck the status quo:)

There is more discussion on Katharine's blog.

The Education of the Artist Part 1

2010-10-21T08:22:00.005-04:00

Education is key in anything we want to pursue and art is no different. This is the topic of the 4th chapter in The View From the Studio Door which I will break down into a few parts so that we can thoroughly discuss it. The discussion also continues on Katharine's blog.

Above is my second cross stitch made when I was 10-12 years old...I didn't want to finish but my mom wouldn't let me start something new until I finished my current project. Too bad that lesson didn't stick with me:) I leave many projects unfinished now. I did learn that I won't like everything I will work on. I also learned workmanship and neatness and carry those lessons into what I do today.

Ted ended chapter 3 by stating that we artists are making the world a better place and to move us closer to becoming a society that values every artist we must first acknowledge our own contributions.
We begin chapter 4 wondering how to get to where we need to be, "Indeed you may wonder what magical qualities you'd need to even begin such a journey." Ted discusses doing the work (a lot of it), caring about the work, and mastering the work.
*****While reading this chapter on learning I remembered a blog post I had read about blogging with a learner's mind. It was very interesting and could be applied here as well since there is a lot of positive reinforcement in each section of this post. I digress....

"Consciously or otherwise, we each self-select the path we need to take."
Take 10 minutes to really think back on your lives and what paths you took that brought you to the place you are now. I truly believe that ALL experiences-good and bad- have a lesson in them that you can apply to what and who you are today. "After all, if there's no predicting which particular piece of knowledge or experience will later prove essential, we're faced with the disconcerting possibility that everything matters."
Everything does matter! I didn't enjoy cross stitch when I was young but I eventually came back to it for it's familiarity and then learned that I really enjoyed it. This led to learning other mediums of art which eventually led me back to fiber. I have held many jobs in my life that I stumbled upon and they all had something to do with advertising. All those bits of information help me immensely today with my own business of self publishing my patterns, writing copy, marketing, etc.
We have all been learning our art and how we approach our art and how we put that art out into the world our whole lives. As we continue on this path, we can correct and/or change directions as we see fit for where we are going or want to go. YOU are in charge and you have a lot of the information and education you need...AND you will keep adding to that information. Try to learn one new thing each day---you never know when you will need it:)

Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks is coming....

2010-10-19T08:05:00.009-04:00

Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks will have a new block by NESTLINGS by Robin in the second edition that comes out in November.

I went in a new direction with this block so those of you used to seeing applique will be in for a surprise. I have a lot more of these designs on their way in 2011 and I hope you will let me know how you like them.

The blog tour will be November 8-12. Stay posted for giveaways and lots of new ideas from all the designers.

Art and Society

2010-10-18T12:11:00.004-04:00

Art, Society, and our place in it: Where do you fit in?
I won't be answering any questions today but rather sending more out into the world for us to ponder and in turn ask each of ourselves so that maybe one by one we can bring art back into society's broader appreciation.

"ART plays no clear role in our culture.
ARTISTS have little direct contact with their audience.
ARTMAKING is indulged, but rarely rewarded."

These are the larger issues that Ted Orland feels artists today face. So the question becomes, How do we change that?

"....there was a time (and not all that long ago) when artists were employed to make new art every week-art that addressed the deepest issues of life and death and spirituality. We have nothing like that today-and it makes you wonder: how would art and artists be received today if we made work that spoke for the community rather than to the community?"
As much as I don't necessarily feel that every piece of art has to "stand" for something, I will say that artists that speak for a community do tend to stand out more and get more praise and critical acclaim. Think of rappers that bring certain atrocities to light or artists who paint murals about the environment, etc.
So what to do if I really just want to bring beauty to your world and not hash out every outrage of our society? I have lived in darkness and don't want to go back there!

Ted goes on to discuss being productive and making art vs. believing the myth of creative genius and natural talent. He discusses the "creative process" and how getting better means making a lot of art; ".....having a working command of the creative process-that is, all those elements that lead to the making of art-is truly essential"

"...................take comfort in all those small steps"

"If you develop productive working patterns and learn from the work itself along the way, you will always be on the path toward making the best work you can."

"The common ground shared by artists who make continuing progress in their work is that they have committed themselves to working on the things that really matter to them."
"So what (if anything) does all this mean for you?....................................stay at work on the things that are really important to you, and you will reach your potential as an artist"

Two weeks ago I received the second rejection of a book proposal. I Love the designs within the book and so does everyone else who has seen them. Still the job isn't getting done somewhere along the way. The knee-jerk reaction is to have a pity party about how it isn't any good---STOP! They are good-great, in fact- and I need to "stay at work" on this path. The universe around me is pushing me in this direction as well through no nonsense friends and a supportive husband and multiple paths that I can traverse down until I get the desired outcome.

Society does not need to dictate to us about our art, but does this bring us back to 'speaking to the community' with our art?
We are in charge of our own destinies though and can be successful with our art with lots of hard work. Weren't we all raised to believe that if you worked hard enough, you could attain your goals? First we must know what the goals are though and so I challenge each of you to choose one very large and one very small goal to work toward. Place a completion date of December 31st, 2010 for the small goal and December 31st, 2011 for the large goal and make it work!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME:)

2010-10-15T18:31:00.007-04:00

I realize it may not be proper to tell everyone how much I love my birthday but I don't care. Women diminish so many things in our lives because it isn't ladylike to sing our praises....it isn't humble to want the spotlight.

Sorry....I do want the spotlight and I enjoy having one day a year where attention is paid to me and gifts given to me. While we are at it, I love winning ribbons and making money from my art. There I said it out loud and I firmly believe there are many others just like me. I may not be very good at taking compliments (they make me very uncomfortable) but when I know they are sincere, I glow on the inside.

The first gifts to arrive were a wonderful new Flip video camera from my dear husband (look for video tutorials in my future:) and my copy of the QNN dvd for new members.

I was given this complimentary copy because when you join, I am one of the sponsors of free patterns this year and there are many other wonderful gift ideas as well.

My next fun gift was from my daughter...An Evening with John Barrowman. He is the heart throb from the BBC Torchwood series. He has an amazing voice and sings cheesy love songs and disco tunes on this dvd....so much fun and very easy on the eyes:)

Because life is not all sunshine, my rejected book proposal came back to me next. It was bittersweet- unhappy it was rejected but happy to have my project (babies) back.

My mother always sends me something fun and unexpected and this year was no different. Mom is a master knitter and I love scarves so this year....

a box of Potato chip scarves. How fun are they? Just swirls of fuzziness:)

Then to top that.........

A vegan 100% silk scarf that is so light and lace-like I am a bit hesitant to wear it. It is fragile and wonderful and I can't wait to wear it:) This is my first bit of silk and now it is time to go shopping to find the perfect blouse to wear it with!

Thank you to my friends who sent cards and facebook well wishes. I am very happy to be here another year and feel loved.

Making Sense of Art

2010-10-14T10:34:00.009-04:00

IS THIS ART?

Today's chapter begs the age old question, What is Art? I love the photo above and feel it has artistic qualities but don't know if I would call it art. It is my photo and I love the hazy look of it along with the glow of the buildings coming to light as darkness starts to fall. I didn't think about all that as I took the photo, I just loved the feel of it all.

Again Ted compares the animals to us, ".....constructing a robin's nest also requires an active effort. If I dismiss the bird's efforts as "nest-building", then why should Frank Lloyd Wright's efforts to that same end be accorded some privileged status as "architecture"? OK, robin's efforts are instinctive, while Wright's are the product of conscious reasoning, but should that make any difference?" So, should it? Wen commented yesterday, "I think spider webs are artistic but I think the spider uses them to catch his dinner." I too think animals are artistic...they are just oblivious to it. Are we artists because we make the art intuitively or because we have the reasoning and the words to describe what we do?

My comment on Katharine's blog yesterday:

I am finding the comparisons between the animal world and the human world very interesting. I think that many animals are artistic just oblivious to the art they create since they do it out of necessity (instinct).When we as artists create because we have to, it is called intuition and Ted states this is closely related. We also have the words to describe what is art to us and the emotions to feel the art we view. I don't necessarily think that the emotions have to be deep societal statements...sometimes the beauty of a moment frozen in time is enough to render someone speechless and everyone's moments/memories are different.

There are many books written on the subject of 'what is art?' and it has been discussed to death on many forums. I think every artist needs to define this for their own work vs. letting the world define their work for them. You can't let everyone be your critic. This isn't to say you shouldn't be aware of what the art world is doing so you know how you do or don't fit in-just don't let that define you.

This is all great positive self-talk for myself as I sit here today awaiting the return of my rejected book proposal. Dear friends took me out last Friday morning to 'set me straight' so to speak. They didn't conjole and say it would all be ok. Instead they gave sound constructive advice on moving forward and I was gently chided for my negative thinking. Not ones to give empty compliments, they stated my talents and told me to continue doing the work I love and everything would come in time. Impatient me still wants to yell, WHEN????.

The theme of that morning continued throughout the weekend with conversations with my husband, discussions on radio programs, and horoscopes (though normally taken with a grain of salt suddenly sounded prophetic).

I deem what I do art. Even the most traditional quilt that I have painstakingly assembled by hand over weeks/months is art due to my view of design and the imprint of my soul in every stitch.

In describing gardens, Ted says, "the most prevalent role of the garden today is simply to provide its maker with a small oasis of peace and privacy- a refuge from an increasingly harsh world." Shouldn't that be what art does for each of us whether you make it or admire it?

Making Sense of the World

2010-10-12T09:44:00.006-04:00

I follow an artist named Katharine A. Cartwright and she has started a new book that I actually own titled, "THE VIEW From the Studio Door" by Ted Orland. This time I thought I would read along and take part in the comment discussions that happen on her blog.

