The Cottage Home

Riley Blake Fabric Fest Blog Hop and Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:30:00 PDT

So I know I mentioned it quite some time ago, but this September I will be heading to Las Vegas to teach at Riley Blake Designs 'Fabric Fest'! I'm so excited about this opportunity. I have really enjoyed working with the folks at Riley Blake Designs and I know their first conference is going to be amazing. There are going to be so many great classes and teachers during this conference.......if you haven't signed up, you definitely should. There is something for everyone!

I will be teaching three hands-on sewing classes during the conference and will be on a panel for one lecture class about finding your signature style. So what exactly am I teaching in the hands-on classes?

CLASS 1 - EMBELLISHING GARMENTS WITH TRIMS:

My 1st class is 'Embellishing Garments with Trims' and you all know how much I love trim! In this class we will be talking about using trims to embellish garments and how to use trims to pull a look together.

We will also be creating an embellished t-shirt during the class using all of the adorable trims from Riley Blake Designs.

Riley Blake Designs really has some of the best trims for embellishing! From every color rickrack, to different lace and crochet elastics, to picot edging and the most adorable buttons in all shapes, sizes and designs. For those students that sign up for the kit for the class, they will be receiving a sampling of trims from Riley Blake Designs!

My hope is that the take-away from this class will be how trims and the proper fabric pairing really can pull an entire look together and take a garment from ordinary to extraordinary!

CLASS 2 - LINED GARMENT CONSTRUCTION:

My second class is 'Lined Garment Construction'. This class makes me so excited because I get to teach some of my very favorite techniques for finishing the inside of lined garments including armholes and the hems of lined garments. These are all techniques that can be applied to some of my own, The Cottage Mama, sewing patterns and can be incorporated into other patterns as well.

Personally, when I sew a pattern from another designer, I don't always follow their construction instructions because I have a specific way I like to finish the insides of garments. I'm hoping the students will take away the techniques from the class and apply them into their everyday sewing. To help us learn the various techniques, we will be sewing the basic variation of The Cottage Mama 'Janey Jumper' pattern using some gorgeous Riley Blake Fabrics!

CLASS 3 - SEWING WITH PATTERNS:

My final hands-on class will be 'How to Sew with Patterns.' I know there are many people who just don't care to sew using commercial patterns. Either they have had a bad experience or just aren't quite sure how to interpret the different symbols and wording in a pattern. In this class we will be talking about sewing using paper patterns and PDF printable patterns, how to preserve paper patterns, transferring pattern markings and explaining what all the different markings mean...plus more. Students will leave this class feeling confident about being able to sew garments using patterns. We will be using the Katie Cupcake 'Elloise' pattern and students will leave with the garment cut out and ready to sew!

FAT QUARTER BUNDLE GIVEAWAY:

And because we are having so much fun talking about Riley Blake Designs Fabric Fest, I've got a great giveaway of one of their beautiful Fat Quarter Bundles (Kensington by Emily Taylor Designs for Riley Blake Designs)!

You can enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the blog post!

During the blog hop, these great sites will be blogging all about Fabric Fest and the wonderful classes they are teaching. They will also be giving away some great prizes, so you'll want to keep this list close by!

Wednesday, June 5

Jina Barney of Riley Blake Designs

Thursday, June 6
Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet

Friday, June 7

Elizabeth and Liz Evans of Simply Simon & Co

Saturday, June 8

Nancy Zieman/Deanna Springer of Nancy Zieman.com

Monday, June 10

Melissa Mortenson of The Polka Dot Chair

Tuesday, June 11

Carolina Moore of Always Expect Moore

Wednesday, June 12

Paige Hill of Riley Blake Designs, Jennifer of Tatertots and Jello,

Becky & Kari of U-Create

Thursday, June 13

Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish

Friday, June 14

Kim Christopherson & Kris Thurgood of My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe

Saturday, June 15

Bonnie Bailey on Riley Blake Designs

Monday, June 17

Lila Tueller of Lila Tueller Designs

Tuesday, June 18

Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter

Wednesday, June 19

Lindsay Wilkes of The Cottage Mama

Thursday, June 20

Sue Daley of Sue Daley Designs

Friday, June 21

Eleanor Burns/ Sue Bouchard of Quilt in a Day

Saturday, June 22

Jenny, Natalie, & Sarah of Missouri Star Quilt Company

Monday, June 24

Andrea Goddard of And I Sew

Tuesday, June 25

Becky, Brooke, Jamie, Kirsten, & Nikkala of The Crafting Chicks

Wednesday, June 26

Deonn Stott of Quiltscapes

Thursday, June 27

Sandy Workman of Pine Mountain Designs

Friday, June 28

Sydney Haglund of Memory Quilt Maker

a Rafflecopter giveaway

46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Recipe: Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:27:35 PDT

So guess what? Remember last year when my mom (Grandma Jane) made it into the finals of the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest (see post here)? She flew to Orlando, FL to compete for the $1 million dollar prize and unfortunately, she didn't win with her Biscuit Corn Cakes with Goat Cheese in Blackberry-Thyme Sauce. However, that didn't stop her from wanting to go again this year! She entered several different recipes into this years competition (46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest) and she has made it into the semi-finals with her Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals! Yay!

