Saturday, February 20, 2021

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Ruffled Tulips

Welcome to block 12 
and our last block 
before we get to assembly.
www.nestlingsbyrobin.com

The photo above is a detail of
a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.
Normally I show you the block
and you can see a bit of it
in the upper corner, but I wanted
you to see the fun border
that was added too.

As we come closer to adding 
a border, I wanted you to see
that I had other options from
my collection and it was
sooo hard to choose!

The quilting on this one
is all over the place from
clamshell, to flowers, to 
individual symbols and 
small initial placards.

Gifted from a dear friend, 
it is the only one I have
of this design and I do LOVE it!

Let's talk Tulip variations.
Barbara Brackman 
has at least 36 variations
in her applique' encyclopedia
and that doesn't count
the ones with a basket,
bird, or something else.

It comes potted or in 
4 way arrangements.

My tulips are actually
2 parts, green and red, 
but so many German
folk art shows the 
tulips also having
a touch of gold so
I redesigned for that.
I imagine mine was meant
to be based on a 
triple layout but then 
a 4th was added for
her own variation.
In one of the BB links
below you will see some
lovely variations.

ASSEMBLY TIPS
The template for the 
red section shows
 a V but if it 
is rounded into 
a U while hand
appliqueing, it 
will still work.
Remember they are
flowers and do not
need to be exact!
Have fun:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 
SAMPLER PATTERN
FULL PATTERN

Tulip TEMPLATES ONLY

where I showcase the 
variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 
this lecture is now available
in ZOOM format.
Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 
for availability:)


ADDITIONAL READING 
& Eye Candy:)
The links below go into more depth about 
either the history of the block OR 
FAB pictures of variations.
Barbara Brackman will blow you away
with all the variations she has accumulated!!
ENJOY~


Barbara Brackman
I searched "tulip" and
found THIS...
and THIS...


Beauty for the eye:)
What more do we need!

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Bad Girls: Aung San Suu Kyi

 With the Chinese lunar new year
having recently passed I had
decided to write about an
Asian woman who had 
challenged and won against
the status quo of her day.

I started to write about
an icon from ancient
Chinese history and
as I read her story,
extraordinary as it is, there
are many moments of 
cruelty perpetrated by her
as was the case with any
reign of the time.
I will revisit her amazing
story but today I choose 
to focus on peaceful power.

 So, with the events 
happening in Myanmar, 
let's visit someone who
has fought her entire life
and is still fighting for 
democracy.



Aung won the 
Nobel Peace Prize
in 1991 for her 
non-violent struggle
for democracy and 
human rights. 
Her sons accepted
on her behalf as she 
was under house arrest
after winning a 
democratic election
in 1990 where the military
junta refused to hand
over power.

What did she do with 
her prize money of 
$1.3 million US dollars??
It was used to establish
 a health and education 
trust for the Burmese people.

In the recent news we
see that Myanmar is 
again fighting for 
its democratic future.
She has also had many awards
revoked over her refusal to speak out 
against the crimes committed 
against the Rohingya. 
Unfortunately many
despicable things are
done on both sides of any
fight and one hopes that 
someone who fought, peacefully,
for her own people would never
turn their back on the struggle 
of another but we are all human.
 
Aung's fight for her
country's future is 
ongoing and she 
remains a hero 
to many including
all the young women of 
that nation.

To read more about her amazing 
life and the years of her
accomplishments, go HERE

Every day should be an opportunity
to set an amazing example for
those who will come after so 
they will read our story and
realize how BAD we were!

THANK YOU, Ann Shen!
To read about other BAD girls,
type in bad girls to the search bar
in the upper left corner of the 
blog page.
Enjoy!

Monday, February 8, 2021

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Mexican Rose

                                       Welcome to block 11.

It is exciting how close to done
we are getting, right?!
www.nestlingsbyrobin.com
The photo above is a detail of
a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.
The quilting is gorgeous cross hatching, even
through the applique'.
So soft!
We can see what a popular
style of quilting this is for
that time period because I 
haven't had to write in a 
new design for a few blocks now:)

This is the only one I have
of this design and I do LOVE it!
Again from my dear friend in Illinois
who finds the best deals!

I adore it!

Let's talk Mexican Rose variations.
I would say that mine
definitely falls into the FANCY
variation category.
Most of these blocks are found
with the flowers on the diagonal
with a leaf placed at the 
NSEW directions and the
center showing a basic circle.
https://encyclopediaquiltpatterns.blogspot.com/search?q=mexican+rose
https://encyclopediaquiltpatterns.blogspot.com/search?q=mexican+rose

The fancier vines of leaves
and the additional center
rosette truly add LOTS
of personality:)
www.nestlingsbyrobin.com
Additionally, the border
vines and intersection
rosettes make this one
truly LOVELY!!
There is one in the 
Shelburne Museum
that is to die for!!
(see BB blogs below)

ASSEMBLY TIPS
*Pin the center rosette in
place first.
*Pin the green flower bases in 
place to use as a basting
guide for the flower petals.
Once they are basted, 
stitch away in this order:
-Petals
-Green bases
-Vines
Then center rosette.
Leaves and outer
rosebuds will be last
so they can be arranged
in a pleasing way.
Have fun:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 
SAMPLER PATTERN
FULL PATTERN

Mexican Rose TEMPLATES ONLY

where I showcase the 
variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 
this lecture is now available
in ZOOM format.
Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 
for availability:)


ADDITIONAL READING 
& Eye Candy:)
The links below go into more depth about 
either the history of the block OR 
FAB pictures of variations.
Barbara Brackman will blow you away
with all the variations she has accumulated!!
ENJOY~

Barbara Brackman
I searched "Mexican rose" and
found THIS...
and THIS...
and THIS....
Beauty for the eye:)
What more do we need!

Friday, February 5, 2021

Dogwood Stars

Welcome Dogwood Stars
featuring Connecting Threads' 
new fabric line.......
https://www.connectingthreads.com/dogwood-stars-wall-hanging-kit/p/99367

During testing I made my
own version using these
fabrics because the 
color way spoke to me 
but wasn't available yet.
I am a sucker for pretty
much any fabric with 
script on it!!

This design has simple
piecing along with 
fusible applique'.

The diamonds in the border 
sections are all applique'
vs. piecing so cut and stick:)

These little tweezers make
placement of small pieces
so much easier.  
sheet so that these bits
are all applied making 
completed flowers BEFORE
fusing to borders/blocks.
When you have a small space
to work in, the pressing sheet
is a real time saver!

When you are ready to
make one of your own,
find my sweet, 
kit and pattern HERE.
https://www.connectingthreads.com/dogwood-stars-pattern-download/p/13012D
THANK YOU,