This is the view out of my studio at present due to a combination of storms that hit North Carolina a week and a half ago. It is slowly getting better and I don't mind the view....I have waterfront property:)

Back to the book... In the first chapter, Making Sense of the World, Ted asks lots of questions. "What are we actually doing when we make art?" There is a lot of talk about why we make art and animals don't, what the deep need to make art is doing for us, etc. That isn't what I was intrigued by:

There is a story about a man that goes on a walk with a mushroom hunter. That example really drove home the sense of how what I see differs from what you see. The mushroom hunter saw the paths and hiding places of mushrooms where the man saw a tangled mess of moss and pine needles.
We all have a common sense of the sky being blue, grass being green, etc. but not all people are fascinated by the clouds in the sky or the weeds amongst the grass the way I am or maybe you are.

Ted talks of the mental map we are all making second by second as our brains choose which pieces to keep and which pieces to put to the background.
"The process of being unfolds as an endlessly overlapping succession of most-plausible-pictures. We become who we are by virtue of the choices we make-consciously or otherwise-about which parts belong to the story, and which parts can be left out."
Today when you go to your art, which pieces will you choose to include into your vision of the world around you???

Seagrove, NC

2010-08-24T09:20:00.028-04:00

Well I did my part this weekend to support local artists:) As I have said before, my husband is in the USCG and this is our last year in NC. Whenever the last year of a duty station comes around, we start making a list of places/things we would like to see/do before we leave. We never know if we will get back to this area again.

This weekend we headed to Seagrove, NC. known for it's pottery. There are approximately 32 potters in a 10 mile radius. On the 4 hour trip to Seagrove we went through Fayetteville, NC. where there is a lovely quilt shop, Quilt N' Tiques on Anderson St. in the downtown. We also drove through the adorable town of Cameron which is full of antique shops and not much else. If you are looking for high quality antiques, this is the place to go.

We had a pretty good lunch at the Jugtown Cafe in Seagrove where we planned our attack:) There was no way to see them all so a stop into the North Carolina Pottery Center really helped to narrow down the choices. There is a section there that has samplings of the various potters so you can go to the ones that are to your tastes. Also in the center there is the history of NC pottery and lots of displays.This candle holder is one of my finds from Smith Pottery. I wanted lots of things but tried to be practical in my purchasing. The design on this is very subdued compared to some of the pieces there with beautiful Tree of Life designs. They had 3 different Bridal Registry sign ups displayed.

We went to Fat Beagle Pottery just for the name. Sadly no beagle to play with; I do miss my Schmoopy. There I found this sweet leaf dish. It is not very big...maybe good for a serving spoon.

At O'Quinn Pottery I found this business card holder. I am pretty sure they are using the scraps from other pieces to create this (cutting waste-great) and I just love the stamping in it and the deep earthy color. Great little $6 find.
There shop is in a 100 year old cabin that is very rickety but adorable. Most of the shops were very old feeling and out in these beautiful country settings. I was very envious.

My favorite that we went to was Ray Pottery. I would totally redo my kitchen in all of their dishware. This simple crock will probably hold my coffee and I am thinking of buying matching coffee mugs in the future. This is one of the few potters with a site. Even so I was impressed with the organization of the potters in the area. The center really helps and they have all advertised in a beautiful fold out map with their addresses and locations so you can spend a day driving out in the country from shop to shop. I dreamt out loud about textile artists taking over a town like this and becoming a destination. I am not sure how they all make a living but the diversity of design helps.

When we stopped at the Ben Owen Studio, you could walk out to the kilns in the back and they were so impressive. I took many pictures of these for possible screening images.
For our overnight extravagance, we stayed at a B&B named the Duck Smith House. The pictures on their site do it more justice than my pictures. I loved all the bead board and the old fireplaces and that gorgeous man on the couch (22 years worth:).The sisters who own it are very friendly and we fortunately had the place to ourselves so we enjoyed sitting out in the fancy living room to watch Eureka friday night. After an extremely comfortable night's sleep, we drank coffee from the mugs that Ray Pottery makes and they fit the hand wonderfully. Breakfast was stuffed French Toast-yummm:) Thank you again, Barbara and Suzanne!

These next pictures are of the outbuildings on the B&B property and give a good semblance of what some of the pottery studios looked like.

This is the Pisgah Covered Bridge. Lots of photos were taken of the rock supports.

Here is another picture of a butterfly that seemed to taunt me everytime I stopped to take photos. I would get excited and just as the button was about to be pressed, flutter flutter flutter away. I did manage to get 2 decent pics (out of about 20) and that will have to do.

Antique Treasures

2010-08-17T13:26:00.008-04:00

Yesterday while my daughter and I were out for the day (soooo much fun!), one of the things we did was go to a new antique shop in town. It is in a great old home that really gives you that treasure hunting feeling: The Blue Gardenia Antique Company. There were so many beautiful items organized into little nooks.
Before I even entered the shop I found this geometric textile printing block. It might just decorate my shelves but how cool??

Then while we were inside, my daughter found the best one which definately looks like work I would do only in applique. I had to have them both and now I do:) I am lucky to have it too since the owner almost kept it because she likes them so much. There may be more for my collection too....

Tiffany, one of the owners, showed me another one that she had (not for sale)that was carved out of a log and it was gorgeous. The log had a honey pecan color and it had been inked in teal....very striking together.

You just never know what you will find and where.

Does Mass Produced or Assembly Line art still have meaning?

2010-08-16T09:08:00.008-04:00

I have been neglecting all my reading over the last few months while working on other projects so it felt great to curl up with a few of my magazines and catch up this past weekend.
As I read through the June Issue of Art Calendar, two articles made opposing statements about the current art scene and something that has bothered me in the past. In the article "The Measure of Success" there is a quote from critic Roberta Smith about the recent exhibitions in New York Museums, "....were all part of a big-box chain featuring only one brand...What's missing is art that seems made by one person out of intense personal necessity, often by hand." I turn the page to the next article, "Less is More at the 2010 Whitney Biennial" and here the writer, Fred B. Adelson, states; "The days when artists fashioned an installation of scattered pieces directly in the gallery or had their work fabricated by outside specialists now seems passe or overly extravagant; the making of art is again measured by the direct manipulation of medium. As a result many pieces possess distinctly tactile surfaces or have expressive gestural markings."
I whole-heartedly agree that art should be made by the artist's hand. There has been recent discussion on one of my lists about apprentices, etc. and I do realize that they are important. What I don't appreciate are the artists that have become so "important" and sought after that they have a hired team of artists working for them who ACTUALLY do the work. If I had the money to buy some of the artwork I really like, I would want to know that the artist ACTUALLY painted, sculpted, etc. the piece him/herself. I would hate to think that I paid a lot of money for work that JDArtist did from a rough sketch from the actual artist.

Art isn't suppose to be about 'big business' is it? Doesn't the value in art come from knowing that this very talented person created this vision by hand? Wouldn't that equate to art being less valuable if created en mass by a company of employees?

How many times has an art discussion been about the meaning and feeling behind a particular piece. The question then becomes, does that meaning change if the artist who felt it/envisioned it didn't do the work?

I don't have the ultimate answer to this but I feel the frustration of many fellow artists. I find it difficult to watch some not-so-talented artists rake in millions of dollars due to great marketing vs. talent and then know that they didn't even actually make the work. Some will chalk this up to sour grapes and I am sure that I glow green some days; but more importantly I feel that the art world is succumbing to the same problem that is hurting our country in so many ways...Commercialism. I had hoped that art would be safe from this due to the intensely personal beginnings of most artwork from deep within the artist's soul and heart.

Art with function

2010-07-26T10:45:00.002-04:00

Recently friends of mine had to close their gallery and move away. Before leaving we bartered for each other's art. I am pretty sure I got the better end of the deal on this one. This vase stands about 12" tall and is made of Redwood Burl with one simple copper strip inserted within the natural figuring of the wood. Their work enhances the natural beauty of the wood and the finish is so amazing you just can't keep your hands off of it.
Yesterday my daughter brought me flowers because she said the vase looked too bare:) She chose well...the flowers accent the vase perfectly!

Travels part 3

2010-07-24T10:41:00.018-04:00

We live in such a small world now due to technology and my world became just a wee bit smaller when I was able to meet up with the wonderful artist Robin Pedrero whom I had met a year earlier on Twitter. Robin graciously took time out of her busy schedule to play tour guide to me and thankfully we were able to do a few things she had never done so she wasn't too bored:)

First she took me to one of the galleries that shows her work- Gallery 1792. Tommie was fun and I also got a sneak peek at the Red Chair piece they were all working on.

Then we were off for lunch to the Ravenous Pig. I realize that the name may not sound appetizing but the restaurant itself had a wonderful comtemporary setting with some rustic qualities like tin tile ceilings and a brick wall. The food was fresh and eclectic. We both enjoyed our meal while getting to know each other and finding out we had more in common than just our name:)

Our next stop was the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Garden. These gardens are set right on one of the lakes I had just toured so there is a water view as you stroll through the vibrant flowers and sculptures.

Our view as we stepped through the gates into the gardens.
I know that this sculpture is stone but it has such an organic feel to it in color and in it's depiction of leaves.

More statues along the path. He liked to do human forms and busts.

I have always been enamored with the large trees of the south covered with spanish moss. Maybe one too many romance novels as a young girl:)

A close up of the moss from the tree above.

This is heading back to the Museum building. They have different exhibits from time to time.

Next Robin took me to the Maitland Art Center in Maitland, Fl. The grounds are gorgeous and the galleries are set up beautifully. There are additional buildings for classes and artist studios.....I was so envious.

The outdoor gardens contain this chapel where they hold weddings. The gardens are full of beautiful mayan style tile work....I was in love!

