Blogger's Quilt Festival- My Entry

I have been so excited for the Blogger's Quilt Festival this time! I didn't get the chance to enter in the past 2 because I didn't feel like I had a "worthy quilt". Then I was torn, which quilt should I choose to enter? Will I have it/them finished in time to link up? Stressful, I tell ya! Well, as I was reading Amy's festival introduction post I saw that we can enter TWO quilts! So, I have the one I'm sharing in this post to enter and I'm really really hoping I get the other one I want to enter finished in time to link up!

This is my absolute FAVORITE quilt that I've made to date! I think the reason this is my favorite is because I had the help of some AMAZING girls and it is also my first Bee quilt! (Just wanted to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the girls in Make It Modern Bee that made these blocks for me!!!) I will always hold this near and dear to my heart!
I love the way it turned out! If you all want to read more about this quilt you can read about it here and if you want to read my post about the block construction you can read about that here.

Let me show ya some more pics, cuz it's such a beauty I just HAVE to share it! LOL!

I love the backing too! I went for a giant pieced wonky log cabin, I think its a great match for the front!

I think this is my favorite pic of it though!

I used an all over design, resembling squares and rectangles meandering along for the quilting on my DSM.

And my stripey/scrappy binding to finish it off! Have I said how much I love this quilt? Cuz' I DO!!!! :-)

I'm entering this into the Group/Bee Quilt category! I'm sure there is going to be some AMAZING quilts in this festival (mainly because there always is!!!) So take a minute (or a few hours like me) and go check out all the wonderful quilts in ALL the different categories!!!! You can also enter to win an amazing Baby Lock Melody machine too, just sayin'! Click here to go to festival intro page!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished size- Around 75"x75"
Pieced by myself and the AMAZING girls of Make It Modern Bee
Quilted on my DSM using a "wondering square/rectangle" pattern
Design was inspired by Elizabeth Hartman's Craftsy class


Thank you guys for stopping by to check out my entry! (wish me luck on getting the other quilt finished so I can enter it too!!!)

~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~

Finished Bee Quilt

I am so excited to share this quilt with you!!! I busted my tail to get it done by Friday (aka Hubby's b-day) and although I didn't get it finished before he got off work, I did manage to finish it before the end of the night!
We went out today and had a lot of fun taking pictures of it!!! Let me forewarn you, this will be a photo heavy post! I can't wait to show you!!!!

I love where I live! Beautiful photo ops almost every where you turn! I mentioned "railroad" to my hubby and he took me to this gorgeous view! The quilt is pretty awesome too, huh?

Here is a "snippet" of the back, I improv'd a large log cabin...I think its just as awesome as the front, if I do say so myself!

I am so happy with this quilt!!! It's the first one I've made for "us", when I say "us" I mean me! LOL! Really, it's for him, but I know I'll get some good use out of it too!

Then we decided to head down to the River....I'm telling you, it was a GORGEOUS day!!!

I took soooo many pictures, I swear I've deleted at least 100, if not more, and still have TONS that I didn't edit!

Here is a full pic of the backing...what do you think? Did I do good?

A close up (somewhat) of the quilting...I chose to do random squares and rectangles. Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@CraftNurseQuilt) know that I had some issues with the quilting. I somehow manage to get a GINORMOUS pucker on one of the blocks! I have since washed it and although I can still see it, it's not THAAAAT noticeable.

I think this pic is my favorite from today! I love how the rustic look of the wooden stairs mixes with the modern look of the quilt!

For the binding I mainly used a gray diagonal stripe (I think it's from Riley Blake, but don't quote me on it!) and added a strip of blue, orange, and yellow.

This one is probably my 2nd favorite pic of the day, although I love them all!!!

This quilt is my very first "Bee Quilt" and I want to say a big THANK YOU to the girls from Make It Modern Bee for making these gorgeous blocks for me!!! I love them and will cherish this quilt for many many years!!!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished size- around 75" x 75"
Pieced- by myself and the lovely ladies of Make It Modern Bee
Quilted- on my DSM by me in a "wondering square" pattern
Design was inspired by Elizabeth Hartman's Craftsy class.

Tell me what you think about it, do you love it as much as I do or is it not your style?

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish it up Friday!



~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!!~

The End of a Great 6 Months

It's July already!?!?! Wow! This year is FLYING by (or I'm just too dang busy to sit back and enjoy it!) I really can't believe what a success my first Bee was! Make It Modern was the absolute BEST! The girls (a.k.a. my bee mates) are just plain AMAZING! I'm wowed by their creativity and skillz! I'm so happy to have made some new friends too!

(My block)

I want to say one thing though, I could NOT have done this without one amazing person helping me out. We did not know each other before this bee, but I am now proud to call her a great friend! Thank you SO SO SO SO SO SOOOOOO MUCH Jamie! If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would've made it through these past 6 months! I really appreciate all the hard work and all your effort that you've put into making this Bee a reality!

