Benartex Project #2- Peacock Petals

 We round up the first quarter of the year

with my second Benartex project....

Peacock Petals using fabrics

from the Peacock Symphony

line by David Galchutt.

It hit store shelves in January so

keep an eye out for it.

Deep rich colors and 

a spring vibe kept niggling at 

the back of my mind.

I thought about 2 particular 

design workshops that I

adore teaching, Scrapplique'

and Fabric Collaborations.

Both concepts along with these

two fabrics inspired

my work for this challenge.

Thankfully the style of the fabric

goes beautifully with my own 

aesthetic of swirls and dots!

Admittedly, I got a bit carried away

with my design work.

It was only supposed to be

one small wall hanging.

THEN, I got excited about working

in lights vs. darks and so only

one of four blocks is done...

Now you will be intrigued enough to 

come back and see how it goes:)

HOW CUTE IS THIS?!!!?

I cannot wait to finish the 

whole quilt now!

My ambition thought I would

do it all by hand-LOLOLOL!!

SO many little circles.

Then I saw the work of 

Kyra Reps at Daytona...WOW!

So, I tried the prepared edge

applique' method using apliquick

bars that my friend,

Susan Marth, has been prodding 

me to try for years.

I am so resistant to change!

It did make my circles a bit

better but I really do loathe 

all that prep work.

So far this piece has 3 applique' 

methods on it:

Needle turn hand applique'

Prepared edge applique'

and fusible raw edge applique'.

Whatever gets it done right?

So, keep stitching in whatever

way makes your heart happy:)

WHERE did summer go??

 WOW!

I looked up and it is September already:)

Hopefully this means that your summer was 

as busy and fun as mine was and you are 

just as surprised as I am.

Since I last wrote, this is what I 

have been up to...

VEGAS

I will never get to actual Venice so a gondola ride 

at the Venetian was lovely especially when 

you have the BEST singer in the whole city

and you are with your best friend and love!

Here is my lovely crew waiting

to get in to see Santana!

I knew I knew a few songs BUT,

I knew way more and had an 

awesome night dancing with 

my sweet sweet Della!!

When in Vegas, you must go see

the exhibit at the Bellagio!

They were still setting up and allowed

people to walk around and look at 

everything while in process.

ATLANTA SYMPOSIUM

Here is our awesome group at the 

Atlanta Quilt Symposium this year.

Cathy Glover presented a FAB lecture

on polyester quilts.

So Much to learn!

I hope to have an opportunity

to go again. These meet ups always

offer an opportunity to nerd out about

quilting and meet new friends.

JULY TRIP TO MOM/KIDS

In July my husband and I went 

to visit mom and get a few things

done around the house. The 

weather did NOT cooperate.

After, we headed to NC to visit

the whole fam:) of both girls, 

their guys, and my little man!!

One day we met mom halfway

so she could spend some time 

with her great grandson!

He is learning how to blow bubbles!

AUG-FQSG & KID VISIT

Another FAB opportunity to meet old

and new friends for a day of quilt study.

Led by our fearless Kathy Cray and Teddy Pruett, 

we learned about early 20th century quilts 

and our members never disappoint on show/tell!

FIRST VIRTUAL CLASS

I ventured in the world of virtual teaching!

I was a bit worried about the tech but

the students were awesome and I 

couldn't have wished for a better first experience.

MAGAZINES

I was in a few magazines this summer:)

Hope you received a couple of them

or go look for them.

All of these publications offer 

so much for today's quilter!

Meet, "Bottle Brush Burst" in Quiltmania!

So excited to be in this issue and their staging

is so cool!

A subscription to this magazine would

be so worth it...great articles and exhibit

pictures of quilt shows over seas.

Meet, "Chara Mums" in AQ magazine.

This staging was beyond!!! 

I love Autumn and I just want to live

in this space:)

If you aren't a member, you should be:)

Meet "First Christmas" in 

the special issue by 

Annie's.

With a new little in the 

family it is only natural that

thoughts would turn to 

sweet Christmas.

This issue has so much more

than quilts though.

THANK YOU to all the publications

who continue to choose my designs

and work with me!

I am forever grateful:)

FQSG Antique Quilt Block Challenge

The March 2021 issue of 

AQ magazine is out and inside

you will find an article by Moi :)

Last year the Florida Quilt

Study Group did an antique

block challenge with very

few rules, thankfully!