This picture is the peaceful garden outside of one of the gallery spaces. It really was a magnificient center. By the end of the day I was on complete beauty overload and my brain was swimming with so many ideas. Robin was a terrific ambassador for her hometown of Orlando and I feel she will be a lifelong art friend.

It felt great to get out of my world for a change of pace and scenery and to do it all with a companion that saw the beauty around us in the same way. On more than one occassion we both said, "look at that" at the same time with the same enthusiasm. This is what I was refering to in my earlier post about sharing the experience. These moments sparked a conversation about color and composition that is one dimensional when I am alone even when the other voices in my head are chiming in...LOL :)

As I drove back to the hotel, I was on the phone and so I pulled the car over to finish my discussion. It was then that I noticed this family of birds...I don't know what they are but it was sweet to watch the three of them. At first the mom was with the baby in the shade and then they all wandered off together pecking through the grass as they went.

Travels part 2

2010-07-22T08:17:00.015-04:00

On my travels I snapped over 200 photos. Since it isn't feasible to share all here, you will have to survive with these peeks into other worlds. Hopefully they will be enough to wet your appetite so that these destinations go on your bucket list. I firmly believe everyone should have one of these lists. Of course I am a list maker by nature and even when everything on the list doesn't get done, I still feel a wonderful rush and sense of accomplishment for the items that get crossed off. Even though I can now cross off the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I wouldn't mind putting it back on the list:)
After we walked under the sign from yesterday's post, we were in the village of Hogsmeade complete with a Butter Beer Keg, wonky chimneys, and the turrets of Hogwart's rising over the rooftops in the distance.
I have been asked what Butter Beer tastes like. I really enjoyed it even though I found it very very sweet. Imagine butterscotch candy in liquid form topped with this wonderfully buttery sweet cream to represent the foam of a beer. It was terrific on a hot day:) They also sold Pumpkin Juice and as a lover of just about everything pumpkin, I had to try that too. It tasted like pumpkin pie in juice form. I liked it but again too sweet to drink a lot of.

While we stood in line at the castle for the BIG ride we were walked through various parts of the castle. The first being the greenhouse where they took their classes for Herbology, I believe. This is a picture of Caged Mandrakes. When you look closely you can see their little eyes just above the soil. As I said yesterday, I relished in the attention to detail of the whole experience.

Here we waited in a portrait hall with 30-40 foot ceilings. There were even openings to other places...who knows where they lead. There were 4 (digital) portraits of the Namesakes of the four Houses that carried on a running dialogue as you stood in line. There were many areas where there were moving pictures and you had to pay attention or miss something.

Here is a close up of one of the store fronts. This is SPINTWITCHES Sporting Needs. I took this close up for the snitch that hangs in front of the shop. Their window display had the trunk that contained all the balls and it was jumping around as the balls tried to escape. The bookstore had moving pictures of Lockhart in little frames along with copies of all of his books. The music shop had music sheets flying around behind it's windows. You couldn't go into all of these shops but they were so much fun to study.

My next adventure was to the town of Winter Park, Fl.
It was the first time in probably 20+ years that I had been completely alone while somewhere else. I was very intimidated at first but was prepared with a list of places to see thanks to QA member Pat Schaer. I began at the Morse Museum where the majority of Tiffany glass is displayed. You would think it would be easy to be alone when surrounded by so much beauty but I really love to share experiences. I wish my mom had been with me so we could ooh and aah together over all the shiny stuff:) We tease that we are like magpies. A couple of times I found myself jumping into others' experience by commenting on something we were all looking at. I knew I needed to stop that, feel and see the art around me, and learn to be alone in the moment. Eventually I just stared at each peace in amazement. The quality and creativity of this artist in that time was just stunning. I didn't realize how prolific he was and the variety of mediums he pursued. I was on creativity overload when I walked out the door.

Lunch was at a terrific Turkish restaurant named Bosphorous in the downtown area. I had never had Turkish food before and I was not disappointed. The Chicken Adana came with julienned carrots, pickled beets and red cabbage, and dilled onions. I truly enjoy savory dishes like this. I have never walked into a restaurant and been asked, "table for one?"....a little daunting but the food made up for that!

Then I was off for a boat tour around the lakes of Winter Park. Yes, I said lakeS. I wondered how that would work and soon found out they are connected by these quaint canals where you feel like you are on a jungle cruise.

Of course all the lakes are bordered by glorious mansions. Love the boat house with this mansion below.

Here is a picture of one of the canals and one of the 'boat' garages that line the canals.

The landscaping of the house below is so exotic feeling...can I just move into the boat/guest house?????

I can't even imagine vacationing somewhere like this let alone living there everyday....but it is fun to dream:) Can I add that to my bucket list?

Stay tuned for tomorrows travels to a sculpture garden........

Travels part 1

2010-07-21T09:41:00.009-04:00

Last month I had an opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida. While there I forced my husband to go to Universal to see the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter . I knew this was terrible timing being the height of tourist season and only one week after opening but that little voice of warning was quickly squashed because I knew this would be my only chance to go. We would never make a specific trip just to do this. We were piggybacking this onto a business trip and you do what you can.

The tree above is in the first section of Universal-Islands of Adventure. I have never seen such a cool palm tree and am sure this will make it's way into my art at some point. There were many wonderful architectural details that I snapped photos of for inspiration.

The weather was hot and sticky and may have helped in my argument against moving to Florida on our next military transfer (he has always wanted to live there) since he was just as miserable as I was. The lines were excrutiatingly long- 1 1/2 hours just to make it to the picture below....

Welcome to Hogsmeade

The bottom of the sign states: Please Respect the Spell Limits....the 'spells' were moving sooooooo sllloooooow.

Lines and weather aside, the whole place was amazing. I know I am not the only adult to be totally entranced by this fantasy world and being able to walk through areas from the movie was wonderful. The attention to detail was fantastic and inspiring and I so wanted to be able to walk across that bridge in the picture.

I was very happy to be able to walk through the town and have a Butter Beer and be a part of something that has entertained my whole family for a decade now. Then we got on the ride....they did a phenomenal job of putting you into that world via a 4D ride that allowed you to feel like you were flying, and brought you through a few of the frights we have all read about and seen on screen. If the lines had been shorter, I would have ridden this multiple times. There is something to be said about finding your inner child from time to time. She was there with me and we had a ball:)

Paper Cloth Clutch

2010-06-18T08:19:00.007-04:00

This is the paper cloth that I was working with a few months ago. I really did have a lot of fun with it and yet wondered what to do with it. It sat staring at me for quite some time. There are so many cute little bags or needle cases that can be made and I just needed to figure out what form I wanted to give to my work.

What is it about 'little' boxes and bags and places to hide stuff that is so compelling? I could never use them all nor do I need them but it is so hard to walk by a little box without wanting to at least open it and look inside---even though you know it is empty:) I am not really girly enough that I change my purses a lot but I love all the new styles of wallets and little bags to put inside my purse. Opening my purse is a colorful adventure where every thing has a little bag to be in: business cards, lip gloss and pill case, etc.

So one day I set out to make fimo buttons/beads and embedded some turquoise beads into the dough to match the paper cloth. Then while wrestling items on one of my shelves this eyelash yarn that matched perfectly fell into my hands and the result is this sweet little clutch.
7" wide by 3" high (space inside) with a fiber/bead closure
Paper cloth with inspirational quotes written on it.
$14 plus shipping

You will be notified by email when the item is shipped.
International orders please contact me for separate fees: robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

Vine Time

2010-06-14T11:17:00.009-04:00

"Vine Time"

11" w x 12 1/2" h mounted to 14" painted canvas

$170.00 plus shipping

This piece was created after learning how to use tyvek as a design element. The tyvek here is the grape cluster. The cluster was created using a hand dye fabric covered with green painted tyvek which was then melted. The additional 3D leaves are also melted tyvek. The binding is stitched with machine embroidery and then beaded.

Grapes to me are timeless and a constant design source. The beauty of vineyards and the luscious colors the leaves and grapes offer for artists is endless. My dining room and kitchen are designed with grapes and they sneak into my work sometimes too.

Art will be bubble wrapped and boxed appropriately for shipping and comes with a Certificate of Origin and Fiber Art Care instructions.
Shipping Insurance can be added for an additional fee at your request.
You will be notified by email when the item is shipped.
International orders please contact me for separate fees: robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

LEM4 on Tour

2010-06-09T18:59:00.004-04:00

For those that follow what I am up to, I am happy to report that the LEM 4 panel created for the Dream Rocket project from the beginning of the year is now on tour. The covering date for the rocket has been set for 2011 and in the meantime Jennifer thought it important to share these works with the children of the country until that date arrives.
I have put a black box around our piece that is now on exhibit at Great Explorations Children's Museum in St. Petersburg, FL, May 1, 2010 - August 1, 2010. It would have been a lot harder to find if not for Chris Gilman's beautiful red balloon:) For those of you with kids, maybe a field trip is in order......

Other Market Meetings

2010-06-04T08:43:00.016-04:00

While at Market this year I had the pleasure of attending 2 demos. The first was done by Lura Schwarz Smith, author of Secrets of Digital Quilting-From Camera to Quilt. She does beautiful work and the tips for creating depth along with using your printer were very accessible.My second demo was from Ruth Chandler and Liz Kettle, two of the authors of Fabric Embellishing-Basics and Beyond. They showed lots of fun creative ways to texturize your work.

Then there is Jane Davila! I am not sure what I could say that probably hasn't already been said about Jane (sweet, funny, sharing). I have been taking her online marketing class--my first online class. I already knew about 60% of the information but her comprehensive layout of everything has been so helpful as reinforcement that I am going in the right direction. Her dedication to making sure we all got what we needed out of the class was priceless.Fortunately her schedule allowed for us to go to lunch along with her lovely daughter and helper extraordinaire:) Every working mom should be so fortunate! We sat and chatted about all sorts of things and the pleasure was all mine. In the internet world we rarely get to meet the people that we develop relationships with, so this was a treat. For that reason alone I would recommend a Market trip and once you are there, the reasons to be there will grow by leaps and bounds. What better way to have your thumb on the pulse of our industry?

