Graduations; What do they mean?

 Welcome to Graduation season!

As our future steps out of the 

shadow of their parents and wanders

into their own way of doing things, 

I thought it might be fun to 

remember some of our own

graduated ideas.

Who remembers the first time

we realized that we didn't HAVE TO  

do everything we were taught?

Who remembers that amazing 

feeling of paying your own way

for the first time and then paying 

for someone else too?

These seem like simple ideas but 

they are the small ways that we 

graduate from child thinking to

becoming adults.

When I designed, "Graduation",

the idea was that gradual learning

from simple to complex that we all

go through whether it is leaving home

or learning a new skill.

So, some of the blocks are easy and some

are a bit more challenging...

just like life.

It is now available in 

my Etsy shop.

You can also read more

about the origin of it

from this blog post:

Nestlings By Robin Blog: Graduation and Elementals

FLOURISH: New QAL

 Well-Loved Ladies was a Huge success
and we still have many that are 
working on it because it really
isn't a quick project:)

As promised many moons ago, 

a smaller more attainable project

would be next so that those 

intimidated or not up to the 

task of WLL would be able to

join the quilt along fun and 

sharpen their skills for when

they are ready to tackle WLL. 

Twice a month starting July 1st,

I will present a tutorial via a

post here & FB that prepares us 

for the next step in the quilt along.

You will need a pattern to participate

 in this quilt-along.

The pattern has been written for

fusible applique' and will be 

offered in PDF and print form 

with all full-sized templates.

I will address using the templates

for hand applique' in a blog post

when we get there:)

Techniques involved will include

general piecing of flying geese units

and half-square triangles, applique'

(hand or fusible/machine), & embroidery.

Of course, there will be some video assists

to help in the process.

We will be doing all the discussion and

ooohing/aaahing of fabric choices over

in my FB group, Robin's Rocking Needles.

As before, over the next few weeks

expect multiple blog posts leading up to 

our big reveal day where I will discuss

fabric selection and supplies so you

can start preparing and be ready to go

as soon as you get your pattern.

Please leave a comment here if you have

any questions or email me,

robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

I will be stitching along too as I make

another one in fusible applique' in 

another color way.

Until next time,

keep stitchin'~

TWINKLE WHEELS

Meet Twinkle Wheels

featuring 

Connecting Threads'  

new line of fabric 

I was fortunate enough to 

design a new pattern for them

and I needed to test out the 

block design since I 

was doing something a bit

different for me:)

OK, not the first part that

starts with half-square triangles

(some of my favorites to 

design with:).

Figuring out how to align

the center bit was a tiny

challenge but it 

worked out wonderfully

(if I do say so myself:)!

Here is my cover with 

the finished quilt and 

the second layout you

get from your cut aways

so there is hardly any

waste!

Here is another color way 

showing how a splash of yellow

really brightens it up.

It looks much more

complex than the actual

construction is.

Super easy to assemble!

When you are ready to 

make one of your own,

find my fun and simple

pattern HERE. 

THANK YOU,

Connecting Threads!

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:)

Sweet Persimmons

I have never had a persimmon 

and maybe I should try 

one now that I have named 

a quilt after them:)

New in the November

issue of AQ Magazine

meet Sweet Persimmons.

This sweet design started 

out in a 30s rendition.

Once I started thinking in Autumn

colors, I came up with this palette.

Still really like it and may have

to put this grouping to work

in another project!

Looks great, right?

Sometimes I can't see past my 

own vision but I also had 

this Sandy Gervais print sitting

around that I had been wanting 

to use in something....

Voila'! 

Pull some colors right out of 

the print and it is the perfect

assembly of color for this project!

When I started this, I was preparing

to help my daughter after the birth

of our first grand child so travel

hand work was appropriate.

The pic above shows alignment

for needle turn curves.

The pic below shows turning under

my edges to assemble the berries

before applying to the background. 

Here I stitch on a leaf.

Wow, my lighting was 

all over the place.

IF you own a rotating mat, 

it is the perfect way to trim

4 half-square triangles blocks

at one time by cutting 2 sides, 

rotate, cut 2 sides, etc. 

until finished.

Time to quilt.

I free motion quilted this 

sample myself...WHAT??!!

I used my freezer paper leaf

templates to create more

leaves that I could add 

swirls into the center

(bottom of pic).

When done quilting, 

you need a label:) 

I really like using a square 

of fabric folded in half 

and sewn into a bottom 

corner seam allowance.

The size of the square

depends on how much

you want to write.

This was 2 scraps of fabric

sewn together for an 

approximate 4-1/2" square. 

Thank You again, AQ for an

amazing layout!

It is Awesome!

Quarantine SQUIRREL...

Hello again.

I hope I am not the only

one suffering from 

'Squirrel' syndrome during

this quarantine....?

Pretty sure I am not

and thought I would share

a few of the things I have done

since this began.

We went to Chicago mid March 

for a baby shower and that was

 the first time I had really taken 

my head out of my work long

enough to notice what was going on.

When we got home, I started making

some masks for my youngest

who works in a unit that

was being transformed into

a Covid unit and that freaked

me out just a bit...!!

This Worldmeter is dated March 22nd.

What a difference 2-1/2 months makes!

While my brain was trying to make 

sense of it all, I started hand piecing

these tiny little half-square triangle blocks.

Then for some reason unknown to me,

I decided I should start using some of 

the scraps from magazine projects to 

make a series of blocks...?

I don't make scrap quilts!!!

These were Very Helpful and necessary to 

my sanity as I watched job after job cancel.

So I have 5 sets of blocks

that match and I can't decide

whether to put all the same 

blocks, different fabrics together

OR, put all the same fabrics,

different blocks together.

Big Decisions!

Until part 2, keep stitching~

Beach Glass

Available now....

This is Beach Glass, a fun easy quilt

that will look fantastic in any color way

and has many design options!

It came about through a call for 

submissions from Annie's.

They were looking for quilts

that had one block versatile enough

to create multiple quilts just

by "twisting and turning" the blocks.

VIOLA'!

Once a color way was chosen,

I made a test block to verify

there would be enough value 

differentiation.
I found my perfect fabric with 
Connecting Threads in their
Sea From Space collection
which is All Batiks!

Easy way to verify you are 
cutting in half correctly...
Line squares up on the diagonal. 
This also allows for cutting multiples.

It feels like it was forever ago that 

I made this quilt because it was

done between travel gigs in a 

maddening schedule.

I believe in the photo above I 

am cutting more/bigger squares in half

for setting triangles:)

Such an easy quilt to assembly!

I have noticed that I really enjoy creating

with the sweet and simple half -square triangles.

Here is where the magic will happen!

You will want to play with the blocks

to see what other layouts you can make!

ENJOY the ride!

Model quilted by a professional long arm quilter

with an all over design, Sally by the Seashore

by Christy Dillon of My Creative Stitches.

 Here is the book cover and the beautiful layout

they gave it in the book.

Thank you ANNIE'S!

The link to PURCHASE so you have

all the lovely options and hopefully
create some new ones!

PS: A sneak peek at an alternate layout courtesy of Annie's!