warm up those machines, needles & hooks!

billy cardi

comfy sews VS cozy knits is starting on monday!!!!!! woot woot! i thought it would be fun to do a little peek back at all the lovelies that were part of the fun last season. remember katy from no big dill's fantabulous "billy cardi tutorial"? looooove it!!!!!!!! how pretty is that cardi! the uber talented seamstress will be kicking off versus on monday! i can't wait!!!

1. ruched leggings 2. fleece neck warmers
3. infinity & beyond 4. shawl collar sweater

last season we had scarves, a sweater, cowls, a cup cozy, leggings a hat and more! it was so inspiring to see all the knit and sewn goodies take part!

cup cozy

i'm excited to say that almost all of last season's contributors are back again this year to try to get all you sewers knitting and knitters sewing along with some new ones too!

1. frosted glow cowl 2 & 3. city cowl vs country cowl

and kelly from sewing in no man's land said it right in her post last season......

fun, funky fleece hat

are you all ready to join in? do you have our "versus" button up (find the code on versus on the sidebar) and machines, needles and hooks ready to go? i promise you are going to be inspired by all the goodies we've got planned for you for the spring/summer edition of comfy sews VS cozy knits!!!!!

what are you feeling inspired to make this spring? what would you like to see "rounded up" the most this season for versus? don't forget to join in and add your pics to our flickr group! we all want to see what you're making!

a little about me, a little about you

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every once in a while i get the urge to pop one of these fun "a little about me, a little about you" posts on the blog. i love hearing more about you guys so join in! just copy and paste the questions and fill them in on your own blog post. if you decide to do one, leave me a comment with the link so i can come read it and learn some more about you as well! i don't know about you guys, but i love these things. they are fun, c'mon, just admit it, it's a great way to learn a little about each other. here we go:

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Making : a dress for my friend's daughter sadie
Cooking : a cup of peach passion tea
Drinking : pellegrino..yummm!
Reading: Modern Top Down Knitting and Mockingjay
Wanting: a new casual dress perfect to throw on with my fave pair of boots
Looking: at my baby girl asleep in my arms
Playing: hide & seek with Mackenzie
Wasting: time wishing I had more of it
Sewing: a quilt for Harper
Wishing: my family lived closer
Enjoying: that I got to go out to a knit night on the weekend
Waiting: for my hubby to get home from work
Liking: the fact that i got a lot of sewing in today even though my she-devil of a sewing machine tried to deter me
Wondering: when i'll be able to find a bed to replace the broken one we're sleeping on
Loving: the way my 10mth old baby girl blows me kisses and rubs my back when she hugs me
Hoping: that i can finally decide which sewing machine i want to buy
Marvelling: at how quickly my girls can mess up my just cleaned house
Needing: some more fabric...one can never have enough fabric, yarn or shoes right?
Smelling: my cup of peach tea
Wearing: hubby's baseball tee and yoga pants
Following: american idol
Noticing: that my baby is going to be 1 in 2 months!
Knowing: that so far I haven't made a mistake on the dress I'm sewing. crossing my fingers it stays that way :)
Thinking: of how excited I am to see my family coming to visit soon
Bookmarking: all of your fab crafty tutorials!
Opening: my knitting bag to get a few rows in before bed
Giggling: over Harper running - so adorable!
Feeling: tired (what a surprise)

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yippee!! i'm done! that was fun! c'mon....join in on the fun - you know you wanna!how about we sit down together and enjoy one of these delicious goodies? doesn't this look positively evil? not sure what's gotten into me. i'm a salt person but lately all these sweets floating around blogland have had me drooling up a storm!