I am cautious taking classes at Market since I know that most of the material is only aimed at Quilt shop owners. Although I wish they focused more on the large population of designers that also make up this industry, if you are clever enough you can adapt a lot of the information to your needs in your business.

Meet Charlotte Angotti....quilter, teacher, stand-up comedienne!!
Almost 2 hours of non-stop hilarious stories about owning a shop, teaching classes and how to improve the classes you are teaching at your shop using natural progression for beginners to keep them intrigued and coming back. Great information no matter who you are. I am not a shop owner but I do teach classes and honestly the biggest thing Charlotte does to keep people coming back has nothing to do with quilting:) I don't need a class in quilting but I would take one of hers just to hang out with her! Her personality is her biggest selling point and I can ADAPT THAT to my business. I felt my $20 was well spent as I watched her work the room. I realized that I too have that capability but I don't utilize it enough.....stupid being 'overly professional' wins out. Don't get me wrong, professionalism is paramount but does not have to exclude having fun and being myself more, right? So take the classes but learn to read between the lines.

Meet Leigh Layton in fabric form.... Can't you learn a lot about a person through their art? I learned that Leigh has a wonderful sense of humor and loves to play with words. There were plenty of beautiful quilts at Market and this one just tickled my funny bone:) Do you see what I see?

The parting shot for this post is from one of the quilt shops we visited while in Minneapolis. Susan and Celine shopping and above them a quilt from our friends at The Quilt Branch...it was like they were with us in spirit:)

Meet Susan Knapp & Mary Jane Mattingly, aka

2010-06-01T07:56:00.010-04:00

The Quilt Branch.

Aren't they adorable? Don't let their size fool you...these two have personalities and hearts larger than life! It was a real pleasure getting to know them better and see their work in person. Here their booth displays beautiful quilts from their new book in the "Six Halves Make a Whole" series along with a new ruler. Below is the sweet signage that hung from either corner of their booth. I know this is mischievous but I really wanted to push that mini quilt every time I looked at it so it would appear to sway in the breeze:)
This last picture shows the booth neighbors and workers: (left to right) The Quilt Branch, Suzn Quilts, and Perkins Dry Goods.

Susan and Celine's helper, Molly

Not only were the women of these 3 posts booth neighbors but we were all living together for 5 days and oh the laughs we had. It says a lot about the character of all that not a rough patch was had in that time. We were there to support and take care of each other and we did! I was even able to lend a hand because the coffee was made in time for me to be human:) Thank you!

Market always amazes me and whether you like art quilts or traditional quilts, there is something to spark your interest. We laughed about being surrounded by all this beauty for 3-4 days and once they announce it is over the whole room changes in a matter of minutes just like Cinderella when the clock strikes midnight. It is a sight to behold and all that hard work is bearable (dare I say fun) when you are surrounded by caring people there to help one another.

Meet Susan Marth

2010-05-30T19:50:00.000-04:00

Since I left St. Louis in 2007 I have been fortunate enough to attend Houston to assist Susan of Suzn Quilts in her booth. I must admit to my alterior motive of using business as excuse to get to see her. Being a military spouse for 20+ years has it's challenges and leaving loved ones is by far the biggest. Working hard and playing hard should go hand in hand and Market offers both. This year we added Spring Market to our list so I could selfishly see friends twice this year.
Susan displayed her book, "Best Friends", in beautiful Moda Christmas fabrics by Holly Taylor. She also unveiled her newest pattern, "Ginger Bliss"....aren't they the cutest? It always feels strange to me to be surrounded by Christmas off season but it also makes me itch to get busy doing something new and fun to have for this next season.

Her new "Celebrate" pattern is so cute and versatile as well. Can you tell I am a fan?

Being a fan goes beyond her adorably original designs though. We met via a quilt guild meeting that she was lecturing at. I asked her to lunch so I could pick her brain about the design/pattern world. Honestly if we talked business for 30-45 minutes out of the 3+ hours we spent together, that would be a lot. It was just one of those meetings where you start talking with ease and before you know it you are regretably pulling yourself away because your family will expect you to come home eventually:)

This booth reflects the comfort of my friendship with Susan. You walk in and want to sit and sew and chat for hours. We should all be so fortunate to find that in a lifetime.

Meet Celine Perkins

2010-05-28T09:30:00.000-04:00

This is the talented Celine Perkins of Perkins Dry Goods and I am proud to call her my friend. Here she happily stands at her booth prepared to laugh with you or teach you how to use her wonderful Perfect Piecing Seam Guide.

"Twelve Oaks"

Tradition along with beautiful salmons, browns, and blues decorated her booth at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis, MN this year.

And you will notice in the next photo a poster for PASSPORT to Minneapolis. This smart group of business owners found a way to meet as many attendees as possible because who doesn't like a good treasure hunt?? We all know that every booth contains treasure and this guaranteed that shop owners would search a bit harder for just the right treasure to take home to their shops.

Celine is a Minneapolis native and graciously invited 4 of us to stay with her during market. Work is so much nicer when there is an evening gathering of brilliant minds to look forward to at the end of the day. Good food and Great friends-mixed in with a little rum have always made me smile and on this trip I was fortunate enough to add a few more names to my heart.

This is one of the quilts from Celine's new book, "Abundance". The queen size version is in the previous photo with the poster on it. This is Celine's 3rd book and her patterns contain something for everyone.

I was fortunate enough to stay an extra evening before I flew out and I had her all to myself. She took me to a Macys for dinner where we were served a popover that is considered a tradition there. I have never had anything like it! It was fluffy and eggy and crunchy on the outside....YUMMMM! Thank you, Celine! It was an extraordinary treat getting to know you better.

May Craziness

2010-05-27T08:31:00.013-04:00

Just as I was gearing up to vend at my local quilt show this year, strep throat reared it's ugly head and took out me and my husband. I honestly can't remember when I have felt so awful since I am the healthy one around here. Being our first year as empty nesters this was a challenge and we were pitiful, each on our own couch and covered in quilts. Whoever got up to go to the bathroom was tagged as the caretaker. The strep went straight to my voice and straight to my husband's ears. One day I squeaked at him "Well aren't we a pair? I can't talk and you can't hear." To this he replied, (can you see the punchline coming???) "Doesn't that make for a perfect marriage?" HA HA HA!
I have declared that we can't both be sick at the same time in the future!

Through it all I was able to get my work done, be reasonably prepared for my show, and speak with a very lovely Marge Simpson voice. My reward was a second place ribbon on a work I can't show yet and an Honorable Mention for another piece that was quite the challenge to figure out as it went along.

"Stingray Swirls"

This piece was computer designed, hand appliqued, machine quilted, faced and beaded.

The next 4 shots are of my booth from left to right. So above is the left wall where I realized that I do have a style in the pattern side of the house....yay! Below is the back wall featuring my logo quilt "Las Flores de Amigas". I am so proud of this quilt. This year was the second time that it was chosen to be a part of a guild raffle quilt and thankfully a member of our guild won it.

This next photo shows the right wall of my booth where lots of fun items were available. A lot of these items will soon be available on my website gift store for sale. I had brought some of my art along with handmade beads, ornaments, and hand-beaded scarves.

The backside of the right wall was open to the demo area and I didn't want to waste the space so I displayed alternate colorways of my designs there.

There were so many beautiful quilts at our show and I can't possibly put them all into one post. To start us off though, is Patti Brown's Storm at Sea. Patti is meticulous about her piecing and this quilt is no exception. Her patience to do those mariner's compass blocks deserved the ribbon even without all the other work:)

The quilt is approximately queen size and won 2nd place in the group category due the added talent of Laurie Mayo's quilting. After letting the quilt speak to her, many adorable details were added through quilting. The pic below shows these great turtles she added. There were also seahorses, starfish, and regular fish.

In our art category, Eileen Williams won the Arts Council sponsored Merit Award for Art and Innovation for the 3rd year in a row.

Here we are in front of her beautiful quilt, "Grazing in the Grass". I would love to say she is the competition to beat but there is no competition anywhere near her level of work....and sweetness:) I am so proud of her.

Lastly are the guild challenge quilts. Unfortunately only half of them are pictured below but you get the big winners in this pic. Our theme this year was Fresh Picked in NC.

I am the grapes in the upper right. The picture doesn't show it but the pear below my piece is 3D with a zipper in it so it is like a purse...too cute!

The piece below is the big winner in the challenge category by Carol Stens. The bird and all the fruit is 3D and we all know the extra work that takes.

Congratulations to all the winners at the Crystal Coast Quilt Guild show 2010. I know our judge had her work cut out for her because there were so many quilts that deserved ribbons. Our members are very talented!!

SAQA event

2010-04-12T11:10:00.013-04:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting an extremely talented group of women when the SAQA regional meeting was held in Rocky Mount, NC. Although not the best pic, here they are in order from left to right: Annette Rogers, Linda Black, Lois Griffith, Mary Miller, Pat Hansen, Judy Busby, Patti Powers, Judith Glover, Sandi Goldman, Mary Jane Harper, and Lorri Chambers. I have found as many of their links as possible so you can be as impressed as I am. ***If I missed anyone, please let me know***. Judy Glover did a wonderful job of being the town hostess by organizing dinner friday night at Outback and then a trip to the Ann Harwell exhibit at the Dunn Center. Viewing an exhibit of that magnitude with fellow artists is quite a treat. But wait there's more:) Saturday we met for show and tell and to learn a new technique. I cannot fully explain how great it was to meet these women, see their work, ask questions about various techniques, and just share share share. I spend a lot of time alone and had forgotten how invigorating meeting with like-minded people can be.
In the afternoon, Judy had organized a lunch for us at the Imperial Center, a not to miss destination if you are ever in the Rocky Mount, NC area. It is an old tobacco warehouse that has been turned into gallery spaces. The above pic shows some of the lovely brickwork leading into a fountain room. The pic below shows a gorgeous old loom that is one of their display pieces. I don't ever want to loom but I am fascinated by them.