(Block for Licet)

I also want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the WONDERFUL sponsors we have had for this Bee!!!!! And with that being said, I've tried and tried to make this last giveaway really special! I tried to have 12 prizes so each person could win at least once, but it didn't quite happen. That's okay though, at least EVERYONE in the Bee will win or have won at least ONE prize! (YAY!!!!)
So, who are our final sponsors and what is it they are giving away????? Very good question. Let's get this started out right!

(Block made for Karen)

The wonderful people over at Craftsy have joined in our sponsor pool and are offering 2 FREE CLASSES! YAY! That means 2 people will win a class of their choice! (and if you haven't heard me RAVE on and on about how much I love Craftsy you can go here or here to "hear" me rave!!!)
But on a short note, Craftsy offers a variety of online quilting classes as well as sewing and other craft related classes! Once you enroll in one of those classes you will have access to it FOREVER! They have an amazing platform set up that you can interact with your class mates and course instructor! They also offer a place to buy and sell your patterns! (Trust me, if you haven't already checked them out it is an ABSOLUTE MUST!)

(Block made for Kelleigh)

The wonderful people over at Pink Chalk Fabrics are giving away a $25 gift certificate so the winner can go pick out some amazing fabric! The gift certificate is good for ANYTHING in the shop! Pink Chalk offers a wide variety of modern fabrics for any crafting need, they offer some great patterns and notions too!!! Pink Chalk always has a great selection of sale items! Also, I recommend signing up for the Chalk Talk newsletter, you'll get awesome tutorials and inspiration delivered to your inbox on a regular basis!

(Block made for Jamie)

The Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate too! The "FQS" is one of the most popular online quilting shops out there! They carry just about any style of fabric you can think of! I really do get lost browsing around in there sometimes. Not only do they have a HUGE selection of pre-cuts and yardage, they work with some of your FAVORITE bloggers to create custom fabric bundles! They offer a variety of clubs and programs so you can have layer cakes, jelly rolls, FQ bundles, charm packs, and so much more arriving at your door every month! They have a HUGE sale section too!

(Block made for Jenniffier)

Brenda and Jason of Pink Castle Fabrics are offering one lucky winner 3 Fat Eighth bundles! (which are perfect for Bees!) Pink Castle just recently opened the doors on their very first brick and mortar shop!!! (Congrats!!!!!) I love shopping with Pink Castle, their prices are amazing, they are at the top of their game when it comes to customer service, and their shipping is really fast! If you sign up for their newsletter you get amazing drool worthy fabric bundles in your inbox weekly! (and a little secret, they usually have some kind of special going on the weekends!) They've got some really cool "clubs" you can join too! Perfectly named "The Stash Stack" once a month you can get a variety of fabrics in one color arriving in your mailbox, every month is a new color! And if you want to build your solid stash, they have a club for that too!!!!

(Block made for Audrey)

The lovely Nichole of 1 Choice 4 Quilting is offering a $20 gift certificate for the winner to choose whatever they want from her AMAZING SHOP! 1 Choice offers a wide variety on your choice of pre-cuts, scrap bags (which are always fun to get!), yardage, quilt kits, and that's just to name a few things! The site is extremely easy to navigate and her prices are great too!!!! Trust me, go check the site out, you will NOT be disappointed!!!

(Block for Karen)

Winter Creek Cloth is offering a $25 gift certificate to our winner. The winner will be able to choose from a huge variety of fabrics! Their site is set up so you can browse through their drool worthy fabrics easily. You can choose to brows by collections, designers, pre-cuts, colors, and so much more!!! Plus shipping is super cheap! Only $5 to ship anywhere in the U.S.!!!!! Who can beat that? I got lost for a bit while browsing through their large selection!!! (please tell me I'm not the only one who does that?!?!)

(Block for Samantha, sorry about the horrible photo!)

And last but definitely not least Caitlin who owns the wonderful I Don't Do Dishes is offering a 2wenty Thr3e charm pack to one lucky lady! Caitlin carries a variety of fabrics to meet any quilting need. Her prices are amazing, shipping is EXTREMELY fast, and she is top of the line when it comes to customer service! So, if you've never checked her shop out, I highly suggest you drop what you're doing and go do so! You will NOT regret it!

(Block for Sarah)

I had a hard time deciding how to draw names, at first I was going to go the random number way but once I thought about it there was really no easy way to do it that way. So I did it the old fashioned way!!!!

I put all the names in my husband's hat and all the prizes in a "bucket" and drew. I figured that was the fairest way! Since there have been 5 winners already, I did hold their names for the very last drawing. That way I knew EVERY ONE in the bee would win SOMETHING!