I was overly ambitious and 

worked on 2 blocks because 

each had different fabrics that spoke 

to me. Using techniques 

from my Fabric Collaborations

workshop, I created 2 unique pieces 

and then wrote an article about 

the process for AQ.

Our Fabulous exhibit is 

now on display

at THE Quilters Hall of Fame

in Marion, Indiana. 

THANK YOU, 

KATHY METELICA CRAY!!

IF you can't go in person,

they have their own youtube

channel where they have put

the whole exhibit for you to 

see from home!

ONLINE EXHIBIT

February 23 - May 8

Florida Quilt Study Group:

Antique Quilt Block Challenge

The challenge was to take an antique block and incorporate it into a small quilt measuring 24" x 24." Artists were allowed to use the block whole, cut up, or dismantled. The could add vintage or new fabrics; whatever it takes to create a quilt of their own design and creativity.

AND, I made the exhibit poster

which is super exciting!!

KEEP STITCHING;) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME:)

Another year passes and 

how do we mark them?

This year has had many 

challenges and one was all

my work cancellations.

As October approached, 2

contracts remained and both

groups decided to go forward.

So the day before my birthday

I taught one of my favorite

workshops ever, 

Fabric Collaborations

to the 

Florida Sewing Sew-ciety up

at the Lake Yale Baptist Center

near Leesburg, FL

.

Beautiful setting and a 

FABULOUS group of ladies.

They really took my inspiration

and made it their own.

Below is Margaret Travis and 

her sister, Marie.

Margaret is known for her Fabulous 

Cheerleading in our industry!

On my actual birthday, I spent 

the evening showing off the 

LADIES to the 

Ladies of the Lakes Quilters

in Lakeland, FL.

They loved them almost as

much as I do:)

I was somewhat apprehensive

getting back out with the 

new little coming to visit.

Thankfully most were very 

understanding of wearing masks.

I received lots of wonderful gifts 

from family and friends including

fabric, a salon tray for upcoming

filming assistance and ….

This sweet little

 (ca 1940s??) machine &

This Awesome book about

the Colonial Williamsburg

textile collection!

Four Centuries of Quilts

The reason I was so excited

is that back in 2018 I was 

privileged to stitch with some

of the volunteers on this quilt (above)

as they reproduced it for the 

house displays around the property.

When I received the book, I 

was able to find the exact 

quilting diagram of what I 

had been working on.

Nerd here finds that

very exciting:)

So, HAPPY HAPPY

BIRTHDAY to 

all the October kids and

Thank you to everyone

who reached out to make

me feel special!

 

Keep quilting:)

2019 Houston Festival, "Had Me A Blast"

Where to begin?? 

Here is the pack out for classes and other presentations.
Could be worse;)

 Quilt shown is 'Harvest Nights' available here:

http://www.nestlingsbyrobin.com/small-wall-hangs.html

Arriving in Houston and my first time going alone without my 

designer friend, SuznQuilts.

We have been going to Houston together for 10 years.

 Here is the wall of 2019 Houston Festival Faculty 

and I am blown away to be included

 amongst these amazingly talented women!

I am bottom row, 3rd from the right.

 There was a cool wall that had photos of 

classes that still had openings.   

Quilters are visual and being able to see the 

pic right there was helpful.  

I know this because I was listening:)

 It was the Sapphire year and the 

Blue and White exhibit was 

extraordinarily hung and

exhilarating to stand within!
PLUS, I was completely over the moon to be
able to spend the day walking the exhibit
with Pepper Cory!! We have known each other
for years but only have enough time for what I call
"drive by hugs" whenever at Market.
This year schedules allowed for quite a bit more! :)

 I taught my, 'Swimming Seahorse'

class to a group of fantastic women who

were real sports about the weird disco

lighting we dealt with at the beginning.

 These next 3 pics show the room that

the Sampler Forum is presented in.

The top pic is my presentation of 

FABRIC COLLABORATIONS.

Here is my view of the door and everyone lining up 

to come in.  When they were allowed, people came 

in racing to the quilter they really wanted to see...

it was fun to watch!

The pic below is of my SCRAPPLIQUE'

presentation.