We also saw a phenomenal exhibit by Keiji Shinohara who is a block printer. I will be writing a separate post about him.
Thank you to all of these women for being so sharing with their knowledge and making the trip to meet.

Thank you to Judy Glover for being such an amazing hostess, not only to the group, but to me as well.

Last but not least, Thank you to Lorri Chambers for sharing your technique with us...the possibilities are endless.

Keep learning. You never know when something new will solve a design dilemma.

Paper Cloth-How Fun!

2010-04-08T11:15:00.009-04:00

A friend of mine, Kathy Sands, talked about making paper cloth one day on her blog. I was very intrigued and went to her site to find her tutorial. Pulling out some of the papers I had been collecting for 'just the right thing', I began following the directions not sure of where it would take me.

This is a simple and fun process. The hardest part of all of it was having the patience to wait for it to dry. Not sure if I used too much glue but overnight was not enough time. Thankfully I had chosen right before I was leaving on a trip to attempt this so I left it wet and came home to it being dry....you know that whole "a watched pot doesn't boil" thing. It was so fun to see the colors from other papers peek through on this little shrimp. Who knows what I will do to him next:)

This piece was actually done first and in purples and blues since I decided that if I didn't really like it, I could make something for my mother in her favorite colors. Once I did some stamping and writing inspirational phrases on it, I really liked it. I have been collecting ideas for what to do with my wonderful new hand made paper...or is it cloth?

I have also started looking at all the paper I have in a new way. Now if I could only find the time. The great thing about this type of project is that it is relatively inexpensive, quick, and easy. It is the perfect project to jumpstart your creativity if you are in a lull and if you don't like it, you aren't out much. The paper designs add so much depth and you can just write on it to add to it.

Take a look at the tutorial and try your hand at surface design for dummies:)

How to start Blossoming

2010-04-01T08:10:00.008-04:00

Working for yourself with yourself all day everyday creates some challenges when it is time to talk to other people about what you do. As artists and business professionals, one of the best ways to grow your business is to learn to speak about what, why, and how you do what you love to do in an intelligent and coherent way.

Now don't take me as an expert since I am still learning, but practice makes perfect and I live by the motto 'fake it 'til you make it'. This week I had an opportunity to be radio interviewed. Radio is so much scarier than print...now I will hear every 'um', 'and so', and 'like' that I hate knowing I say. Preparation is key!

A week or two before the interview, I asked Jaynine what she would like to know about my business. She very promptly sent me a list of 8 or so questions that I reviewed and stewed over. This was vital to the success of the interview for me since I was able to respond in writing to the questions and then edit them (more than once) before writing a script for myself...now ask me if I stuck to it:)

I am ok with the knowledge that I didn't stick exactly to the script and that I rambled a bit here and there because for the most part I accomplished what I wanted: Talk about my art, my business, let people get to know me a bit, and get my name out there more in a mostly intelligent manner. And as I said before, practice makes perfect so the more I talk the easier it will be for the words to roll off my tongue when the next question comes at me. I am still learning so the experience was great and I feel that I am slowly blossoming every day with every new opportunity.

If you don't have the immediate opportunity to be interviewed, Interview Yourself! Write out the questions you have been asked or that you would like to know about someone else and refer them back to yourself. Answer them with some thought and then practice answering them in a composed manner. You will be amazed how much easier it gets as you practice. You will be even more amazed when someone asks you a question and the answer just jumps out of your mouth without any thought and a conversation is started. You will sound like the complete professional we all know you are when you are at home all alone working hard:)

If you have 30 minutes to have a listen, my interview was done with Coach Jaynine the DreamCatcher via talk shoe.

New Takes on Old Favorites

2010-03-31T12:30:00.011-04:00

This is a detail of my Claddagh pattern that was co-designed with my mother, Ellen. I have loved this design from the beginning and yet the colors always seemed too light to me. Except for the red and the green, two of my favorite colors, I tend to like colors a bit darker. As my quilt design skills have grown, I have learned about myself, likes and dislikes, color schemes that make my heart sing.

I eventually made a second colorway for ME. This version makes the hands stand out better. I also used a 12 wt thread for the wording vs. having it blend into the background like the original. The only thing missing is the beadwork which gives it a different feel. Even without the beads, it is my favorite of the two and may need to be on the pattern cover for the next printing.

In the last couple of years with the growth of the variegated thread selections, I have learned that I truly enjoy redwork....I just don't always want to work in RED:) Sulky 12wt varieagated threads are just wonderful for this type of work. I am now going back through my patterns and seeing which ones I can turn into redwork.

This being one of my favorites, it became the guinea pig. So much fun and I can't wait to add the borders for this. I only used 2 different colors since the green was so wonderfully colored.

It is important for me to keep pushing myself in terms of ideas, techniques, and value. I want people who purchase from me to see the value in what they have spent their money on. There are more ideas than I have time for and not all of them make it to the pattern at the time of print so I hope my dear customers will come back often to see what is new.

Here is the original Claddagh with matching pillow (another way to use a pattern). For more about the history of the Claddagh you can read my post from March 2009.
I hope ideas are bouncing around in your head of a design that would look great in a new colorway or technique.

My Sunshine Award

2010-03-19T12:19:00.008-04:00

Imagine my surprise one day when I was awarded the Sunshine Award by a fellow artist. Thank you, Delilah.

The Sunshine Award is an award given to blogs that have positive and creative blogging. The Rules for receiving the award are:

1. Post the Logo in a blog or on the sidebar.

2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers that you follow.

3. Link the nominees with in your post.

4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by leaving a comment on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award.

Now I get to pass this Sunshine on to 12 Creative Bloggers and bring sunshine into their day.

I have selected the following blogs and hope you enjoy them as much as I do:

Joanie Gagnon San Chirico

Ok, I cheated and added 2 extras but it is so so hard to just pick 12... my creative friends are like Lays potato chips :) and I still had to leave some behind.

Thank you to all of you and the others I couldn't list for sharing so freely with your knowledge and humor.

Texture Tuesday

2010-03-09T09:23:00.006-05:00

While at the Mancuso Mid-Atlantic show this year, I attended a workshop with Esterita Austin. I chose her all day class on working with sheers called Sheers to You! which is fun since the quilt show's theme this year was Cheers! :)
In the first photo you can see the wine glass that I created only using sheer fabrics. I wasn't sure what to expect and the class might take some getting used to if you are a very structured person. I can go either way and really enjoyed that I took a 'technique' based class versus a 'project' based class. If you enjoy playing, then this is the class for you. Esterita was very generous with her supplies and once the basic instructions were given, we spent the day just playing. There was a pattern to follow if that appealed to you or you could just go your own direction. I used the basic outline for the glass and then in the afternoon became much braver.

These two photos show what I created in the afternoon with a mixture of paint and sheers. The rose turned out lovely and I already have a design planned using my rose along with the 2 wine goblets. I am very excited to get started...does anyone have an extra 3-5 hours they can donate to me? HA:)

One look at Esterita's website will show you how very imaginative and talented she is. If you ever have an opportunity to attend one of her classes, do so.

Thank you, Esterita for opening my mind to a new direction.

The added bonus to this class was that I was able to take it with my mother and a friend from my Artrageous group....Hello Katherine. It was so much more fun sharing the experience along with seeing all the creativity in the class. Everyone's work looked so different and that is one of the best reasons to take a class...it really opens your mind to all the possibilities of color and composition.

Marvel Monday

2010-03-08T09:18:00.002-05:00

Last fall we had so much rain in our backyard that Egrets started hanging out. It was fun to watch but hard to capture since they were very skittish and flew as soon as the sliding door started to move.

I had to be "vewy qwiet hunting my Egwets"

Can "Majestic" be a feeling?

2010-02-21T11:43:00.003-05:00

"Majestic"

Cape Lookout Lighthouse, NC

SOLD

This week, my "Majestic" piece sold during the local art show, Art from the Heart. I was stunned and elated and wondered if the word, majestic, can be a feeling? It can't, but it sure felt 'majestic' to sell a piece of my work.

I am not good at selling my art- I am too close to it and always feel awkward talking about myself for that purpose. In a moment of 'it was out of my mouth before I could take it back', I made a comment about my lighthouse to a woman whose husband was purchasing a lighthouse piece of another artist. She prompted me to show her my work and they came back the next morning to purchase mine and a 3rd artist's work. These are the very generous and art loving people artists hope to meet in their careers. This couple appreciate art and local artists and have made the conscious decision to support local artists.

I am still at the stage where selling a piece is a rollercoaster of emotions: YIPPEE, oh I'll never see it again, can you believe it?, the fantasy of this being a regular event, YIPPEE again, etc. I am proud to educate others about textile art and what time and work goes into a piece of art....sometimes many more hours than some painters. I addressed the process of "Majestic" in an earlier post.

Thank you to all the collectors of my work, wherever you may be. To all the artists out there, keep on working and promoting and being the most professional you can be for you just never know where that next sale may lie!

