Finished Quilt Top

    Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged! I've been super busy lately with work and summer.....the 3 little ones are in a Pee Wee league for the summer and that takes up a lot of time as well. But enough with the excuses! I've also been sewing away!!!
     I've got quite a few things I'm working on...I'm really excited to show you this finished quilt top though! I had the design stuck in my head ever since I got my Patchwork Threads t-shirt! LOL!

     First I have to share a little bit about the photo location. We are actually on vacation right now in Sevierville, TN  (AKA Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg)! It is so gorgeous down here in the Smokey Mountains. Yes, I know I live in the Smokeys but the views down here are just breathtaking.

     See what I mean?
 
    But I know you guys wanna see some pretty stuff, well, pretty sewing related things at least, right?

     As you can see, the wind was not very cooperative, but I still love these pics and just had to share them with you!

        I have the best quilt holder upper ever! :)

   I really love the way this top has turned out and am soooo excited to get it quilted and bound! I used 3.5" squares. I didn't want a flat background so I chose to use a variety of low volume and text prints for the background. I really could not be happier with the way this turned out. I can definitely see myself making a few more of these. They come together super quick!

    The heart is made out of some of my very favorite fabrics. I love the contrast between low volume and really bright fabrics!

  Ignore all the wrinkles in it please, it was packed up with the rest of my sewing gear I brought on vacation with me.

    I have a few different ideas of how I want to quilt it, but haven't settled on one. What do you all think would look good? I wanna get away from my usual stipple design and try my hand at something a bit more interesting, I'm just not sure what.

  If Donnie had not been holding the corner at this point the entire quilt would have flown away! So, I decided I had enough pics for the day! (plus my memory card was full)

   Let me know what you think of this quilt! I'll have a new video tutorial up in the next few days (the internet here is really spotty so I'm not sure if it will upload or not, but I am going to try)! I'm also testing a pattern for someone and am so inlove with the way its turning out! I can't wait to share it with you guys!!!!

   I promise I'll be back before the month is gone! LOL!

    I'm linking up with Amanda Jean this Friday for Finish It Friday!

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

My stop on the Wicked Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Wonderfully Wicked Blog Hop!!!! If it is your first time here, WELCOME! I'm so glad you came! I hope you enjoy my "Wicked" projects. Take a look around while you are here, you can find my completed quilts under the tab "My Quilts" at the top of the page, I'd love for you to come back and see all the stuff I've got in store for the future!

Halloween is one of my FAVORITE holidays....I just love it! So, when I heard that this blog hop was going on I just HAD to be part of it!!! I had HUGE plans, and honestly, it seems like I always have HUGE plans and time just gets away from me!!!! I did manage to get some things accomplished that I wanted to, but not everything....so if you come back (and I'm hoping you will) I still have a few WICKED things up my sleeve!

Let's get on to the pretty stuff huh?

I made this "Not So Spooky" Halloween Quilt for my fav LQS using the Fat Quarter Shop's Jelly Roll Jam pattern. It came together sooooo fast!!! I really like how it turned out!


But here is the project I really wanted to have FINISHED for this hop....I didn't quite get it finished, but I will....very soon!

I crazy pieced a bunch of different fabrics together in colors that remind me of Halloween. I really love the way it turned out! I got the idea from Elizabeth Hartman's class Inspired Modern Quilts. She calls her quilt "Improv Pods". The layout is very similar to her quilt but I pieced the blocks in my "crazy" way!

As you can see there is really no rhyme or reason to the piecing, I just went with it! Slashing and stitchin' where ever I wanted! I love this kind of piecing!!! It is so FREEING!

I used Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in Flax for the background. I wanted my blocks to POP off the background so I bordered them in some Kona Snow.

Although I used the same fabrics for each block, they all turned out so different! (I have a few more put together for the back, which I'm working on as we speak...)  This is a small quilt, I'd say around 45" or so long by around 30(ish)" wide...I haven't measured it yet!

