December Sale!



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!

Whirlwind Month and International Quilt Market

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.

New Takes on Old Favorites

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.