Dream Rocket Panel-"Dreams Take Flight"

2010-01-27T15:13:00.011-05:00

Last fall I came across the newest project of the International Fiber Coalition which was to cover a Saturn V rocket in Huntsville, AL. with fiber panels. I immediately wanted to be a part of this to honor my grandfather who worked for Grumman in the 60's and was able to work on the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module). The entry fee was $100 and a bit steep for me....
Chris Gilman to the rescue! She suggested that a two foot square panel could be 4 individual 12" blocks and only price out at $25 per person. If I was game, we would only need 2 more people and within an hour we had 2 more adventurous souls in Cathy Winter and Katherine McNeese. These women graciously let me have the name LEM4 for our group in honor of grandpa and use the space theme I had wanted to do.

Using the space theme, ideas were thrown out in reference to 'Dreams' (which is the theme of the project) and everyone chose what part of flight they wanted to do....all without arguing :) Chris did a vibrant Hot Air Balloon and Katherine did the Wright Brothers proud with her First Flight.

I did a rendition of the LEM for grandpa, complete with a shamrock on the door panel-GO IRISH!! Charles "Bud" McAuliffe was very proud of all the work he accomplished while at Grumman. In our family we always chuckle a bit at some of his fashion choices since he didn't mind mixing stripes with plaids, etc. Imagine that and then add that he would brag about his name being on the moon....Yeah, sure you kooky old man. His name is on the moon though. All the workers signed a poster and a photo of that was shrunk down onto a microchip and included on the LEM. You go Grandpa!!

Rounding out our space dreams, is Cathy Winter's terrific textural rendition of the Space Shuttle. Thank you to these 3 very talented women for making my small dream come true. This panel is a wonderful work of art and representative of the creative powers of us and all that have come before us. Their dreams keep the rest of us striving for our dreams.

Texture Tuesday

2010-01-26T09:21:00.010-05:00

This year I will be doing more experimenting with surface design and will be sharing the results with you:)

The first experiment of the year is flour paste resist. A friend and I were talking one day about the various Quilting Arts magazine articles that we have dog earred for 'someday'. Why not today? If you have it and want to follow along, I used issue Feb/Mar 2008 (#31), pg 61: Flour Paste Resist: It's Irresistable by Jane Dunnewold.

Easy to follow instructions, inexpensive supplies we all have, and fun surprise results. The top photo shows the paste with some etching. The middle photo shows the paste after it dried and was painted. I used regular acrylic paint with a textile medium added.

This last photo shows the green resist in my new project. The upper right has some light green watercolor crayon to fill in the white area. Lower left shows watercolor crayon used to draw tulips over top of the green resist crackle.

I learned that I love this technique but not the white background. Next time I will try pasting over a different color background and maybe making my paste a bit thicker. I will also check back after the paste has started to set up to see if I can etch in other designs without the paste closing in on itself.

It is time for all of us to drag out those issues and ideas just sitting there and see if one of them will take you in a new direction with your art. Go Crazy and don't forget to share with the rest of us!

Marvel Monday

2010-01-25T08:27:00.004-05:00

Sunset over the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC.

Welcome 2010

2010-01-06T20:37:00.013-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

This picture was shot at the end of the WINTUK Cirque de Soleil at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Eve. We ended up with much more blinding tissue paper snow than this image shows and I am still picking snowflakes out of my purse. It is so worth it...every flake brings back a magical memory.

Now that the holidays have wound down, it is time again to turn to business and look to what can be accomplished in 2010. On the Quilt Art list there was a lot of discussion about picking a word of the year. As I read every post, I realized that I had subconsciously picked the word 'Diligent'/ 'Diligence'. As I wrote my goals for the new year and thought about what didn't work in 2009, I noticed that if I had been more diligent in every aspect; time, money, promotion, etc. I would have been more successful. I will carry this word into everything I do this year.
I hate to go into a new year without looking at where I have been. Below is an abbreviated list of what 2009 brought into my life:
2009 Accomplishments
January
Applied to Art Quilt Transitions (3 pieces) -------------------Rejected
Applied to Mancuso MidAtlantic (2 pieces)-------------Both Accepted
Applied to Paducah AQS (1 piece)-----------------------------Rejected
Created and wrote pattern for Scissor Case for local Shop Hop
Finished Fractured Flower Challenge with Artrageous and blogged it.

February
Worked the local Shop Hop
Created 3 leaves for International Fiber Collaborative
Wrote a Press Release about Mancuso acceptance (was p/u by Carteret News Times and Arts Alive)
F/U with a reporter from Jacksonville
Started QA entries
Art from the Heart Exhibit/ Business After Hours/ and Gallery sit for this event
Started on LinkedIn and Twitter but not sure what to do with them yet.
Attempted a new technique w/ Eileen
Wrote Merit Award letters for quilt guild show.

March
Finished and Mailed 2 entries to QA calendar challenge--------Rejected
Wrote a new workshop
Bead 2 House blocks and write a Bead Class for QBP ’09 (29th)
Created and made a beaded DICE bag for ACCC fundraiser
Taught my first Workshop on the 14th….success!
Tried Threadpainting very successfully. I have a knack for it.
Created 3 Threadpaintings for an up coming show.
Applied to and was accepted to the Seafood Fest Poster unveiling event to show art.

April
Created and ordered Rack Cards with the gallery
Created and ordered 5 year Anniversary postcards for a mailing
Finished art and display for Seafood Fest (9th)
Started mentoring a Senior from the HS for Senior Projects
Entered local Quilt Guild show (2 pieces + challenge + group with WUTW)
Biopsy and positive result of melanoma (all good only a stage 0)
Wrote the statement, bio, resume, etc for an Artist in Residency program
Finished Mariner’s Compass for Jim
Joined online gallery America Creates

May
Finished WUTW
Mailed Residency package
Created a guild challenge piece and blog entry for
Press Release for Mondays at the gallery
Applied to an outdoor event (scary)
Organized a bead demo for the guild show
Worked the guild show at 4 diff times
Received 2 awards from show
New art for outdoor show on (24th)
Helped with Raffle quilt (redesigned my block last month and this month helped with assembly)

June
Picked up another lecture booking so….
Write lecture and made 4 new samples for the 15th (out of town)
New Candle Mat designs for a magazine submission. Mag was interested and then ----------------Rejected
Made a Floral Windmill shop sample
Finished 2 new small art pieces
Designed and created(3) a new ornament of the Cape Lookout lighthouse
Created 4 more Holly ornaments as well

July
Made a fusible house for the raffle quilt..very cool
Organized 1st book proposal and chose 16 out of 70 designs
Made 4 redwork designs for book proposal, bordered and quilted.
Wrote book Introduction
SOLD first piece of artwork!!!!! 2 more sales followed
Wrote and organized my first Trunk Show

August
Printed more business cards and notecards, cutting, packaging, pricing
Purchased http://www.threadscapes.com/
Learned dye painting with artrageous group
P/U kid from summer session
Moved one kid into new apartment
Moved other kid into college dorm
Presented my first Trunk Show (out of town)
Toured YLI
More art sales

September
Tweaked April Bead class write up for class this month
Made 8 bead kits
Started mentoring a woman who wants to finish a quilt her sister started
Finished top for 2010 show quilt
Lots of design work
Helped edit a friend’s book
Attended 2 workshops (business)
Finished 1 book proposal and mailed it off
Ordered ACEO packaging
Spent a weekend with my girls in Raleigh where I also saw Nancy Cooks work
Applied for an art show in Nov.
Hang art in 2 businesses through Adopt an Artist program
Prepared 2 pics for larger art quilts
Finished one UFO for me

October
Multiple Dr appts (severely anemic…transfusion levels)
Painted and thread painted a new art piece for an art show…ACCEPTED….Won Honorable Mention
Flew to St Louis, drove to Houston, worked a friend’s booth at Market, talked to 2 book editors with great
Feedback, met new friends, have opportunities to f/u on.
Learned Facebook
Cut out and appliquéd center panel for personal piece.
Organized Dream Rocket project with 3 other quilt artists

November
Printed and stitched 5 ACEOs
Registered Balloon piece with AAQI
Lighthouse ornaments—YES, 12 of them to be exact including 2 new designs
“About Artist” labels for art and ACEOs ( 2up at 5x7 and 4 up at 2x5)--YES
5 new art pieces including stitching, framing, and paperwork
Attended art show
6 new ink sketches
Worked on a new art display
P/U and put out artwork at one business for Adopt an Artist
More Dr appts.

December:
Opened 1000 Markets
Website updates
Started my Cleaning of the Studio
New photos for website
More Dr appts
New quilt design
Worked at a Gallery Open House
Trip to NYC
Bulletin Board Labels for 2010 reorganization!!!!!!!!!
Finished stitching all the appliqué on the new 2010 quilt

Some YEAR END Totals:
51 Journal entries vs. ZERO in 2008
Sold my first artwork!! Sold 7 all together up from ZERO in 2008.
1 New Workshop
3 New Lectures
Finished a Book proposal—Rejected and waiting to be reworked
I entered 3 new opportunities for my art
27 blog posts up from 14 in 2008
New art= 23 new small pieces (under 11x14) and 3 larger pieces (under 30”).

Even with all the 'rejection', I learned so much and accomplished artist goals that had been waiting for me to catch up. My mom always tells me that education is never a waste. Everything I learned this year will help me down the road in some capacity... of that I am sure. All in all I feel FANTASTIC !!!

If you actually stayed to the end, here is a pic of Times Square taken on Christmas Eve. In the distance at the top, you can see the ball that was dropped on NYE. I love the vibrancy of this place and hope to keep it in my heart all year long.

NYC Mood Fabrics

2009-12-29T09:37:00.014-05:00

PICK A BOLT...ANY BOLT?