I hope you enjoyed my quick stop on the Wicked Blog Hop, but don't forget to go check out all the other amazing projects!!!!
Here are the links to the other hoppers today:
Tea Time Creations
Moosestash Quilting
More Stars In Comanche
Shape Moth
Selina Quilts
Debby Kratovil Quilts
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Robins Fabric Nest
Craft Nurse Quilt (that's me!!!)
Quilt Doodle Designs
Just Quilt It

And a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Mdm Samm and Wicked Wendy for all the work they put in to make this Blog Hop happen!! Thank you ladies!!!

Like I said earlier, I would LOVE for you guys to come back and visit me! I would LOOOOVE for you to become a follower too! You can follow me by clicking the button of your choice (bloglovin, google friend connect, or by email) in the top right of my page!!!
Thanks again for stopping by! I hope everyone has a SAFE and WICKEDLY FUN Halloween!!!!



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

WIP Wednesday...a little late

I thought I would drop in and give you guys a quick sneak peak at a WIP! I have like a thousand different WIP's right now, and it seems like I've got deadlines on about everything!!!! But, oh well, I will get it done. (If I keep saying "I think I can I think I can I think I can" maybe I will!!!!) But this particular WIP needs to be done ASAP!
I know I've told you about my addiction to swaps, this is part of a swap. The Modernista swap has been over for a while now, but some people don't follow through with their promises and an Angel was needed. (that just means that someone didn't receive their swap package and someone needed to volunteer to make something for the person missing out) so, being the nice person I am I volunteered! I know I would want someone to volunteer to make me something if I didn't get my package...that's the way I think about it anyways. Sooo, I'm trying to get this package off to my "Angel Partner" as soon as I can since she's already been waiting a long time!!!!
Here's what I've gotten so far....

I made her this cute mug rug (I've been addicted to them recently...so quick and easy!!!) and I really love the way it turned out! This will be one of her small items that I'll send her.

I haven't decided whether I'm going to make her big item into a mini quilt for her wall or a pillow for her bed....decisions, decisions!

I chose to use a pattern by Elizabeth Dackson of Don't Call Me Betsy (no real surprise there since I LOVE her patterns!) this one is called Wheel of Fortune (and is available for purchase!!!) I really like how it's turning out so far! I'm making a total of 9 blocks, which will make it 18" square once sewn together....I may add a border or 2....just depends on what I'm feeling when I get to that point!

It is a paper pieced pattern, here's the sections before trimming.

Here is one of the sections all trimmed up and ready to be made into a block!

I can't wait to see this all come together! I hope she will love it!

I'm linking up with Lee over at Freshly Pieced for her WIP Wednesday!



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

Vintage Quilts

I got a FANTABULOUS surprise the other day and I just could NOT wait to share it with you guys! My cousin came by and brought me not one but TWO of the prettiest quilt tops I have EVER seen! They were pieced a LONG LONG LONG time ago by my great grandmother! I've never seen these and this really came as a total shock to me! She wants me to quilt them!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!? I can't believe she trusts me enough to quilt these beauties! I don't know if I trust myself for that matter! I bet you can't wait to see them huh?????

This one is my favorite of the 2! I love a dresden quilt, and the colors in this one ARE TO DIE FOR

*be still my heart*

This one is also in the best shape of the 2 (you'll see what I mean in just a sec). My cousin told me it was pieced out of feed sack fabric. They both feel so....... brittle I guess would be the best word to describe it.

Here is the hexagon one. I love the muted pallet!

Just GORGEOUS!!!!

Here is one of the "troubled" spots. (sorry about the shadow of my arm!)

And here is the other one. This one is right in the middle of the quilt!!!

