Botanical Beauty QAL: Fabric and Supplies

 

We are 1 day away from starting

the Botanical Beauty QAL and I

don't even have time for ironing-LOL!

If you are new to the conversation,

go read the introduction HERE...

we will wait:)

Fabrics:

As you can see in the photo above, there

are more than just 1 red, white, or blue.

I didn't quite go scrappy nor did I 

stick to my usual organized, cohesive look.

I decided to mix it up a bit this time.

The pattern will have overall yardage (ex. Red- #yards)

 and if you choose to go a bit scrappier, just 

add up your pieces to total yardage listed.

I added cutting instructions to each block

so, while you are doing the QAL with us,

there is no reason you can't choose

as you go and shop your stash.

Supplies:

I do a lot of hand applique' so some of these 

are unique to that type of work.

I also like to design a lot

of swirly twirly designs:)

First up, bias vines.

This quilt has a lot of vine work on it.

I have tried various bias tape makers

and the original Clover 

is still my favorite!

I even tried their version that 

applies the fusible web tape as

it presses over the edges-nope-

not for me:) 

It works well enough for shorter

lengths but I personally found

that the web didn't stay on well

enough for longer lengths.

Since I don't use the web tape, 

I wouldn't want to make any

vines without Magic sizing.

I spray my bias vine so

that it is damp.

Your cut length should have

a 45 degree angle at one end.

This is the end that I start

through the maker using a

straight pin to help it along.

As you pull the fabric through

the iron will dry the sizing

and stiffen the vine just 

slightly and help the 

edges to stay closed.

Then because I do not have

fusible web tape on the back

of my vine, Roxanne Glue

Baste-It(R) is my best friend

for basting vines to traced lines.

Other helpful items:

a pencil & metal sharpener- So Good,

the white chalk Bohin 

mechanical pencil is 

fantastic on dark fabrics,

& Karen Kay Buckley

serrated scissors for cutting

my applique' (especially

cutting into V points/curves.

These items make my life 

so much easier.

Let's not forget my 

favorite hand applique'

thread: Aurifil!!

I use the 50 wt for all my hand applique'.

You will need fusible web for all the 

applique' if you aren't working by hand.

I like Pellon's 805 Wonder Under.

I find it easy to use and light weight.

If you right click on image below then save to your computer, 

you can print out to start assembling supplies.

There are a couple of 

"(highly recommended)"

supplies that are optional 

but awesome to have.

Obviously if you don't have a

light box then a great 

window works wonders.

I also have the teflon applique'

pressing sheet listed.

It is so helpful when you have layered

flowers that can be all layered

and fused, pulled off the sheet once

cooled, and then placed directly

where you want them on the background.

This way all the parts don't start

shifting around before you get them fused.

As a reminder, "Botanical Beauty" 

will be available for sale in my 

Etsy shop as a full PDF download 

on February 9th, 2025.

The full pattern will be released 

at an introductory

rate of $42 for the first week only

(it will go up to $48 after that).

You will need a pattern to participate.

Every month, I will present a block

via a post here, in my newsletter,

and in my FB group, 

Robin's Rocking Needles.

We will be doing all the discussion

and ooohing/aaahing of 

fabric choices in the FB group.