For Christmas this year, my family went to NYC. My youngest daughter and I are big Project Runway fans and so MOOD was top on our list of places to go. As we walked through the garment district, my daughter was fascinated by all the wonderful fabrics full of sequins in the windows. I was busy reading the addresses looking for MOOD. It is more elusive than that, based in an older business building with a lobby and old elevators shuffled up and down by uniformed gentlemen. For those of you who don't know me, I am very easily entertained and find wonder in all kinds of inconsequential things that most don't notice, so riding in the elevator run by an operator was a fun little treat for me.
We arrived on the 3rd floor and not knowing what to expect, I was blown away. My husband who sat reluctantly through this past season with me so I wouldn't have to watch alone, commented that the show does not do the store justice and he is absolutely right. As a quilter, I am used to quilt shops with little bolts of fabric I can carry around with me...I was not physically in shape to do the same here. I arrived with a specific idea in mind of what I was looking for and that was helpful or I would have left empty-handed due to my indecisive nature.
My find was this beautiful lightweight knit that will eventually be an artistic jacket to be worn all winter and spring.

I didn't even look at all the trims and buttons that were available or I would have gone insane with envy. The wall in the background is just one of 5 or 6 walls of trims. The button boards in the foreground are again just a teeny tiny example of what is available. Being completely enmeshed in my own fabric search, I didn't realize (fortunately) until the end when getting fabric cut that there were other floors of fabrics. The above picture also shows a Project Runway board that has photos of some of the outfits along with fabric swatches...just in case you need to own the same fabric from a show fashion.All the fabrics are labeled and I will watch season 7 with a new eye. The staff was very very helpful and cheerful even.

Now I don't have a picture but the crazy little tidbit to this story is this: I had forgotten my camera the first go around and luckily our hotel was only 4 blocks away. My family was forced to go back, get the camera, and return to MOOD (where I refrained from more shopping) so I could have pictures. On our way back to the shop, my daughter and I spotted Nicolas Putvinski from season 6 leaving the block and he walked right past us but I was too chicken to call him out. He wasn't our favorite from this season due to his catty behavior. I hope he was edited badly and still wish him luck. It must be very difficult to work in those rushed conditions and the heavy competition of the NYC fashion industry.

In closing: Thank you MOOD and my family for indulging me.

Hand-Painted Traditions

2009-12-05T08:45:00.014-05:00

3" sq on point to 4 1/2"

The history of Christmas ornaments dates back to the 1800's and although I do not collect them myself, I am constantly drawn to them and find them fascinating. First of all, they are miniature and most of them are shiny and that is a double threat for me. I think females in general have those same 2 downfalls (most I know anyway). All that needs to be thrown in is a hidden compartment or box and the urge to possess said item is overwhelming.

My mother collects ornaments as do many of my friends. My children are forever scarred that I didn't save every single handmade "what is it?" that came home with them to hang on my tree. Before I get "how could you?" responses, I have saved specific items that touched my heart but being military, it just isn't practical to save it all. As a child I grew up with a Christmas tree full of the multi colored lights and ornaments full of memories. I am a very sentimental person but I had always been completely and utterly in love with the department store trees that were themed with just white lights. After 6-7 years of doing what I had grown up with, I decided that I could have my own tree and changed it to white lights and big and small poinsettia ornaments in deep reds....just what I had always dreamed of.

Last year I decided that even if I didn't collect ornaments, I could make them. My first ornament was the Sugar Plum ornament shown above. It is still my favorite but running a close second is the holly ornament shown below.
Both are hand-painted and finished by free motion stitching leaves in metallic thread across the surface. I enjoy the look of a traditional binding with beaded hang and tassles. They are a labor of love for what they cost and they are beautiful to me.

This year I added lighthouses to the ever growing list of available ornaments. I started with Cape Lookout, NC since this was the 150th anniversary of it's lighting. I have added Bodie Island, NC and Cape Hatteras, NC. All are lighthouses on the Historic Outer Banks of NC. They are hand-inked, free motion stitched, and beaded.
To read more about the local lighthouse see my previous post here.

Cape Hatteras Ornament © 2009 3"sq on point to 4 1/2"
I sell these through a local gallery and also online. Today is the last day for orders to be delivered by Christmas. If you are not a collector, I bet you know one. These are miniature and shiny...sorry no hidden compartments. Maybe that should be my next ornament:)

Have a wonderful holiday season to my followers and online friends.

Threadscapes

2009-11-30T09:19:00.013-05:00

"Last Autumn"

Once upon a military- life time, I was afforded the opportunity to own my very own home. We had been nomads for 15 years and wanted to see what all this 'ownership' was about. Starting in NJ with 11 homes to look at, found on the internet, we headed west to St. Louis to house hunt. By the time we arrived, there were 6 houses left...definately a seller's market. We headed out to see the remaining 6: NO, no, eh, no, NO, I love it!! My husband was not as impressed but time was running short and with not too many other prospects, we put in a bid.

In 2003 we moved to Illinois into our very first home and I had a room all to myself for the very first time...no more dining room table. Everytime I was in that room it was like Christmas to me. My imagination really started to soar and skills became sharpened while learning about fabric companies and new techniques. After dreams in other states of starting my own greeting card company or mural design company ("Off The Wall", of which I still have the box of business cards for), I started NESTLINGS by Robin. I grew in leaps and bounds and loved every minute of it even though I had no idea of what I was doing.

The ownership lasted 4 years until we moved again but the dream of NESTLINGS lives on. As with anything, it has grown and changed and now includes art as well as quilt patterns. My art includes inspiration from that beautiful home I was once so fortunate to drive up to everyday and call mine.

Above is a Threadscape of the gorgeous sugar maple that adorned our front yard. Below is a Threadscape of the Mother's Day gift of a rose trellis and rose bush I was given one year by my family. These two lovelies have since sold and moved on to grace another's home but the memories warm my heart constantly. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to have had my own place to decorate and do as I wish along with rising up to my dreams with the love and support of my wonderful family.

"Mother's Roses"

Late Halloween Goo

2009-11-05T09:26:00.009-05:00

First off---HELLO and THANK YOU to my new followers!! Welcome!

I don't normally talk about my personal life here but this is just too cool to pass up... My babies are the bestest babies ever! While I was out of town in October, they came home from college and decorated my house for Halloween as a late bday gift to me. The pumpkins were carved, quilts were hung, cake was made and in the fridge for me, favorite candy in the dish, and a gift certificate to Floyd's 1921 --one of my favorite restaurants.

As an added Halloween surprise, one of the pumpkins molded in the most spooky way I have ever seen....
I loved the way it ooozed out of the openings in the word "Boo". Enjoy!

"Las Flores de Amigas" New Role

2009-11-02T13:01:00.015-05:00

This is my quilt, "Las Flores de Amigas", that has been juried into AQS Paducah and Mancuso Mid-Atlantic shows. This year I was approached to resize the block and have it used as a border block in my guild's 2010 raffle quilt. The raffle quilt committee was headed up by Patti Brown one of our local quilt shop owners and designer of the raffle quilt.

I believe it turned out beautifully and I just love it.

First,my normally 24" blocks were resized down to 15". Volunteers from the Crystal Coast Quilters Guild took the new templates and appliqued all 16 blocks. We then had another work day at the shop where the applique blocks were assembled with the 9 patches and setting triangles.

Patti had a photograph, donated by Eileen Williams, blown up for ease in cutting the various components of our scene. I spent an afternoon at the shop tracing and cutting along with Patti to recreate the photograph of

Cape Lookout Lighthouse for the center of the quilt.

This is the final quilt...STUNNING!
"Winter Light"
Queen size

Of course, it wouldn't be this amazing without the quilting talents of Laurie Mayo. Her long-arm creativity just makes the quilt. Now you have to go back through the photos:) Check out the metallic snowflakes in the sky and the feathering in the black background.

This quilt can be seen at The Quilted Butterfly, Morehead City, NC. where you can also purchase raffle tickets. You may also contact me at robin_koehler@hotmail.com for raffle tickets.

Houston Part 2

2009-10-28T20:09:00.015-04:00

So, part of the fun of market is getting to meet people in person that you have met online. This is Cathy Winter who will be part of my foursome for the Dream Rocket project. I can't wait for our project to take off together :)

I had already met Ms. Celine Perkins of Perkins Dry Goods but this trip I had the privilege of being her roommate as well: Sweet, considerate, talented and FUN! Thank you, Celine for wonderful memories. Make sure to take a look at her new book as well.

I am always amazed by the enormity of the room and how many people and businesses are here on the floor. This shot only covers maybe a third of who was there. It is invigorating and exhausting all at the same time. On my travels of the show floor I had the opportunity to meet Susan Knapp, Susan Brubaker-Knapp, and Sarah Ann Smith. It was great to meet you all. There really was a theme this year among friends: Suzn Quilts' new book, Celine's new book, along with Susan Brubaker-Knapp and Sarah Ann Smith releasing new books. All 4 women have great directions and offer something for everyone.

I found some lovely threads for a new pattern and show quilt that is being feverishly worked on right now. I used Weeks Dye Works beautiful variegated floss years ago when I cross stitched and now they have those same beautiful colors in quilting thread. I also spent 4 days across from Superior Threads since that is where Susan's booth was. It was like being on a diet and having your favorite food passed in front of your face 24/7...all the colors!!

Along my travels I talked with a fabric company and a book publisher...no guarantees but wonderful opportunities that I am very excited to work toward.

Last but not least is this beautiful quilt made by my good friend, Eileen Williams. "Taylor's Creek" was her first entry to Houston and the detail is stunning. It looked wonderful hanging with all the other terrific entries. Great job, Eileen!

Houston Part 1

2009-10-28T19:47:00.012-04:00

Here I am at Market with my dear friend and designer extraordinaire, Susan Marth of Suzn Quilts. In case you were so busy that you missed her new book, here are some peeks at what is in the book. The whole booth displayed every big and little item that can be made for the best friends in our lives.

From small pillows to framed quilts to table covers and lap quilts...the book has it all plus recipes. The lap quilts use jelly rolls and the table covers use charm squares.

This picture shows off 2 new jacket patterns as well.