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are there any questions you would love to know about me? ask away in the comments below and if enough of you want to know a bit more about lil'ol me, i may just put together a fun little post about it answering all your questions.

moments in the mommyhood - kickin'it

i love that her little feet and the ball are in the air!!!

we hit up the park yesterday. yes, that's right...i went to the park. a few of you may know i dislike going to the park. i haven't entirely worked out the full reason yet... i guess i'm still traumatized by hanging out at parks so much when mackenzie was a baby by myself when i knew absolutely nobody in this city. it was depressing. there's always a tinge of loneliness to a park now if i go with just the girls. i just can't seem to get over it but i'm working on it. bringing 2 there is a lot more fun though. i actually had a good time yesterday. we played some soccer, swung on a rope swing, went in the real swings, looked at flowers and just played. chalk one up on the good mommy scale for me..haha, i needed a bit of a parenting boost.


our weekend was busy, busy. the hubs worked all day saturday so the girls and i were solo and it was not a good parenting day for me. i have to admit my poor boobs were getting me down with the lack of good bras in my house. my tops weren't fitting right and i was just having an all around, i need a shower, i look like crappola day.


saturday did get better though as i got to go out to a knit night that night. now seriously, i had the best time. i know...it's a knit night right? well it was prolly one of the most fun nights i've had in a very loooooong time. a few of us crafty ladies got together at a local cafe that is open late for a knit night. best part is they have live music play at night and the bands that night were great! we had great conversation, lots of laughs, knit a lot, ripped out a lot of our work due to the laughing and chatting and just had fun. the old wood table was covered with wool, needles, projects and tea and i sadly forgot my camera. hopefully i can get some shots this sat if i make it out. i actually called my hubby to say i was staying out later than planned. i was living on the knitting wild side! i even ripped out a huge triangle from the hat i was making due to clapping to the band with my knitting sticks...eeek! not fun. after i rescued those stitches (along with a friend's help-thanks rebecca) i then messed up my pattern again and had to rip out 6 rows!!!!!!!! what a goof. lesson learned. bring an easier knitting project to knit group.


here's a shot of the adorable knitting bag i've been using that one of my longest readers - buffy made for me and sent as a nice little gift. this has been my go to knitting bag and came out with me to knit night as well. she's got a pattern folks and pretty soon she'll be sharing it with us all! isn't that fabric so adorable?? the inside is little birds..i just adore it! thanks buffy!!!!!!!! luv ya!


what was the best part of my weekend? i got some mommy alone time. knitting night on sat, exercise class with the Slovakian she devil on sunday morning and a trip to the mall that afternoon to hunt down a bra. guess what......i found one! i'm trying to remain optimistic. i have now been in about 6 stores and found 1 bra....sad....but 1 is better than none. i found it at la senza. that is usually where i buy all my bras, for some reason they fit me the best and have what i'm looking for. i had to dig through all the drawers this trip though and tried on about 45 bras no lie. the poor sales girl. all in all i think i counted that i tried on, on average, about 30 bras per shop, so around 180bras!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is insane. insane.


i also scooped and found a great pair of jeans for $19.99 and a top for $10!!!! wowsa! after ordering my dream jeans from the gap and having to return them and then going in the store to only find myself looking like someone wearing "mom jeans" in their skinny styles i was feeling defeated that i was just going to have no luck finding what i was looking for. but poof...just when i had given up the jeans found me when i wasn't looking for them and for a way cheaper price.

how was your weekend? did you get any knitting or sewing done? any shopping successes or failures happen to you recently? let's chat! i've got some tea on, coffee's brewing and mmmmm...i've even got some homemade muffins that are nice and yummy.(thanks for the recipe amy) i know...baking again..what is up with me? trust me, i have no idea either but i'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

It's Announcement Time!!!!!!!!!

COMING THIS APRIL!!!!


that's right ladies!!! comfy sews VS cozy knits is back for a spring/summer edition! a month filled with talented & inspiring guest tutorials & patterns, and fun and fiesty roundups where sewing & knitting battle it out in a virtual boxing match that you vote on! don't worry, crochet will be making appearances throughout the month as well!

and our second announcement that i've been dying to tell you is.........that you can find all the goodies mentioned above on our newest addition to luvinthemommyhood - versus! yep...a new blog! all pretty and ready for you all to show your love! grab our button! tell your friends! follow along! all the content for comfy sews VS cozy knits will be on versus as well as the archives. it's our new sporting arena!!! i've been working hard late at night to get this all ready for us to have a lot of fun and to bring in spring with a bang!!! so come say hi! and check out...

