footloose and fancy free

Not yet. But getting closer! Packers come tomorrow.

Sew and Tell will still happen this week - I have a blog hero coming to the rescue!

I wish I had more time right now to reply to all your comments.  I'll be back to normal soon.  (I hope!!)

I wish I felt like this right now.

sew & tell - barely. keeping. head. above. water.

If you are new or need a refresher for Sew & Tell guidelines you can click on the tab above for details on linking up!

Oh my goodness friends, how are you?  Ever feel like you are drowning? Or that you have so much to do you just can't do anything?  Wellllll, that's how I've felt this week.  The movers are coming next week and I'm paralyzed by the amount of stuff I need to do for that to happen.  So what did I do instead?

I made a darling little dress!

Simplicity pattern #5695

Dandy Damask sleeves and ruffle, Famer's Market Dahlia for the main body.  (I should have gotten some pictures of her wearing it...)

 I have some Nicey Jane to make another one too - the tiered one!

And have I mentioned I have a serious crush on my serger?  Look at the inside!

And I used it to secure the edges of the baby quilt's binding!  yee haw!

I just have some handsewing to do to finish it up.  I'm hoping to finish it soon so I can link it up to Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival.




I know you all have some amazing quilts to share.  Why don't you go and share it with everyone!  It's the ultimate quilting sew and tell!


Can't wait to see what you've been doing this week!

Your turn!

Please refer to the sew & tell page if you have any questions or wonder why your link may have been deleted.

1. Link to your specific post about a sewing related finish you had THIS week.

2. Please mention sew & tell in  your post and link back to this post (link or button) so everyone can join in.

3. Pat each other on the backs in the comments!

sew & tell - I'm baaaa-aaack! with a little quilting to share.

If you are new or need a refresher for Sew & Tell guidelines you can click on the tab above for details on linking up!
 

Hello there dear friends!  Thought I'd pop in for this week's sew & tell and show you not one, but TWO projects!  Are you impressed?  Well, don't be.  I only had a few lines to finish up on the quilting for the baby quilt.  And I'm kind of digging it.  And the second project isn't mine.  But it's a beauty!

I decided to go for a straight line look that I've seen around.  I stitched about a quarter inch on either side of each seam and I like how the squares got a framed effect doing this.  Plus it's quite a bit easier for a beginner quilter like me than stippling.  I decided not to show you the front until it's really finished.  Oh the suspense!!

I've learned a few things too.  I bought these handy clips (and then found some others too) to use to keep my quilt rolled up while I feed it through the machine.

This is what it looks like, all clipped up!

Second project:  Remember my mom's New York Beauty?  Well, my aunt Mary quilted it!  My mother (my patron saint of saving my butt) is here (to save me from being alone with 2 toddlers and a newborn and an impending move) and brought it with her.  We are having a binding party this week.

I still can't get over the colors in this quilt. And I love the backing.  And the wide stripe she used for the border. And that my Aunt can freehand quilt and make it look like she uses a pattern AND a stitch regulator.  I can't wait to show this to you all finished!!

So onto you guys!!

Oh wait, what?  You wanted to see more pictures of the baby?  Oh.  Okay.  I guess, if you insist.

Can't wait to see what you've been doing this week!

Your turn!

Please refer to the sew & tell page if you have any questions or wonder why your link may have been deleted.

1. Link to your specific post about a sewing related finish you had THIS week.

2. Please mention sew & tell in  your post and link back to this post (link or button) so everyone can join in.

3. Pat each other on the backs in the comments!

sew & tell- one of these things is not like the other

If you are new or need a refresher for Sew & Tell guidelines you can click on the tab above for details on linking up!
Sorry for keeping you all waiting this am, I was having some arguments with blogger, but I won!!

Before we jump in to sew & tell this week, lets's play a little game!! I promise it'll be fun.


You know the game. The one on Sesame Street where they sing "oooooooone of these things, is not like the other"?

I know, I know. It's a hard one.
Ok, maybe blink your eyes a couple of times really hard and then look again.
You found it?
All I have to say is glamour shots, schlammer shots! Who needs them when we all have photoshop? (for those of you who like my version of Amy and Maggie's photo, make sure you tell Amy in the comments. I'm hoping she doesn't ban me from her blog after seeing my souped up version of her photo!)
I know you all have had several sleepless nights for the last week, wondering if you were the wrap it up bag winner, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. I did a random number generator for the number of linkies from last week's sew & tell, and
the winner is #33!
Vanessa! I'll email you later today to get your info.
And now for my big finish this week.....
tadaaaaa!
a linen napkin set with some hand embroidery. For those of you who know me a little bit, you know this is a miraculous event. Me and hand sewing are like oil and water for sure. After some vigorous shaking, we'll meld together a little. Give us a few minutes though, and then we're both back in our own separate corners, wondering what just happened.



For those of you who are interested, I made these for the urban home goods swap. We just finished up with the first round, but if you like to do a little swap now and again, check back for the next one!