Annnnnd, one of the other reasons I wanted to share these with you is because I NEED YOUR HELP! I've never worked with anything like this before and I'm terrified I will ruin them. Do any of you know of a way that I can, I guess, stabilize? them before I back them? I'm scared putting them through a machine may damage them and I DO NOT want that to happen! Also, if you have any suggestions on how I can fix those "troubled" spots I would GREATLY GREATLY appreciate it! I think the spot in the last picture I showed you will be fairly easy to fix....but the whole in it????? How in the world can I fix that? (I don't have ANY sort of vintage fabrics or any that would be remotely CLOSE to the colors in it either!)

Thank you in advance for your help, I appreciate it more than you can imagine!!!!!

Linking up with Lee for her WIP Wednesday linky!!!


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

WIP: Lucky Stars BOM

I figured it was about time to show you some of my blocks for the Lucky Stars Block of the Month (hosted and designed by Elizabeth Dackson of Don't Call Me Betsy)
     I'm behind with it (like I usually get with everything) but it has been really exciting to see what design she is coming out with next. The anticipation for the first of the month KILLS me!!! Every month you get a new paper pieced pattern in your mailbox! And it's not to late to join, if you haven't already. Just click here and you can read all about it! And best of all you get a total of TWENTY FIVE (yep, 25) block patterns for only $15!!!! In my opinion, you can't beat it!!!! Each pattern you receive comes with 2 size options, the 12.5" block or the 6.5" block! So, the possibilities of what you can do with these blocks are ENDLESS!!!!!
Disclaimer: Elizabeth has not asked me to write this post, nor am I receiving any kind of compensation for writing this post! She does not even know I'm writing this post. Therefore, all of the opinions expressed in this post are 150% MY OWN!

Here's what I've got so far! Like I said, I'm behind. These blocks are really fun to make, some will challenge you though. There are a few that I haven't made yet mainly because I'm a little scared of it! But, I WILL AND CAN DO IT! (just gotta keep telling myself that!) ;-)

I'm going to be making this into a sampler quilt eventually. My fabric choices are pretty vague. I know that I want the background of each block to be various shades of gray, and I want an all solids quilt. (All fabrics used for these blocks are Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman....my VERY favorite solids!!!) That is really all I'm going by. I'm picking fabrics for each block as I get ready to make the block...I'm just hoping they will all look good together! I may end up remaking a few of the blocks if they don't turn out like I want...but I guess we will just have to see!

I really love the variety of all the blocks!

The one above may be one of those that I remake...I just can't decide if I like the colors together. (the fact that my points are WAAAAAYYY off may have a little to do with that decision too!)

This is one of my favorites so far! I made this block for a member of Bee Sew Modern and I did really awful in lining up the points, which I still can't figure out how I got them so far off. It can be a bit tricky!

Elizabeth had 2 different options with this one. You could put it together as I have or flip it around, I had a really hard time deciding how I was going to sew it together, but I think I like this layout the best. I may make another one and flip it all around!

This is another one that had 2 ways to put it together. Again, I may make another one and flip it! I think out of all the blocks I've made for this BOM that this one is my FAVORITE! I love the colors, and the way that it all came together!

See what I mean? It's just GORGEOUS! (I can say that about something I made right?) ;-)
I love the way the black makes the center just POP! Now, I want to run into my room and make another block! I might just do that!!!!

What other colors do y'all think will look good in this quilt?

I guess that's it for now, just wanted to share a WIP (it's been FOREVER since I've shared a WIP, I need to do that more often!)

And let me just say that you can join this BOM at any time! All you have to do is click this link and you will start receiving some AH-MAY-ZING block patterns in your inbox! And if you do, tell Elizabeth that Kelie sent you (it may give me some brownie points *wink wink* LOL)!


On a side note, I hope everyone in the states has a FUN and SAFE Labor Day weekend!!!!

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

So far, it's a good start....

To the New Year!!! I've had a lot go on in such a short time this year! Most importantly, I'd like to introduce everyone to...

Miss Abby who is my newest niece! She was born Jan. 4, 2013 weighing 8lbs 5.7 oz and was 21 1/4 in. long! She's perfect!!! Had a rough first week but is home now and doing great! She's such a good baby so far too! I just want to eat her! LOL! That's been the most exciting news!