we've got lots of crafty goodness coming your way! stay tuned for knitting and sewing patterns/tutorials and giant roundups all geared for that fresh spring/summer weather! join in and make your favorite ones! we love to link up our reader faves in the roundups and at the end of the month as well so feel free to join right on in! make sure to vote and support your craft of choice in the boxing ring each week during our roundups! you can find the tutorials and roundups from the last edition of comfy sews VS cozy knits here and the entire listing here.

then...if all goes as planned (i'm crossing my fingers here)...i will be launching an e-mag of the spring/summer edition for easy downloading of all the patterns/tutorials that were included in this month's comfy sews VS cozy knits! the bonus part is it's free!!! yippee!

so which corner of the ring will you be in?

what do you all think? you excited? i am!!! what was your favorite part of the last edition? did you join in? what are you looking forward to the most out of the spring/summer edition?

a big thank you to jill zielinski from jill zielinski designs (go check her out!) and knitterella for designing the logo, header and sidebar pics. you're the best hun! thanks for making what was in my head a reality! i couldn't have done it without you!

sponsor luv - magpie patterns

anyone in the mood to go shopping? i am! one of my favorite things that i like to do is to go to one of our fave long time sponsors magpie patterns and have a virtual shopping spree! fun! let's grab a coffee and go shopping together! what would you buy? here's my personal faves at the moment that i'm lusting after.

first i'm going to shop for me...


then for the kidlets...


then for some goodies to add some pizazz!


ok, i'm drooling here folks. i think i better start saving my pennies for my wishlist! what did you put in your cart? what goodies are you purchasing on our little spree?

make sure you stop by magpie patterns for all your daydreaming and inspiring needs. the lovely amy has sewing, knitting, crochet & embroidery patterns, books and other crafty goodies! she seriously has all my favorites conveniently located in one shop!!! woot woot! plus she is a sweetheart and a busy crafty momma herself. read more about her crafty endeavors & her shop magpie patterns here on her blog, her facebook page, twitter and of course - her fab shop!

thanks for being an awesome friend and a wonderful sponsor amy!

what are you coveting from magpie patterns? any goodies you picked up? we wanna see! thanks for shopping with me - it was fun!

Once Upon a Thread - Charlotte's Web

it's here......i'm so excited to finally show you all what we've been working on these last few weeks! pop on over to "no big dill" to check out my guest post for her theme month "once upon a thread" - a month filled with sewing inspired by children's books! so fabulous! i mean honestly...have you guys seen this stuf!!!! i'm dying here :)

i'm so thrilled to be included among these ladies! for my turn i decided to do charlotte's web as my inspiration book as we've been reading a chapter a night right now and loving it! i just couldn't get a cute pair of jean coveralls made from my maternity jeans out of my head while reading to mackenzie so i just knew that i had to make them.

(yes...i gave charlotte pink eyelashes..hehe...even girl spiders need a little pizazz every once in a while.)

so pop on over to katy's gorgeous, inspiring and lovely blog to see the whole ensemble, learn more about lil'ol me and my thoughts on books and of course charlotte's web! i can't wait for you all to see! make sure you leave your thoughts here or on katy's blog - i want to know what you think!


have any of you been sewing along with once upon a thread? what book would you chose to sew an outfit based on?

moments in the mommyhood - cooking up some surprises

i know...another moments in the mommyhood in one week? what's going on around here? well...sorry this week has been a bit uneventful folks. i've been busy cooking up some surprises.....for the blog...ok...and for our tummies here at home. don't know what's gotten into me but i've been baking peanut butter cookies, making chili in the slow cooker and a few other yummy concoctions and it's totally unlike me. due to all the surprises i'm working on, this week had to end up being a bit low key around the mommyhood. you guys understand right? the laundry has beaten me down a bit (i don't even look around when i'm in the bathroom anymore), but i'm holding on strong despite a lack of coffee emergency yesterday (ohhhh the headache i had).


are you all excited for the surprises? i will be revealing one of the biggest ones next week!!! ohhhhhh.....what could it be???? any guesses? it involves two of my favorite things :) yesterday i spent all day finishing up my "once upon a thread post". it's up tomorrow folks!!! can't wait for you all to see it and i think mackenzie is just as excited as i am. i've also been seriously dying over all the wonderful and beautiful posts that have been done...ahhhhhmazing!!!!!!!!!