(Block for Renae)

So without further ado the winners are: *drum roll*
Craftsy Class- Becky
Craftsy Class- Renae
$25 for Pink Chalk- Kelleigh
$25 for The Fat Quarter Shop- Jamie
3 Fat Eighth Bundles from Pink Castle- Kelie
$20 for 1 Choice 4 Quilting- Sarah
$25 for Winter Creek Cloth- Jen
2wenty Thr3e Charm Pack from I Don't Do Dishes- Samantha

Like I said earlier, this group was FULL of extremely talented ladies! I'm going to put a link here to each of their Flickr streams so you can check out some of their work!
Jamie Lee
Sarah
Karen
Jenniffier
Samantha
Becky
Jen
Licet
Audrey
Renea
Kelleigh
Me


(and if you are counting, yes, I'm a slacker and have not made one of the blocks. It intimidates me, and I think that is why I have put it off for so long. Thankfully my Bee Mate is understanding and knows that I'm in the process of making it! I'll update this post with a pic as soon as I get it done!)

Thank you to my Bee Mates again for a wonderful 6 months of block making fun!!!!
And a THANK YOU to all of our wonderful sponsors! We appreciate everything you all do for us!


~Hope y'all are having a great day!~

Make It Modern: May's Sponsor

Wow! Is it just me or is time just FLYING by? I mean really, FLYING by? Gah, I keep meaning to post like a ton of things and never seem to get the chance. I guess that's what I get for choosing to sew instead, huh? Y'all will forgive me right? I'll have lots of pretties to show you very soon! (at least I hope!)
So, May has come and gone already! Wow!!!! So I'm going to pretend it's still May, (I'm only a day late!)
This month's sponsor for the Make It Modern Bee is the fantabulous online shop called Pink Chalk Fabrics!
Pink Chalk Fabrics is owned by the ever so sweet Kathy Mack! I'm going to let her about page do most of the introduction here....
In 2008, Pink Chalk Fabrics launched with the mission to provide the best cloth, pattern, and tools available for modern sewists. Our motto here is Do What You Like, Like What You Do. The entire Pink Chalk Fabrics team is dedicated to making your sewing journey a happy one. We appreciate the opportunity to provide you with an experience that will exceed your expectations.



Kathy carries a great choice of Modern quilting fabrics to meet most any sewing or quilting need! I love drooling over her selection! (Please tell me I"m not the only weirdo that does that?!?!?!)
And not only does she carry great fabrics she has an amazing selection of patterns and notions too! I find her site very easy to navigate and her customer service is TOP NOTCH!
So, y'all ready to see some droolworthy fabrics? I know I am!!!

I love me some Pearl Bracelets!

And who doesn't love Lotta Jansdotter's line Glimma?
That's just a few of my favs from her shop...I could really go on forever!!!!
If you guys like getting some great mail on a monthly basis I STRONGLY suggest you check out Kathy's Monthly Clubs there are quite a few of them!

Anywho....Kathy is offering a $25 gift certificate to her shop for one of the Make It Modern members!!!! Y'all know the drill by now, huh? I can't believe we are going into our last month of this Bee!!! It has been a great experience for me and I'm so happy to have made some great new friends! I feel very honored to have been in this Bee with such an AMAZINGLY TALENTED group of women! I can't wait to see what June brings us!!!!!

~Hope y'all are having a great day!!!~

Make It Modern's April Sponsor: The Intrepid Thread

Hey there strangers! Long time no see!!!!! It's been a LOOOOOONG month! And a very busy one too! I'll tell you guys more about that soon though. I dropped in today to let you all know about Make It Modern's sponsor for April!!!!!!

This month's sponsor is none other than the AMAZING Julie Duek, owner of The Intrepid Thread!!!!!
I know you guys have heard me rave about her and her shop, and I honestly can't say enough good things about her! I'm going to let her about page do the talking for a moment:
"Owner, Julie Dueck, started the Intrepid Thread out of a desire to feature her own favorite fabric lines and designers, as well as offer the best possible customer care available! Not only is Julie passionate about fabric, she possesses a knowledge of fabric that only comes from years of researching it, blogging about it and buying it!
When you purchase fabric from The Intrepid Thread, you’ll benefit from Julie’s expertise! Julie keeps her finger on the pulse of the modern quilter, carefully purchasing each bolt of fabric herself. In fact, if she wouldn’t want to sew with it…then it’s not good enough for her customers either!
Julie’s impeccable taste in fabric, as well as her knowledge and ability to stock the most sought-after designer fabrics, sets her apart from other fabric dealers. Her hand wrapped packages, tied with a bow and a personal note, let customers know just how important they are." 