See you soon!

~~~

Please leave a comment if you

have questions or email me

at 

robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

Thank you:)

Botanical Beauty QAL: Introduction

 

BOTANICAL BEAUTY:

This design is a culmination of many

of my designs over the years 

(some published, some not).

The 250th birthday felt like the 

right time to be 'GRAND'.

This is the biggest, most grand

design I have ever attempted and 

I am grateful that you are here

for the journey!

I hope that those of you new to applique'

will give it a try. There are many methods

out there and we will discuss

many of them over the next year.

As some of you may know, 
I come from a military family.
After joining the Coast Guard myself, 
I met and married my husband then
 followed him in his 30 years of service.
We were fortunate to be able to see 
a great deal of the country through 
our moves, learning the history and culture
of many regions.
It was an honor to be a part of the 
Coast Guard and its missions.

As a quilter, I am involved with the 
Quilts of Valor Foundation.
The foundation's mission is an 
important message to those that
serve our country, you are not forgotten,
you are appreciated.

Why a QAL?

As our country prepares to celebrate
250 years as America, I choose
to celebrate through my design work and 
stories about my travels.
I am excited to have you here, 
stitching along!

When and How?
"Botanical Beauty" will be available
for sale in my Etsy shop as a full
PDF download on February 9th, 2025.
The applique' templates
are full sized.
The full pattern will be released 
at an introductory
rate of $42 for the first week only
(it will go up to $48 after that).

You will need a pattern to participate.
Techniques will include some piecing
but mostly applique'.

Of course there will be some
video assists to help the process.
Every month, I will present a block
via a post here, in my newsletter,
and in my FB group, 
Robin's Rocking Needles.
We will be doing all the discussion
and ooohing/aaahing of 
fabric choices in the FB group.
I pride myself on quality (tested)
patterns with full-sized templates
and assembly diagrams.
This is going to be fun!

Lots of posts coming your way 
this week to get us up to speed
on fabrics and supplies so
you will be ready to go
as soon as you get
your pattern!
Please leave a comment if you
have questions or email me
at 
robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com
Thank you:)

Stars of Peace QAL: Fabric and Supplies

 

We are only 3 days away 

from this fun and inspiring quilt along!

So Exciting!!

If you are new to the conversation,

go read the introduction HERE...

we will wait:)

Fabrics:

As you can see in the photo above, there
are more than just 1 red, white, or blue.

I didn't quite go scrappy nor did I 

stick to my usual organized, cohesive look.

I decided to mix it up a bit this time.

The pattern will have overall yardage (ex. Red- #yards)

 and if you choose to go a bit scrappier, just 

add up your pieces to total yardage listed.

I added cutting instructions to each block

so, while you are doing the QAL with us,

there is no reason you can't choose

as you go and shop your stash.

Supplies:

This is pretty straight forward piecing project.

I like to use 40 wt thread for piecing

and will put opposing colors top/bottom

for blending purposes (red top-blue bottom).

You will need fusible web for the eagle

and stars if you choose to add them.

I like Pellon's 805 Wonder Under.

I find it easy to use and light weight.

I also use Magic Sizing vs starch or 

other pressing agents. It will keep your

seams nice and flat (very helpful for all

the bias seams).

If you right click on image then save to your computer, 

you can print out to start assembling supplies.

There are a couple of 

"(highly recommended)"

supplies that are optional 

but awesome to have.

Obviously if you don't have a

light box then a great 

window works wonders.

Then there are the slotted trimmers

by New Leaf Stitches....

I have trimmed my HSTs a 

multitude of ways but these

have been by far the easiest!

I almost didn't mind the trimming-LOL!

As a reminder, "Stars of Peace" 

will be available for sale in my 

Etsy shop as a full PDF download 

on February 1st, 2025.

The full pattern will be released 

at an introductory

rate of $20 for the first week only

(it will go up to $25 after that).

The pattern will also be

released as a BOM with 

each month posted for sale 

in my Etsy shop.

You will need a pattern to participate.

Every month, I will present a block

via a post here, in my newsletter,

and in my FB group, 

Robin's Rocking Needles.

We will be doing all the discussion

and ooohing/aaahing of 

fabric choices in the FB group.

See you in 2 short days!

~~~

Please leave a comment if you

have questions or email me

at 

robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

Thank you:)

Stars of Peace QAL: Introduction

As some of you may know, 
I come from a military family.

After joining the Coast Guard myself, 

I met and married my husband then

 followed him in his 30 years of service.

We were fortunate to be able to see 

a great deal of the country through 

our moves, learning the history and culture

of many regions.

It was an honor to be a part of the 

Coast Guard and its missions.

As a quilter, I am involved with the 

Quilts of Valor Foundation.

The foundation's mission is an 

important message to those that

serve our country, you are not forgotten,

you are appreciated.

Why a QAL?

As our country prepares to celebrate

250 years as America, I choose

to celebrate through my design work and 

stories about my travels.

I am excited to have you here, 

stitching along!

When and How?

"Stars of Peace" will be available

for sale in my Etsy shop as a full

PDF download on February 1st, 2025.

The applique' templates

are full sized.

The full pattern will be released 

at an introductory

rate of $20 for the first week only

(it will go up to $25 after that).

The pattern will also be

released as a BOM with 

each month posted for sale 

in my Etsy shop.

You will need a pattern to participate.

Techniques will include piecing

and a bit of applique'.

This is a great technique sampler.

The following will be included:

Half-Square Triangle

Quarter-Square Triangle

Flying Geese

Parallelogram.

Of course there will be some

video assists to help the process.

Every month, I will present a block

via a post here, in my newsletter,

and in my FB group, 

Robin's Rocking Needles.

We will be doing all the discussion

and ooohing/aaahing of 

fabric choices in the FB group.

I pride myself on quality (tested)

patterns with full-sized templates

and assembly diagrams.

This is going to be fun!

Lots of posts coming your way 

this week to get us up to speed

on fabrics and supplies so

you will be ready to go

as soon as you get

your pattern!

Please leave a comment if you

have questions or email me

at 

robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

Thank you:)

Not all blizzards are blue: WINTER GAMES FABRICS

 When I first designed Winter Games,

I went in with that old taught color

theory that Winter, cold, snow, 

ice, etc. all equated to a 

blue and white color palette.

That doesn't have to be true!