They are doing things a little bit differently this year and they are choosing the finalists based on online voting rather than picking finalists in-house like they did last year. So, with that being said.......Grandma Jane NEEDS your vote! The online voting is only open for 10 more days (through June 27th) and I would absolutely love if you would head over and vote for her recipe: Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals.

I decided I had better try this recipe myself and thought I would share it with you all here on the blog.

You are going to love it!

Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals

MAKES 20 SPIRALS

I guarantee that this will be a go-to appetizer recipe for your family! You can also change up some of the filling ingredients and really get creative with this recipe to make it your own.

So will you help a girl out and help me send my mom (Grandma Jane) to the finals of the 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest? I would really, really appreciate it! And so would Grandma Jane.

You can go over and vote for her recipe (Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals from Jane Michel from Houston, TX) by clicking HERE. You will have to fill in your email address to enter, but they won't start sending you things unless you opt in. Feel free to 'pin' this recipe, share on facebook or twitter or anywhere else you can think of that would help spread the word.

Thank you so much and I hope you'll give this recipe a try.

You're going to love it!

Daphne Wrap Dress and Top Pattern from The Cottage Mama: Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:30:01 PDT

And here it is........the final pattern in The Cottage Mama summer collection of sewing patterns. The Daphne Wrap Dress and Top (size 6 month - size 10) is now available in PDF and will be available in paper around the end of June!

Daphne Wrap Dress and Top

SIZE 6 MONTH - SIZE 10

DESCRIPTION:

The Daphne Wrap Dress and Top is the perfect casual wardrobe essential for your little one. It is a semi-fitted, A-line, wrap dress that is fully lined, wraps around back and is secured with two buttons in back and two buttons in the front. View A can be made as a dress or top and has a pieced front with a curved yoke and an adorable ruffle or piping added into the seam. Optional piping trims the entire dress for amazing attention to detail. View B, the Daphne pocket dress, has a solid dress front with a sweet kangaroo style pocket. And View C, is the solid dress variation, which can easily be made reversible with the addition of more buttons or snaps on the lining. View C can also be cut as a top for perfect pairing with pants or capris.

All design variations are fully lined with contrasting fabric for total comfort for your little one. This is great pattern for confident beginner sewers and offers many ways to get creative with your design!

Here is my sweet Savannah Rose wearing the new Daphne Dress (View A) that I made for her. This piece is perfect for spring and summer and will transition beautifully into fall and winter by layering it with long sleeves and tights or leggings.

The Daphne Wrap Dress and Top Pattern has so many different possibilities. You can make it as a dress or top. You can do a solid front, or a pieced front with ruffle or piping or do a solid front with a kangaroo pocket. The pattern also includes tips and tricks on how to use piping throughout the entire garment. Piping is entirely optional, but it's a sweet little way to add some interest and detail!

This pattern is a really quick sew. I think you will be surprised how quickly it comes together!

Here is my little Matilda sporting her new summer play outfit. You can pair the Daphne Wrap Dress and Top with the new Skip and Play Pants and Capris Pattern (Size 6 month - size 10) from The Cottage Mama. This version was made using piping around the top of the garment and an additional loopy trim around the hem. The capris are made from woven cotton and seersucker.

The front yoke on View A of the Daphne Wrap Dress and Top offers a great spot for embellishment. Here is a version from Katie Romagosa (Leave You In Stitches) where she added a machine embroidered monogram. You can also see how adorable this dress is layered with long sleeves!

The Daphne pattern also has a kangaroo style pocket (View B). This is another fun variation that gives the dress an entirely different look! The two above are from Katie Romagosa (Leave You In Stitches) and Ellen Balzer (Ellzabelle).

This little cutie is wearing the Daphne Wrap Top with the Skip and Play Pants and Capris. This outfit was designed by Tanya Coffey (Sidewalk Chalk Designs).

And finally, I'll leave you with this little cutie from Crystal from Stitched by Crystal. This sweetie just melts my heart. She is absolutely precious in her Daphne Wrap Dress!

If you would like to purchase your own copy of the Daphne Wrap Dress and Top Pattern (Size 6 month - size 10), you can find it HERE.

Skip and Play Pants and Capris Pattern from The Cottage Mama: Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:30:00 PDT

I am pleased to announce the third pattern from The Cottage Mama Summer Collection, the Skip and Play Pants and Capris (Size 6 month - size 10)!