That really says it all! I absolutely L-O-V-E getting a package from Julie! They always make my day! Her handwritten notes lets you know that she really cares about her customers! I recommend her shop to everyone I know!
Julie just recently opened up a brick and mortar shop! (Congrats, Julie!) The only downside to that is that I don't live close enough to go see it for myself! The pictures on her home page show a really gorgeous shop!
You can visit her blog to see what is going on in her shop and what all she's into....ya never know, you may find a giveaway to go enter! :) I'm just sayin.....

Julie keeps her shop stocked with the latest modern fabrics! And with her FANTASTIC prices....it's hard to say no.... Let me just show you some of my favorites......

My favorite line!!! Comma!

Tsuru.....

Color Me Retro (I LOOOOOVE the colors in this line!!!!!!)

I'm inlove with this one! 2wenty Thr3e! I wish I could get the WHOLE COLLECTION!!!!!

So you see, you really really really really REALLY need to go and check out The Intrepid Thread because it is just an all around AMAZING shop! I promise you will NOT be disappointed!

So, what is Julie offering to one lucky Make It Modern member?

This gorgeous, and I do mean GORGEOUS fat quarter bundle of Luxe In Bloom!!!!!
You girls know the drill! Have your blocks in the mail already (since it's the very last day of the month) and have a pic of each of your finished blocks in the group pool to be in the drawing! Jamie and I will be announcing the winner tomorrow! Good luck!



~Hope y'all are having a great day!!!~

Make It Modern Sponsor: The Fat Quarter Shop

Wow! I can't believe we are already at the end of March!!!! Is it just me or is this year FLYING by?
So much to do, so little time to do it all! But, I HAVE to tell you guys about Make It Modern!

This is a group of some VERY talented women! The blocks they've made are AMAZING!

These are the blocks I've made for the month. I had so much fun making them and let me just say that those Half Square Rectangles are pretty tough! If it weren't for Jamie's tutorial (which can be found here) I don't think I could've done it! And while on the subject of Jamie I just want to say THANK YOU a million times over for helping me out with everything. Really, I could NOT have done this without your help! You are AMAZING and I appreciate you more than you will EVER know! Thank you girl!!!! You're the BEST!


Okay now, let me introduce March's Make it Modern sponsor......
The (Amazing) Fat Quarter Shop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of the most popular online shops and if you haven't heard of them, you are about to! Really the Shop is just AMAZING! They carry EVERYTHING! I mean, seriously, if you are a traditional or modern quilter The Fat Quarter Shop carries it all!

Here is a little bit about their shop, taken straight from their website...

The Fat Quarter Shop was founded in 2003 by Kimberly Jolly. An avid quilter, Kimberly began her shop as a side business while still working a corporate position, cutting, packing and shipping right out of her house during evenings and weekends. From the very beginning, she was committed to delivering top-notch service for every single order and customer. As the Fat Quarter Shop's reputation grew, Kimberly decided to make it a full-time operation. Her husband Kevin joined her not long after, and with his help, lots of hard work, and a tireless commitment, the store began to grow. Over the past few years a few more people have joined the staff!

As a team, we continue to branch out with the best fabrics, exclusive kits, quilt clubs, BOMs, and more. And we will always be driven by the passion that Kimberly founded the store upon, which is always giving you the best products and service!

You can connect with them through your favorite social medias....
Their blog, The Jolly Jabber, can be found here
You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

I love this shop, I mean L-O-V-E it! I go to their Coming Soon page on a weekly basis to see what new lines are coming out and when...and if you find a line that you really like they have the option of signing up for an e-mail to notify you when its available!!! Which I think is just awesome!

They have OVER 50 pages of SALE items that can be found here! If you are anything like me and love a good sale you will LOVE it! You can find out what their Book of the Month is and their Notion of the Month there too!
They have TONS of different clubs you can sign up for here and I promise you, you will want to sign up for at least 10! Their clubs include Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundles and Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundles!!!!

Here are some of my favorites.........

They are ALWAYS getting in new fabrics! They have 16 pages of KONA COTTON!!! Which I'm obsessed with! :)
They have the FASTEST shipping, literally, I've EVER seen! If you order before 3 p.m.CST your order ships THAT DAY! Their customer service is amazing, they answer all e-mails with lightning speed!!

So, I bet you are wondering...what are they going to be giving away???? Well one EXTREMELY lucky member of Make It Modern will win....

this GORGEOUS FQ bundle of Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille!!!!!! And they will have me begging for it! LOL! I love this line!!! The colors are amazing! I just recently discovered this line and how amazing it would be for a very special little boy's first quilt. I actually told Kimberly (owner of the Fat Quarter Shop) how much I wished I could win this! (So, Jamie, if you are reading this, just put my name in for the drawing, no one else's....we will keep it as our little secret!) LOL!

Anyway, I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to The Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring this month's giveaway! You guys are amazing at what you do!!!!!!!!!

~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~