Entering into this quilt along

with you, 10 years after 

making the original, I realized how

much my fabric choices 

and color palette 

have changed as I studied

what was truly pleasing to me!

So, I will be making my 

new version in lovely

muted colors of 

taupe and gray and mustard.

Not sure I have the exact yardage 

I need for each bit so I will

be scrapping it out some:)

Don't forget that the pattern

is still available at the 

introductory price for 3 more days! 

I hope this inspires you to 

sort through your stash and 

choose a palette that brings

you joy!

Maybe purple is your neutral....?

FLOURISH QAL: Supplies

 We are only 3 days away 

from this fun and inspiring quilt along!

So Exciting!!

Last time we talked FABRICS!

If you are new to the conversation,

go read the introduction HERE. 

We will wait...

Ok, now that you are back, 

let's talk supplies.

Some of my favorite supplies!

My swirly twirly designs

are back for this project

as well but I wrote the

whole pattern for 

fusible applique' and 

that is what we will 

focus on throughout

the QAL.

 *Still love the Magic sizing 

for PRESSING my seams.

*You see my favorite 

Bohin pencil is back.

That will come in handy

depending on the value

of your border fabric.

*There are two threads

shown because the supply

list says a skein of floss

but I chose to do all my 

embroidery with a YLI 

variegated machine thread.

Other items in the picture are: 

a pencil, Karen Kay Buckley

serrated scissors for cutting

my applique' (especially

cutting into V points/curves,

a tracing kit for an

embroidery tracing shortcut

(we will discuss at that step),

all sitting on my favorite

Pellon Wonder Under & Stabilizer.

These items make my life 

so much easier.

I know we all have our

own favorite tools so 

assemble what you need

based on this supply list below:

Right click the image to save

to your computer so you can

use it as a checklist before

Thursday.

See you in 3 short days!

~~~

FLOURISH QAL: Fabrics

 The first exciting step in starting a new

project....FABRICS!! 

YAY! YIPPEE! YAHOO!

I had a lovely floral print, 

"First Impressions" designed by

Mary Anne Henderson 

from Red Hen Fabrics 

for Northcott 

that started it for me.

The color is true in the pic above.

I used the colors in the print

to pull my applique' and other

piecing fabrics.

 I placed a ruler over the 

fabric so you can get 

an idea of the print scale.

This print worked perfectly 

with the size of the templates.

You want a small to medium

print so that the fun details show

in the smaller pieces of the design.

Here is a second colorway

shown with ruler and with

the F template since the print

is larger than the original.

It still shows a lot of

color movement though and

that is important too.

A couple of fabrics

pulled to go with

this firework/spray print.

A third colorway 

shown with ruler and 

F template for scale.

Fabrics pulled to go with 

the floral print.

I really like that architectural

print to the left and wonder 

what it may look like in an F:)

Let's look at some

other print / color options..

Wild bubbles above or

repro below?

Folk art floral above or

tulips below??

I love these tulips but will

be saving them for another project:)

As you can see,

there are soooo many options!

How do we ever decide

when we start  new projects?!

In case you missed the 

first post 

discussing some

of the basics, go

HERE to read all about it.

Start your stash hunt and 

next time we will discuss supplies.

~Keep Stitchin'~

Bramble Blooms

 The May issue of AQ Magazine is out and you will 
find my Bramble Blooms within its fine pages.

Let's talk fabrics:)

My fabric supplier was very

generous with this HARLOW 

collection from Northcott.

There is some truth to having too many decisions:)

Sometimes you need to try a new

technique, quilt style, or in this

case, a new block.

I have an affinity for pinwheel

blocks and tried something new 

this time by splitting one square of 

a half-square triangle set up 

before stitching together.  

It gives some fun extra movement.

Then you chain piece

every step of the process

so that you can stay on 

track and not mix 

up the steps.

Remember when I said I had too

many choices?  

When it came time to decide how

to make my applique' POP, it

got hard:)

My color aesthetic is not to mix

cream and white due to the 

cool/warm tones possibly clashing.

I really thought my flowers should be 

cream to blend in with the cream

background tones of the prints.

The chartreuse really threw me and

I felt it would be too in your face against

the soft pastels of the hydrangeas; but it looked

SO good with the white and gave

that POP I wanted my flowers to have.

Sometimes going out of your comfort 

zone gives you a surprise and opens

your design choices up for the 

next project.

I mixed cool and warm, bright and soft tones

and ended up loving it.

This is one of my favorite 

quilting motifs that I like

to repeat throughout a project.

I also like to do scribble or 

wiggle stitches along a raw

edge applique' for the 

ease of getting it done.

Lastly, don't forget to label your work 

and it can be as easy as using a micron pen:}

Remember that digital issues are 

available of all issues of AQ.

Visit the website HERE 

Keep Stitchin:)