***edited to add*** For those of you who asked, I'll be posting the tutorial for the napkins on sewtakeahike in a couple of weeks. Also, the material I used for the outside is from the "authentic" line from sweetwater for moda.

Can't wait to see what you've been doing this week!

Your turn!

Please refer to the sew & tell page if you have any questions or wonder why your link may have been deleted.

1. Link to your specific post about a sewing related finish you had THIS week.

2. Please mention sew & tell in your post and link back to this post (link or button) so everyone can join in.

3. Pat each other on the backs in the comments!

introductions

The Sew & Tell post for today is going up a bit later than normal - we're being flexible here, right?  Keep checking back!

First off, Thanks to Penny for hosting such a fun Sew & Tell on Friday!  As you know I was otherwise preoccupied!  I had hoped to at least finish quilting her quilt before I went to the hospital but I didn't feel that great - I felt like I was having on and off contractions for about 5 days before I checked in.  (It turns out there was a good reason - there was a big storm at the beginning of the week and then a full moon midweek.  The Labor and Delivery floor was packed and super busy all week!  I actually ended going in a day later than scheduled.)

Anyway, not a lot of sewing going on.  But an awful lot of cuddling this little cutie!

Meet baby Maggie!  

She is a sweet little thing and is being super cooperative (i.e. sleeping a lot.)  I can't get over all her hair!  I'm hoping it stays dark - but this is how her brother started out too.

I was determined to have a post delivery glamour shot.  But the unsnapped shoulder was as close as I got.

Did I mention she was super snuggly?

She has some extremely excited and loving siblings - they were both about to burst when they came to see her.

I think I have a couple professional adoring baby holders on my hands.

Thanks for all the well-wishes everyone!  You have all been so sweet and supportive.  Don't forget to come back for sew & tell tomorrow - Penny will be announcing the winner of that adorable bag!

My mom is coming this week and hopefully we'll manage to get some sewing done among other things.   It's true what they say though, going from 2 to 3 is quite the transition!

xoxo

sew & tell - I'm not Amy

Yay!!! Amy had her baby yesterday at 6:53 pm! It's a girl (they're still finalizing her name), and she weighs 7 lbs, 5 oz, and is 19 inches long. Big hugs and congrats to the Amylouwho family!

If you are new or need a refresher for Sew & Tell guidelines you can click on the tab above for details on linking up!

Alrighty then! For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, I'm not Amy, and this is not my blog.

AND....

My skin is not green and my head is not out of proportion to my body size, just so you don't wonder about that, either.

I am, however, here to be your sew & tell leader this week.

My finished project? A wrap it up bag.

And the best part about the wrap it up bag? I'm giving it away to one lucky sew & tell linky-lou-who person. All you have to do is follow the sew & tell rules by linking up to a project you finished this week, and your name will be entered in the drawing. The winner will be chosen from the Mister Linky links, not the comments. I'll announce the winner at next Friday's sew & tell.

Can't wait to see what you've been doing this week!

Your turn!

Please refer to the sew & tell page if you have any questions or wonder why your link may have been deleted.

1. Link to your specific post about a sewing related finish you had THIS week.

2. Please mention sew & tell in your post and link back to this post (link or button) so everyone can join in.

3. Pat each other on the backs in the comments!

the baby quilt, what's next?

I should be in bed right now resting, not staying up too late. (Like I have been, reading this book - which you should read if you haven't.  Amazing true story.  It really deserves a post of it's own.)  But I wanted to show you a few more things I've done for the baby quilt.

As I mentioned last week, I found out that my backing fabric wasn't quite wide enough to give me an extra inch or two that you need in comparison to the quilt top.  (Does that make sense?)  I was getting ready to do my quilt sandwich with my new BFF spray baste when I found this out.  I was immensely discouraged.  I'd gained so much momentum and I just wanted to get it finished!

So like with any problem I have with sewing, I consulted my sewing tips hotline 1-800-CALL-MOM.  I had a plan but wanted to run it by her.  Make sure I added enough fabric to the back, etc, etc.  She approved.

So I took the leftover block sets, that weren't 5.5" - more like 4", and I set to making a row down one long side of the backing fabric.  After messing around with them I got something that looked a little like this:

It's now sewn in place and pressed.  I'm making a large sandwich tomorrow!  Part of me now wishes I'd just use these prints in the quilts and ditched the darker ones, but I know I'm going to love it once it's all said and done.

My little helper came to my rescue again and took the discarded scraps and started arranging them down the other side of the quilt.  I couldn't help but think I might have future Quilt Dad on my hands!

and my last part of this little WIP:

I'm trying to ignore how tired and old I look in this picture and instead remind myself that it's almost over and soon those two little sets of lips will be attacking their new baby sister!  And I'll be at least 8 pounds thinner purely by birthing this big "little" girl.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes on Friday's post. I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit all of you yet!  See you on the other side!