On another note, I lost my job! :( But the only reason that happened is because I found a new one, the new job called the old job, and the old job....well.... let's just say got a little mad. But it's for the best, really! I'll be working dayshift (THANK GOD!) instead of nights, pay is better, and I'll get to spend more time with my babies! Hopefully, this will work out the way I have planned! *fingers crossed*

I've been sewing quite a bit this year too! If anyone follows me on IG (craftnursequilt) then you guys already know! Let me show ya a little bit of what I've got going on!

I started on the Lucky Stars BOM last night! This is the practice block, I decided to do this quilt out of all solids! Hopefully I'll get to use up a lot of those charms from my Kona Rainbow swap! I'm going with a grayish background too....I don't think I'm going to stick to a specific gray, just different grays that I have on hand. I think it'll look pretty good!

I've got Miss Abby's quilt top all sewn together (no pic of the completed top! Sorry!) and am working on the backing.

I finished my Bee block, which I love!!!! I think Samantha did a FANTASTIC job designing this quilt block, she calls it "Momma Goose" and I can NOT wait to see the finished product! You can find the tutorial here and she's also got a drawing of what she wants the finished quilt to look like!

I am enrolled in Vanessa Christenson's Craftsy class called Sewing Texture and I absolutely LOVE her ideas!!!!

I've gotten this far on my pillow top! It's super easy!!! And I love her ideas of using texture so much that I've designed a mini quilt top for the DQS13 using pleats!

The rainbow of color in the center will be pleats, I'm hoping I can figure out how to pull this off! I think it'll be really cool looking if I can do it! So wish me luck!!!!


Also, this year...my baby girl turned 5!!!!!!! I can't believe how big she is getting! Where has all the time went??????

I finished this lovely for her baby doll and gave it to her as a b-day gift! I love how it turned out! The colors are so much brighter than this pic shows! And she LOVES it!!!
So this year so far, has been pretty good!!! I'm hoping everything works out the way I want it to! I know it's gonna be a lot to adjust to, but I've got a good support system backing me 100% so I think it'll all work out!
Now, I'm off to sew, not sure what, but it will involve me & my machine!!!!!
~Hope y'all are having a great day!!~

2013 here I come!

I don't know about y'all but for me, 2012 FLEW BY! It like just yesterday I was moving into my new home (which was right after last Christmas!) I hadn't even picked up my first piece of fabric, hadn't sewn a stitch! Wow! That's so hard to believe!!! As you can see in the above pic, I've made quite a bit of progress with sewing (and that's just some of the stuff I've made)! I actually got my first sewing machine last Christmas! Best Christmas present to date! It changed my life! Literally!!!!! I am so glad that I started sewing, that I started blogging, and have met so many amazingly talented, sweet people through doing so!!!!
This past year has brought on a lot of changes for me and my family, some for the better, some I'm still not so sure about! I do know that we are happy, and that's what is important!
And I want to say THANK ALL OF YOU for reading my blog, and supporting me in my learning/crafting adventures! Without your continued support (and the support of my family especially my hubby) I wouldn't be where I am today!

So, is everyone looking forward to the new year? A new year means a chance for new beginnings, a chance to look back on the past year and plan for the new one! So that's what I'm trying to do! I'm going to do my best to plan (and follow through) my year! I don't mean a hard core plan, I just mean some goals to accomplish for the year! I don't have a huge list of goals, but the goals I do have I sincerely want to accomplish them! So y'all want to know what they are?????
Sure ya do!!!!



My 2013 Goals
*Be more organized! (So I know what I need to do, when I need to do it, how to do it etc)
* Finish what I start!!!! (this one is really important to me because it seems like I have a problem finishing a lot of the things I start, such as quilt alongs etc)
*Spend less money (on stupid things so maybe I can actually get ahead of myself for once!)
*Write a tutorial (or 2)
*Make my own design/pattern (of anything whether it be a bag, quilt, pouch ANYTHING!)
*Work towards opening up a shop (of some sort)
*Manage my time better (so I can spend more time with my babies!)
*Blog AT LEAST 3 times a month but hopefully more than that!

