Spring in Illinois

 Spring has Sprung here in Illinois. 

I forgot how much I missed 

the change of seasons and the green 

of everything coming back!

We now have lovely red patio 

chairs and a great view when 

the weather permits.

It is the perfect spot to do 

some hand stitching:)

Inside things were at a stand still

until I could get some cabinets to paint

for my studio. Here they are....

Wait until you see the lovely red

they will become.

The Leaves Of Change QAL

is still progressing in my FB group,

Robin's Rocking Needles here.

This is 4 panels done on my

scrappy version:) I am really 

loving how it looks!

I spent Memorial Day getting

my QOVF Take 5 blocks done.

I chose to do 5 Ohio Star blocks

since that is also the National

Block Drive block this year.

It was the perfect day to honor

those we have lost in service.

I have been enjoying some long

walks out in nature and right 

now the Cottonwood trees are

letting loose their fluff.

I love it!

It also brings back childhood

memories from when we lived

in Kansas. The family farm

had huge Cottonwood trees on it

as well as huge Mulberry trees.

Cotton is a staple in my life!

I wonder how much I would

need to bat a small quilt:)

I hope you are enjoying

your Spring. 

Let me know what you are 

doing in the comments.

Gardening?

Quilting?

Hiking?

All of the above?

Whatever it is, enjoy it with all 

your being!

Keep Stitchin~

2018 Spring Clean your Studio...?

THANK YOU, CHERYL!!
This really was the kick in the pants I needed and I am sure there will be major moments of studio envy but I am pretty in love with my own now too:)

Spring Cleaning NEVER sounds fun but I would be in my Happy Place, right? ! ?? !! 

It really hasn't been very happy lately though because we didn't move on our 3-4 year schedule (no military transfer since Jim retired in 2016) so stuff started piling up. This is what greets me immediately as I walk into my studio....Overwhelming!
If I make the photos smaller, will it make the mess appear smaller too??? 

Then about 1-1/2 years ago, I started seriously training to become an appraiser and more stuff started piling up.

Talk about Books gone Wild due to appraisal training and the generosity of others plus guild bargains.  There are close to 50 books in this pile plus vintage/antique fabrics for categorizing.

NOW I CAN SEE MY FLOOR!!!

To which my husband replied, "you should always be able to see your floor".  Go Away. I don't need that kind of negativity:)

It may not look tidier to some but it is SO MUCH better!

As we look around to the right of the room, you will see my 12" square cutting surface and maybe a 24" x 12" sewing area. The rest of my space is piles of fabric/items I never officially unpacked because I wasn't sure we were staying here...We are:)

Then there is the closet.  I was so excited to have a whole closet with shelves but I could never decide what to do with the empty, hard to get to, space behind the wall to the right or the best way to utilize the rod across the length of the closet.

Stuff has just been crammed in there for 6 years. 

Three months (3 years-whatever!) before Cheryl even posted about this hop I had seen a cabinet that I wanted for my room because I knew it was a disaster and needed an overhaul.  It was the cutest 'Gentleman's Cabinet' in a cream over maple wood.  I asked the shop owner if they would take less, "yes".  I promised myself once there was a bit extra in my budget I would get there....life intervenes!

Finally I made it there and then there were 2 other pieces that were so cool and I had to choose.

I felt like Goldilocks.  One cabinet was too much wasted space. One cabinet was Perfect (a vintage metal Doctor's cabinet with glass shelves and a light came on when you opened the doors) but too expensive. Back to my little cream cabinet that was just right in space and price:)

 A place for my vintage hankie/embroidered linens collection!

 More progress being made!

( I can start showing bigger pics now for more impact:)))

Amazing what you will find when cleaning....

My grandmother's thimble collection!

Look who else is happy about the clean space he now has.

This is Biscuit:)

No more trying to Cram in under because there is actual

room to stretch out and be comfortable:)

I FINALLY have a bit of task lighting too!

Thank you IKEA!

Can you see the small light off the top of the bookshelf? 

I have multiples of that little light. 

It was $15 and works wonders because it has a gooseneck

style that can be positioned anywhere.

I can see my cutting mat, my smaller piles make sense

now and have an order to them, and a couple

of new items were added to make me smile!