I loved that I was able to capture the booth from above...so cozy you could move right in. This book has something for everyone since we all have a mother, sister, or friend who is dear to us. Depending on how much time you have or how many gifts you need to make, you will find the perfect gift here.

I would also like to thank Susan for bringing me along for the second year in a row. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to be at market and I have learned so much being her assistant.

Yard Sale Treasure

2009-10-21T13:18:00.007-04:00

When I was but a young bride with a new baby, my husband received orders to Guam. At the time I had no idea where or what Guam was but we entered into the adventure with wide eyes and open minds. While there I did a ton of growing up, had my first civilian job that started a trend in advertising, and had a second baby.

One of the things we learned about the South Pacific culture was one of their vices is called a Betel nut. It is a rather ordinary looking green nut found on certain palm trees that the locals wrap in a leaf with lime powder and chew as a stimulant. It does terrible things to their teeth and was deemed off limits to the military personnel.

I had forgotten all about them until recently at a local yard sale when I found this wonderful little box that just screamed out to have notions displayed in it. As I paid my $3, the owner proceeded to tell me what it was and I knew exactly what she was talking about. This is a Betel Nut Box to store the various components needed to chew Betel Nut.

I never tried it and never wanted to but I will most definately enjoy using this fantastic little box to put my own wonderful treasures (vices: thread, etc.) into.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse 150th Anniversary

2009-10-05T19:06:00.011-04:00

To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in North Carolina, they will be holding a juried art and photography show. I decided to enter one of my Threadscapes and this time I changed it up a bit. Instead of using one of my photographs, I chose to try my hand at painting instead. The picture above shows the piece once it was painted and you can see the threads laying across it while I choose which threads will work the best.
Going back to painting has been on my list for awhile now and this seemed the perfect opportunity to do so. Once the paint was set (acrylic mixed with textile medium) and the threads were chosen, it was time to take it to the machine and do my magic. I am very pleased with how it turned out and hope that whoever is jurying the art show will feel the same. I will be thousands of feet in the air on my way to St. Louis while this is happening and so I won't have time to fret over it until later.
Some are surprised to find that I don't decorate with lighthouses since my husband is in the Coast Guard. I was in the CG at one time as well and that is how we met. So even though I do not decorate with them, I have a huge respect for the men who have served them for so long before automation....my father being one of them. Although he didn't get to serve in one of the traditional ones as he would have liked, he spent a total of 4 years on 2 separate lighthouse platforms out in the middle of the ocean before they were automated as well.
We are a Coast Guard family and so I painted this lighthouse and entered this show in honor of all the lighthouse keepers and their families.

"Majestic"

If you are in the area, please go visit the show at the Core Sound Museum, Harker's Island, NC. It runs from Oct 10th- Nov 1st

Skinny Kitties by Pepper Cory

2009-10-05T18:39:00.010-04:00

Meet the "Skinny Kitties"
Over the weekend I quilted this wonderfully whimsical sample showcasing Pepper Cory's new fabric line for Avlyn Fabrics.

I have long thought there weren't enough gray or brown fabrics around and now that problem has been solved. There are some fantastic accent fabrics in this collection. Be sure not to miss them at Market next week or ask your local quilt shop about ordering them for the shop. There is something for everyone in this line.

Online Studio Tour

2009-10-03T14:36:00.011-04:00

WELCOME to the studio of NESTLINGS by Robin. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time and pairing up with the Quilting Arts community was just the push I needed....as well as some time to get it a bit neater.
For the past 6 years I have been extremely fortunate to have a dedicated space to work and it has allowed me to accomplish so much.

This is my stash of fabric....ok, only part of it:0 The rest is below in a giant pile on the floor and in another bookcase over with the supplies and some under a table-you get the idea, right? I love fabric and it keeps finding ways into little nooks and crannies of my studio, but it just brightens my day when I walk in and need to look for something.

This is my cutting station with my award winning 'Ladybug Invasion' hanging over it. There are 13 hand beaded, movable ladybugs on it that are just too much fun!

This is my sewing station complete with rainbows of thread and beads. Above the bead box is a wonderful painting by an artist friend, Jean Baardsen. It was gifted to me and I love the bright red flowers. Next to it is my little owl that I made when I was 9 or 10 years old. It was the first cross stitch project I ever did and proudly hung in my grandparent's house for 30 years before I received it back. Now it serves as a sweet reminder of how far I have come.

Here are my bookcases full of supplies: books, magazines, threads, paints, more beads, etc. I use UFOs to cover up some of the messy shelves and they inspire me.

For years I worked in the dining room and on the dining room table with the family shoved to one end for meals. I know there are still some of us that do that and it makes me even more appreciative of my space. Even so, don't ever let space or lack of squash the creative spirit within all of us.

I hope you enjoyed this small peek into my world and of the other artists on the list. Have a wonderful weekend!

Quilting Arts Online Open Studio Tours

2009-10-01T14:22:00.005-04:00

This weekend spend a little time touring some of the studios of the Quilting Arts Community's very talented artists.

Every artist uses his/her studio in a different way and if you have been pondering ways to make your studio work for you, maybe the answer will pop out at you in this 'no cost' virtual tour. Enjoy!!

Unknown Sunflower block

2009-09-22T14:56:00.010-04:00

This is an unknown sunflower block that is asking for help in being identified.
I met a very sweet woman who would like to finish a project that her, now deceased, sister started. This is a story that has played out numerous times in families all across the world and I am happy to be a small part of the process of completing this labor of love.
Sis was very organized as far as labeling all the bags with letters and numbers along with the size of the blocks contained within. The only thing missing is the actual pattern.
As far as we can tell, there are 12 flowers: 6 of the gold and rust and 6 of gold and black. We are guessing 12 since we found 12 completed blocks with a stem and 2 leaves. None of the sunflowers have been completed but a dedicated few were able to puzzle a block together to allow a plan to be put into action. I wrote some directions for her to follow as phase one but I am sure we all agree that knowing where you are going is extremely helpful.
Any help in locating a pattern would be most definately appreciated.
Thank you!

Beading 101

2009-09-14T17:55:00.006-04:00

Saturday I taught a beading class at my local quilt shop. I wanted a project that was fun and small enough that it would get finished someday. The ornament is a great motivator and can definately be accomplished by Christmas. It started as a 3" square that I then stamped in setacolor paint with a holly stamp I made myself using fun foam and a wood base. Bead the holly following the outline, add your vines using DMC floss in a stem stitch, bind, and finish with a beaded hang and tassle. Voila, instant gift made with love.

The class seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and I had lots of yummy beaded show and tell for them to ooooh/aaaah over. I think we all know and agree that is the most important part!

Below is another example of how to dress up a simple block for yourself or a gift. A simple 9 patch with each square cut at 3" ends up at 8" square to fit into a purchased 8" square frame. I quilted it with an X design in each of the red squares and then beaded the white squares. Depending on how much beading you choose to do, you could reverse this and have 5 hearts.

Both of these ideas are simple, fun, relatively quick and allow you to take advantage of all the wonderful beads out there that are calorie-free candy!
Enjoy and happy beading.

Sales and other thoughts...

2009-08-26T11:32:00.017-04:00

So a bit more than a month has gone by with 6 small sales in all, along with an ornament and lots of notecards from the gallery....YIPPEE! The thread paintings are a favorite it seems and the pile of photos to choose from for my next project is piling up.

This was the first thread painting to sell after my "Midsummers Dream" piece."Still Beauty"

5" x 7" framed to 8" x 10"

I really do love this little piece...it is so relaxing to look at. Since I retire each photo as it is used, I have gone back to the Beaufort harbor looking for more wonderful shots but the harbor is now very crowded. The lesson is always have your camera because you never know when the perfect inspiration will come along.

It has been a long and busy, sad and invigorating month for my family. My baby girl went to college this year. My older daughter went back but into her own apartment this year opening up a whole new can of paranoid worries for her mother. We became official empty nesters on our 21st anniversary.

I held it together pretty well until we went out to dinner for our anniversary. With wine in hand, as my husband toasted us, I started crying. He asked for me not to since we were in the middle of a nice restaurant and thankfully it wasn't the ugly cry, but cry I did. Don't get me wrong, I am excited-just worried too and I miss my daily hugs. Of course they think I am nuts:) That is okay...it is part of my job.

With all this free time you would think I have been getting so much accomplished; but after spending 3 days cleaning the studio, I have been kind of floundering around. This week really feels like I am getting my groove back though and what better way than to write a post about what so many of us go through eventually.

You must move forward in life especially if you want your art to grow and evolve.

I will leave you with a photo of one of my ornaments that I sell. This is of the Cape Lookout lighthouse here in NC. Orders are always welcome and coming by October's end, I will also have Hatteras along with 4 other NC lighthouses.

Hand inked with beaded hang and accents.

Blissful Validation!

2009-07-19T13:20:00.004-04:00

I have been so busy the last week helping my daughter attend college orientation (college is 3+ hours away) that I haven't had a chance to shout from the 'internet' rooftops about my sale last week. On Mondays I work at a local gallery where some of my work hangs and last Monday a gentleman came in and just loved my "Midsummer's Dream" piece. It is one of my favorites and has received lots of admiration so I thanked him. As he wandered the gallery, he kept coming back to it and finally decided he had to have it:) I have sold work via commission before, mostly more traditional pieces, and never out of a gallery setting; so I don't know that there are words adequate enough to describe the pure exhiliration I felt as I bundled up my baby and sent it off to live with someone new. There is no better validation of what you do as an artist and the time and love you put into your work than to have someone come in and purchase your art with their hard-earned money. When your work hangs in a gallery next to so much beautiful work and yours is the one they choose, you can't help but feel Blissful Validation for all your long hours.
I did manage to keep my composure even though I was about to burst on the inside:)