Doing all kinds of stuff I shouldn't be doing

So, we leave for NYC in less than 12 hours.  What should I be doing?  Packing, preparing my presentation for work, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. What *am* I doing? Finishing up some sewing projects.  I am all about the priorities.

I just bought the adorable Square Neck Dress pattern from Dandy Jane.  Love. It.  The simple design, and cute little flutter sleeves are perfect for the warmer weather.  The pattern itself is really, really well-written, and the diagrams are perfect.  It was easy to sew, but there were a lot of detailed steps and gathering which took a lot of time. 

Well worth it, though.  I really like how the inside of the armholes are finished (bias binding) to prevent exposed seams.  I have material for two more dresses, and the girls are already clamoring for me to make them.  Guess what I’ll be doing when we get back from NY?

I also wanted to make a stroller blanket for Thea.  The weather is iffy right now so she may not need it, but if it’s cold and windy then I wanted something that would fit on her stroller without dragging on the ground.  I searched for patterns and tutorials, and the closest I came was this from the Sew, Mama, Sew blog. 

Instead of making something completely new, I took an old blanket I’d made years ago, and just added some straps and snaps down the sides.  I sewed about a 3.5” loop to the top of each corner, so it’s wide enough to slide onto the stroller handles without being too loose.  I measured up 12” from the bottom of the blanket and added a snap there, and another one 6” down.  I put the blanket on the stroller and pinned to make sure everything would be placed well without dragging or hanging down, and then assembled it in about 10 minutes.

The blanket is probably a little wide, but it fits fine on the stroller and won’t drag on the ground, which is the most important part.  Also, Thea loves it.  When I put in on the stroller (with her in it) to triple-check the fit, she wouldn’t get back out.  I think it’s cute that it makes a little pocket for her feet.  Neato burrito.

Okay, now I really have to get my ass off the computer and work on my presentation, and finish packing.  Wish me luck.  I have to talk for 20+ minutes in front of a group of people I barely know, which is a pleasant addition to the already crushing stress of preparing to leave my kids for a week and traveling to NYC. Again. Hooray!