This forum is great for getting to see how a teacher 

presents her ideas and what the idea is but done

in a round robin setting so you can move

from teacher to teacher as you see fit.

 I signed up for 2 MEET the TEACHERS 

presentations so here is the schedule

and the space allowed for talking to quilters.
I had a stage and a microphone...

So Much Fun!

 As someone who doesn't cook, I am 
always impressed by those who can whip stuff up.
I need a recipe!

My Awesome roommates, Tara Reilly and Debby Brown Quilts, cooked for me. Debby Brown Quilts made this butternut squash risotto which was cheesy and creamy and delicious. And, we are in the same issue of Quilter's World right now where I have a cute design within but Debby writes a regular column to help you with your machine quilting problems like thread breaking. She is a wealth of information!

"I’m honored to be published in the same magazine as the incredibly talented Robin Koehler. Check out the latest issue of Quilter’s World Magazine for Robin’s pattern and my machine quilting column. #debbybrownquilts @nestlings1 #quiltersworld #quiltersworldmagazine #quilting #quilts #quilt #machinequilting"

Entrance to Festival and me with my Faculty Tag:)

I have dear dear friends in Mobile who let me 

take advantage of them on my way to and from 

Houston with a free room to stay.

Della has been a mentor, a big sister, 

and the most amazing cheerleader

anyone could hope for in life!

I am honored to call her my friend and this was our view on my

way home...sunset over the bridge with a margarita in hand.

Thank you to everyone who came by to say HI and listen to my presentations 

and look forward to coming to your guild!

What EXCITES you about quilting?

Is it piecing a new quilt top or the enjoyment of slow stitching while watching a good movie?

Is it making new friends in guild or taking a class at a big show and learning a new technique?

Or, is it the FABRIC that comes out in new colors and designs every season and we just can't seem to have enough of it on our shelves (in drawers, under desks, stuffed into every nook and cranny)!!

Most quilters have a color palette they are drawn to and maybe a style of design as well.
When I started collecting antique blocks, I noticed I was really drawn to the fabric design more than the block itself.  This is when I actually took account of the fabrics on my shelf. I am drawn to black, gold, green, red, orange, and off white. When I look at my designs, I see lots of whimsical swirly twirly florals that send my creative brain off the charts! There are so many antique fabrics in that genre of design-YAY!!

I believe that as humans we have a built in 'want' to create! That is what we do and have done since the beginning of time!  I also believe that the quilters that say they aren't creative just need a nudge, a new way to look at the world around them and the best place to start is your fabric world.
FABRIC COLLABORATIONS (Houston class #417) helps you look beyond to create something new.
JOIN ME in HOUSTON and play all day.  I mean it! The whole class is play time and there are NO mistakes to be made!

Below is a series of blog posts discussing different samples you will see in class (touch and pet if you need to) and how I came to design them.

https://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2018/09/fabric-collaborations.html

https://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2019/02/workshop-development.html

https://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2019/04/appraisals-and-workshops-and-quilts-oh.html

https://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2019/06/romantique-is-simply-vintage.html



TO DO BEFORE CLASS: Find an orphan block in your stash, preferably between 8”-12”.
IF you do not have an orphan block that contains a Printed fabric you Love, then please make a block using a print that

speaks to you. It can be as simple as a 9 patch since we are going for fun and easy not heirloom!

Small to medium prints work the best and the more details, the better it will be for inspiration.

Additional Fabric requirements:
__ A FQ of a coordinating (to your block) fabric that reads as solid for borders.

__ 2-3 coordinating FQs for design expansion to borders (prints and/or solids).

Additional supplies: (FULL LIST IN CATALOG)
__Rotary Cutter, mat (12” x 18” is fine), ruler 6” x 24” (minimum of 3” x 18”)
__Threads to match fabrics for sewing assembly and applique
__12 wt. Sulky thread to match fabrics for Embroidery details (hand or machine)
__Scissors: fabric and paper
__Pen, pencil (preferably mechanical), white chalk pencil for dark fabrics, and eraser
__pins
__glue stick
__½ yard of paper-backed fusible web if doing machine applique__$20 kit fee (custom stencils, chalk papers, handouts)

How many of you have are on the more 'experienced' side of quilting and looking for something new?  I can't wait to meet you!

Keep quilting~

www.nestlingsbyrobin.com