(don't worry, she's not eating cookies in this pic)

now that i'm done my sewing for katy it's time to get back to harper's poor neglected quilt! the poor thing has been sitting on the ironing board monster for wayyyy too long being ignored. i've been drooling over quilting books getting inspired but i just can't seem to find the right backing fabric. i also still cannot find for the life of me a home dec weight fabric that is in a modern print that is a turquoise (light not teal or blue) for my sewing chair. i keep searching...but to no avail. anyone have any leads for me? i also don't want to pay an arm and a leg for shipping for a little bit of fabric to be sent to canada.

(this pic is slightly blurry but i couldn't resist posting one of my fave expressions of hers, this kid cracks me up. she's always making funny faces and smiles with her eyes closed.)

what have you all been cooking up this week? any sewing projects going on or baking being done? have you seen the right fabric for my quilt or chair? leave a comment, let's chat, link up your pics - it's fun! also don't forget to "like" luvinthemommyhood on facebook. i have to admit i've been having so much fun on our page and we've had some great chats so if you're not already on there come join in!

sewing 911 - what's your machine of choice?

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over the last few months we've briefly chatted about new sewing machines here and there. i've gotten a few requests for a more detailed post about different machines and which ones YOU all are all using and loving! my bday (eek) is coming up in june and i'm getting this momma a new machine. i've been saving my pennies. yep, that's right...the old 11 year, moody, sensitive, finicky, temperamental machine that i've been using is going to be put in storage. i know...i know...i keep threatening to throw her out the window but i just don't have the heart. she'll be my backup and go into retirement...she's tired ya know :P

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i've been keeping my eyes open and asking questions to lots of people about their machines and the many kinds that are available and i still can't seem to find the right one or make up my mind. who knew buying a machine would be so hard? i feel like i want to know more about them before i go into the local shops and sit down with them. i get overwhelmed if i don't have a chance to read reviews and be one of those consumer types who's researched the heck out of a product before buying it. i just get all fidgety and nervous and then can't make up my mind if i want to buy it or not. the machine ideally has to fit all the criteria on my checklist or there is no point in buying it. here's my checklist.

what i need my new best friend to be able to do :

- drop in bobbin (preferably top)
- one step buttonholes (more than 1)
- automatic needle threader
- auto tension
- a whole whack of stitch patterns
- free arm
- lots of feet
- adjustable stitch length and width

extra bonuses:

- drop feed for free motion sewing
- heavy metal frame for no movement while sewing
- push button stitch selection

what's on your list? i would love to hear what you are all looking for in a machine as well. i've put together a poll for you all so we can all share what machines are our faves! select an answer from the options and then share in the poll in the "other section" (that allows you to write an answer) your make/model so we can check it out!


also please leave any comments you would like about your machine and why you love it! i need all the help i can get! the more info we all share the better! i'll put together another post soon with the results and links to other good sewing machine posts/roundups.

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what do you love about your machine? pros/cons? what features are your must haves? let's chat sewing over our coffees :)

moments in the mommyhood - thrifty goods & rainbow pants

i'm sad the weekend is over already. ours went by way too fast...what about yours? i got a wonderful surprise on friday from a friend. what better thank you gift to get than a vintage casserole dish in the fire king pattern i'm collecting along with 2 vintage pillowcases? you know me so well :P fabulous! thanks amy - i love it!!!!! wanna see?