Here is one of the new pieces that I

picked up on my way to Paducah. 

It said it was a planter but it hadn't been used and

I can 'plant' fabric inside there instead:)

The whole closet didn't get straightened the way

I may have liked so I won't bore you

with another pic of that.  Instead you can see the cute

little ship's captain desk that houses my bead

collection along with a few 'proud of me momentos'. 

Now for a bit of a brag before I leave you:)

"ROBIN'S WREATHS" at Paducah

in the Authors Section!!!

This was created in the mess you witnessed

above and I am still on my high from

being in Paducah this past week. 

AQS members receive a magazine called

AQ magazine as part of their membership.

"Robin's Wreaths" will be the series quilt this year as a BOM.  

If you are not a member, consider becoming one. 

There are many other benefits like all the

access to their digital content as well (a treasure trove in itself).

I do hope you will follow me on FB: 

https://www.facebook.com/NestlingsbyRobin

Instagram: @nestlings1 and sign up for my newsletter

by emailing me at robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com

THANK YOU!

STAY TUNED for more studio envy coming your way: 

April 23 - Lori Crawley Kennedy - http://theinboxjaunt.com

April 24 - Jennifer Thomas - http://curlicuecreations.blogspot.com
April 25 - Robin Koehler - http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
April 26 - Andi Barney- https://www.andibarney.com/
April 27 - Misty Cole - http://www.mistycole.com/blog
April 28 - Carolina Moore- http://alwaysexpectmoore.com/
April 29 - Heather Pregger - https://heatherquilts.blogspot.com/
April 30 - Linda Bratten - https://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/
May 1 - Lisa Reber - https://dippydye.blogspot.com/
May 2 - Teresa Coates - http://www.crinkledreams.com
May 3 - Lisa Chin - http://www.lisachinartist.com/
May 4 - Jamie Fingal - http://www.jamiefingaldesigns.com/
May 5 - Sam Hunter - www.huntersdesignstudio.com
May 6 - Jessee Maloney - www.artschooldropout.net/blog
May 7 - Randa Parrish - http://www.sewartsyfartsy.com/
May 8 - Sarah Vedeler- https://meaningoflifedesigns.com/
May 9 - Jessica Darling - https://jessicakdarling.com/
May 10 - Melody Crust - http://www.melodycrust.com/
May 11 - Debby Brown - http://higheredhands.blogspot.com
May 12 - Cheryl Sleboda - http://blog.muppin.com

Studio Disorganization!

I would love to tell you that I am super organized and in my mind's eye, I am:)  The reality is that I work in a crazy zone most of the time until every now and again my mind tells me to STOP and take charge of the crazy!

For a peek at my old studio, click HERE.

So these pictures made it to this post because my floor is actually clean!!  Usually I am side stepping creative piles of fabrics for future quilts.  These pics are from one of my sane moments because I just couldn't think properly anymore and worse, I had to move 2-3 piles just to get to one thing I needed!! I can live in the mess but I hate having to keep moving things to get what I want.

This is a picture of an adorable Captain's Desk I found in my travels that has tiny little drawers down each side that are perfect for color organizing my bead stash:))))))

 

Pop over to see who else is blogging....
http://muppin.com/wordpress/index.php/the-2016-31-day-blog-writing-challenge/

 

Quilting Arts Online Open Studio Tours

This weekend spend a little time touring some of the studios of the Quilting Arts Community's very talented artists.

Every artist uses his/her studio in a different way and if you have been pondering ways to make your studio work for you, maybe the answer will pop out at you in this 'no cost' virtual tour. Enjoy!!

New Gallery Showing

This past week I was approached by a local wood studio

to hang a few of my pieces in their gallery. Nice Figures', world renown, artwork is breathtaking, to say the least; and so I was extremely honored that they approached me. The organic nature of both mediums is a wonderful pairing.

They have the most unique and high quality wood I have ever seen. All the artwork is created on site and so the smell of the gallery evokes so many memories for me of my grandpa's workshop. I loved going in amongst the machines and sawdust....miss you grandpa.

The gallery chose Autumn Shores and Frozen Days from my website

A third piece, Marriage, will hang exclusively in their gallery through the holidays.