A note about the giveaway....

I need to be able to contact you through email if you win. Some people who have already commented are missing email addresses. The issue is actually with blogger...if you have a blogger or google account you can comment using that "identity" but it does not pass your email on to me along with your comment. I get a link to your blogger profile. But, if you don't have a blog, the profile is empty and I have no way of contacting you.

If you are unsure if your email is being passed on automatically, please include it in your comment. To prevent getting spammed in the future from having your email floating out in the internet, be sure to format it this way: sewandsox [at] gmail [dot] com

Happy Giveaway Day

Here it is...this is what I have to offer...


I can't decide if this more "Viva la France" or "Fourth of July".

I've had that red, white and blue floral fabric for a while. I love it but I just couldn't think of what to make with it. I know bunting is so last year but I really like the simplicity of it and how it shows off the fabrics. And I'm really into red, white and blue lately.

I think the flags would work well as some July 4th decoration or as kid's room or kitchen wall decor. The bunting is about 41 inches long with 10 inches of trim at each end for tying.

Just a few notes about the giveaway:

• Leave a comment by end of day (midnight eastern daylight savings time) Sunday, May 31.
• I will choose a random person from all comments to this post.
• I'll announce the winner on Monday, June 1.
• I'm sorry but I can not ship internationally.

Thank you all so much for visiting my blog. Have a happy giveaway day!

Visit Sew, Mama, Sew for a complete list of participating blogs.

My birthday is coming up (hint, hint)

I'm a little disappointed this year. I usually get a parade but this year my birthday falls closer to the end of the week. No matter, I am not one to make a big deal out of my birthday. But since I very rarely buy them for myself, this is one of the two days a year where I end up getting a lot of craft books (the other day being Christmas). This is what is on my wish list:

I read that there are a lot of errors and such in this book but I still want it. I've seen the projects being created around crafty-blog-land and they look so simple and beautiful.

[ETA: Check out the video of author Heather Ross on Martha making the super simple smocked summer dress.]


Who doesn't love Martha? OK, a lot of people. But she has impeccable taste so you know a craft encyclopedia from her is going to be first class.


Judge a book by it's cover? Yes, I do. I also liked this part of the book's description, "...encourage quilters to use bold patterns and unusual color combinations, and to trust their instincts rather than follow rigid rules." I need a bit of that.



I have been a fan of the blog I Heart Linen for a couple of years. And now Rashida has a book, I Love Patchwork. Her projects are so beautiful and creative. Unfortunately I'm going to have to wait for this one. It isn't being released until November.

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day

May 27th is going to be a busy day! I will be scouring the list of craft blogs featured in the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day post. AND I'll be participating so be sure to come back and visit May 27-31 to see what I've made for you (well, one of you).

I'm back!

I've had a hankering for some crafting and blogging lately but I haven't wanted to put anything in writing just in case the hanker was short lived. I have been catching up on Bloglines (There were just under 30,000 new posts since I stopped reading regularly. Yes that was typed correctly, THIRTY THOUSAND. I know I was away for a bit but I think that large number has more to do with the number of blogs I subscribe to then the length of time. I'm now editing them down to a more manageable amount.) and there are many new beautiful projects out there to be inspired by and to attempt. So here it goes...I'm jumping back in...

First, a bit of an update: After a not-so-easy pregnancy, I had a baby boy on January 20, 2009. He was born 17 minutes before noon which means he's a Bush administration baby. I do not want to introduce politics to this blog but I will admit that I did ask the doctor if they could wait just a bit before the (unscheduled) c-section. I think they thought I was kidding. Then again, he can now say he was alive for the inauguration of our first Black president. That is pretty cool.


I returned to work after three wonderful months with my baby boy and was soon laid off...just about 4 hours after I showed up. (Just so you know, I was among a large-ish group laid off that day and I hold no ill will toward my formal employer. It's just the economy, such as it is at the moment.) So I love having more time to spend with the little boy but a bit freaked out since I really need a job to support my family. Anyone out there looking for a web designer?

I am also now contemplating how much to share about the new person in my life. Do I share his name? How about a picture or two? A story about his goofy antics (he's only 4 months so there haven't been much of those yet)? I'm just not sure. Honestly, I'm not clear on what the ramifications of sharing him with the world might be. So for now he will remain anonymous. (His grandma just sighed with great relief.) Does anyone have any advice for me? Have you shared information about your children on your blog? Has anything negative—or positive—come from it? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

So stay tuned. I'm back.

Starting Something

I started making a little something for the babies room a couple of weeks ago:



I’m now almost 33 weeks pregnant and have been on bed rest for a couple of weeks now. Nothing is really wrong but I’ve been having abnormal contractions so we’re just trying to keep that baby in there for a few more weeks.

So right when I thought I’d start trying to blog more regularly, I have nothing to talk about. Actually, I can probably speak at length about how there is nothing on television during the day, how it takes about 3 days to smoosh a couch cushion into an uncomfortable patty, and lots more that is totally irrelevant to this blog and just plain boring!

Pregnancy is not what I had expected at all. I believed that once I was pregnant I would go through the next nine months in total bliss. Worries would not worry me; stress would fall by the wayside. How could I be stressed when I was going to become a mom? That I was going to have my own little baby to take care of and love? But that is not what happened at all. I have many more worries now and the stress I feel can be near paralyzing. I’m confident that I am only experiencing the normal raging pregnancy hormones and – someday -- I’ll be fine. But it has been hard getting myself in the mood for hobbies even though they would have probably been therapeutic.

For baby #2, I plan on planning a bit better. Hopefully I can work the due date to be at a less stressful time of year. No major holidays, no bad weather. I’m sure there will still be anxieties but I hope I will be better prepared next time around.

I’m not sure where this blog is going to go. Hopefully it won’t go away. Maybe after all this turmoil, the baby will be good to me and let me enjoy some making time.

And hopefully he will wait in there a little longer. At least long enough for me to finish my little project for him.

Doll Bed Quilt Set

I have made one thing this fall, a baby doll bed quilt set for my niece's birthday. The doll bed is from Ikea and it came with a little mattress, pillow and blanket. But they were, frankly, ugly and not pink. And they needed to be pink.

I made the new mattress out of two layers of quilt batting and some pink ticking fabric. The pillow insert has the same ticking...


The quilt is an around-the-world pattern that you can see better here...

With the holidays here and a baby due in January I'm not sure how much crafting I'll be doing but this is a start, no?