i haven't had time to go thrifting in a few weeks as we've been too busy but i'm dying to know what you all have been finding! any new goodies anyone? show us! i know if i can't go i want to live vicariously through your thrifting! besides longing to go thrifting i took the girls to the park to enjoy some warm, sunny spring weather and get some mileage happening on mackenzie's bike she got for xmas. what i didn't plan on though was the fact that wearing harper in the ergo and holding mack's handlebars was not good for my sore back. duh! i mean hello shannon! silly mama.


anyhoo, it was fun in the end and worth the pain even though it was one of those park trips where we got to the park and not even 5 mins later mackenzie announces she has to pee, so off we biked back home. by the time we got back home she was biking on her own just like a big girl! nothing like a little pee to get over your fear of riding a bike.


don't y'all wish we all could wear rainbow pants? i do. i mean how could you not feel cheerful on a rainy day with bright rainbow pants?


i did make it to my exercise class this weekend, sore back and all, and actually felt better after it was done. i guess i needed a good stretch and an ass whooping :P no luck thus far on the bra shopping front. i swear i tried on about 50 bras. time to check out some of your online recommendations. other than that i've been sewing whenever i get a chance for my post for "once upon a thread" over on no big dill this week!!! i'm so excited to show you all! i just hope the weather cooperates for me to get my pics done. right now it's pouring buckets so send some clear sky wishes my way.

how's your day going? did you have a good weekend? any guesses on which book i'm doing for no big dill?

weekend wishes

to give you all giant hugs to say thank you for my great news this week...

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to make one of these masks to hide when i'm doing that whole i'm awake but really sleeping thing that happens to us very sleep deprived mommies...

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to get my hands on some origami tea...

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to see how many of these i can fit on my laptop table so i don't run out of coffee, tea and water while breastfeeding...

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that the sun shines so bright we all gotta wear shades...

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to live with my little family in a turquoise house on the beach...

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to one day make this many crocheted blankets...

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to make a hula hoop rug out of t-shirts...

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to finally make my own whole wheat goldfish crackers...

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to have a shower...alone.

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wow...what a week! filled with so many ups, well.....and a few downs, but mostly ups. the ups were fantabulous and the downs sucked but hey...when there's ups who really remembers the downs right? i was so excited and shocked and over the moon about being listed as one of babble.com's top 50 craft blogs for 2011(they're in alphabetical order)! i'm amazed at the company i am in!!! i was also voted as #3 in best for moms as well!!! i mean soulemama is #1! i'm so honored to just be in the same list as her as well as all the other fabulous crafty mommas listed!!!!! this is such an honor and to those of you who voted/nominated me i say a giant, huge, to the moon and back thank you! honestly...i'm just...well....HAPPY :) sending big hugs to you all. i had no idea i was even nominated nevermind a winner. go check out the other 49 ladies and wave hello to my mug shot on there!

this weekend i'm going to do something really exciting....wait for it......i'm going bra shopping. exciting right? not. i hate bra shopping but the girls are hanging too darn low and not listening to me anymore when i chant to them "reach for the stars - you can do it!" so off we go to pick mommy up a new hooter holder :P now bra shopping for me can be a quick process or a long one, i'm crossing my fingers for a get in and get out approach this weekend so i have more time to shop for fun things like thread or fabric or bedding.

i'm also hoping my back (i hurt my back walking slowly on a treadmill last sunday....ok, fine, it's ok...laugh, i won't be offended, it is sort of funny but also sad in a weird "i think that i hurt myself cause my bra was not holding my breasts up properly kind of way") feels well enough that i can go to the most horrible, yet enjoyable total body conditioning (aka put your body through hell) class that my sister and i go to every sunday morning at 9...eeeek! (this is my one break from the kidlets - have i finally lost it? wtf?) i swear the instructor is a scandinavian she devil. she is awesome and evil and that same time if that's even possible. i continue to go because i have a strong feeling that she has the power to tell my baby belly to hit the road and "don'tcha come back no more no more no more no more..." ok, (sorry broke into song there) and the afore mentioned baby belly would actually listen to her.

what are your plans this weekend? any crafting? i'll be working on my once upon a thread post. any of you doing any baking? bra shopping? fill me in girls...it's friday!!! woot woot!!!