See, that's not too bad of a list is it? I think it's all pretty much accomplishable (is that a word?)
Now, I have a list of things I hope to make this year

My 2013 "To Make" list
*Swoon Quilt (I have the pattern and fabric, just gotta DO IT!)
*Super Mario Brothers Quilt (by Angela of Cut To Pieces )
*A completely Improv Quilt (because I love the look of them!)
*Curtains for my bedroom
*Make Gabe a quilt (I'm thinking I can combine this one with the Super Mario Brothers quilt, I think he will love it!)

Not too bad, and I think it'll be managable!

I've looked through all my stuff and got yet another list to share with you guys, but this one is with pics!!! (YAY!)

My WIP list
*Scrappy Trip Around The World (yes, I drank the Kool-Aid over on IG and joined in with them!!! I've made pretty good progress on it too! 20 blocks down 16 to go!)

This is the first 16 blocks, I haven't laid out all 20, and this isn't the final layout by any means! I'm making this for my momma and hope to have it finished by the end of Feb. (trying to be realistic!)
*The quilt for my bed (I'm doing a traditional coin quilt, pattern by Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts and you can find her tutorial here I'm just enlarging it!)

This is what I've got done so far! Still have a lot to do, but making some progress!

I'm using charm packs of the line Papillon by Me and My Sister (I think it's a gorgeous line!) And I hope to have this quilt finished up by no later than the middle of Feb (this is pushing it! But hopefully I can do it!)
*Dakota's Quilt

Just need to add some more negative space to it to make it bigger than I'll have the completed top!

This is my own design, I think its turning out pretty good and I think he will love it! (I still have not let him see it!!!)
*Christmas Quilt (yeah, I know I know, you don't even have to say it!)

Here is the completed top, I have the back done and it's basted! I just have to quilt it!!! (Which was my plan for the past weekend except, I drank that damn Kool-Aid!) LOL!
I'll have this one done by the end of the month, that's reasonable, right?
*Of course I have my monthly Bee blocks (since I started the thing!)
*DQS (I'm in the "designing" phase of this one, but I have a really neat idea, I just hope I can pull it off and that my Partner will LOVE it!)


Now, these are not WIP but they kinda go along with the whole "finish what I start" thing.
*Skill Builder BOM that can be found here by Pile O Fabric
*Lucky Stars BOM by Don't Call Me Betsy (click on that link over there to learn more!)
So those will hopefully be done by the end of the year! That's 4 or 5 blocks a month, on top of whatever else I'm making! *I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can*

I've already started trying to get myself a bit more organized! My momma got me

this cute thing and my WIP's fit perfectly in there! I'm putting sticky notes on the drawers so I know what's in each one, along with whatever fabrics I've got pulled for them! Good idea, huh? Easily accessible!

This year on top of everything that I have learned already over the past year, I am hoping to learn all kinds of new things, challenge myself on a weekly basis to improve my skills, and become a better quilter! And with the help of you guys, I know I can do it! I do have to ask you guys for a kinda big favor though!

HELP KEEP ME ON TRACK! I find your comments and e-mails so inspiring and motivating! So please comment, e-mail me, whatever! Just keep being the BEST BLOG FOLLOWERS IN THE WORLD! Cuz you already are! ;)

So, do you guys think I can do it? What kind of goals do you all have for this year? I'd love to know!!! I'd love it if you guys would challenge yourself to one of the BOM's I'm doing, I think they are both going to turn out to be amazing quilts! Are you guys already doing one? If so, which one?


I'm also trying to plan a few more things for this year, maybe another fabric swap or maybe a QAL of some sort? What would you guys like to do? Another Bee (now that I've got one going I kind of know how to get them started!) Let me know!!!!!

Happy New Year from my home to yours!!!!!!!!!!

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