These are the first pair of pants and capris offered from The Cottage Mama. You can layer these under dresses and jumpers or pair them with a little t-shirt and cardigan. However, your little lady decides to wear them, they will surely get noticed!

Skip and Play Pants and Capris

SIZE 6 MONTH - SIZE 10

DESCRIPTION: The Skip and Play Pants and Capris are the perfect wardrobe essential for your darling little one. The pants and capris feature a flat front waistband with elastic in the back, several contrasting cuff options and a sweet ruffle in the waistband for added whimsy and detail. View A, the double wrap cuff variation, features a bottom cuff with a wrap around top cuff that can be trimmed out with a button on each side. View B is a ruffle cuff variation that mimics view A; however an adorable ruffle replaces the wrap around cuff. And View C, the basic variation, eliminates the ruffle in the waistband and is perfect for an older girl who might prefer a more mature style pant or capri. No matter what variation you choose this pattern will take your child through all seasons.

This is great pattern for confident beginner sewers and offers many ways to get creative with your design. Consider mixing and matching these pants and capris with many other designs from The Cottage Mama collection of sewing patterns!

There are two different cuff options with these pants and capris. View A is shown in the picture above.

The top waistband of the pants and capris has a sweet little ruffle; however, View C can be made without the ruffle for a slightly older girl or for those that don't care much for the ruffle look.

These are View B from the Skip and Play Pants and Capris pictured with the Miss Matilda Dress and Top pattern. This outfit was created by Melissa Myers and features a side bow embellishment in addition to the buttons on the capris.

Here is another variation of View A in the capri length paired with the Miss Matilda Dress and Top (Size 6 month - 10 years) made by Katie Romagosa from Leave You In Stitches.

FIT: The fit is probably my favorite part of these pants. They are a flat front pant and capri with elastic in the back waistband. These pants are a more slim fit through the hip. The goal was too create a more fitted pant which is a little bit harder in the sewing pattern market today. All of the testers really loved the look. It is important to mention that when selecting the size for your little lady, you will need to pay careful attention to her waist measurement. Select the size based on waist and adjust for length. Doing so will ensure a perfectly fitting pant or capri!

To purchase the Skip and Play Pants and Capris Pattern, please click HERE.

PS: I will have more pictures of the pants and capris once the final pattern is released. They look so darn cute with the final piece in this collection!

Summer Rag Flip Flop Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 03:30:00 PDT

So it's finally summer around here and I was asked by the folks at Joann Fabric and Craft stores to come up with a summer craft project inspired by their new summer catalog, Cape Discovery. If you like crafting with your children, this is a great place to gather up some new ideas. The girls and I flipped through this catalog to find our inspiration project:

After looking at all the different project ideas in the Cape Discovery Catalog, we chose to create some 'Summer Rag Flip Flops' for the girls. My girls definitely love a good craft!

These were such an easy, inexpensive craft project that is perfect to work on together with your little one. This project takes a small amount of fabric and a few other supplies found at Joann's and you've got a pair (or two) of festive shoes for the summer!

Summer Rag Flip Flop Tutorial

from The Cottage Mama

Supplies:

1 pair flip flops

1 - 2 fabrics (fat quarters or 1/8 yard each)

1 set Clip-Eez sparkle clips (found at Joann's)

Scissors or rotary cutter

Instructions:

Gather your supplies.

I selected three 'Lisette' fabrics from Joann's. Since I was trying to be good (I'm currently on a fabric diet), I only purchased a 1/4 yard each (since that's the smallest amount you can have cut). I kind of wish I had more since I really love these colors.

The girls loved these sparkle clips when we were shopping at Joann's. And they were 40% off that day, so they were a real deal. They had tons of other different styles of clips that were really cute.

Cut your fabric on the fold into 1" strips. I used 8 strips per pair of flip flops, but I'm sure that will vary depending on the size sandal you are using.

Cut your 1" strips of fabric into 7" pieces.

Pile up your fabric strips and get ready to embellish your flip flops!

Start tying knots on the straps of the flip flops with your different fabrics. You can use one print or many......it's entirely up to you. Leave a little room at the very front for your sparkle clip. This is a great step to work on together with your little one. If they can tie a knot, they can do this project!

Once you've finished both sides of the flip flops, you will need to add the sparkle clip to the center. Open up the clip to apply.

Here is what the front of your flip-flop will look like after you have applied your pretty sparkle clip.

And here are both of your completed 'Summer Rag Flip Flops' with sparkle clip and all!

And if you have two girls, you might need to make two pairs........we don't want anyone feeling left out now, do we?

Here is a little side-by-side shot of the inspiration sandals from the Joann's catalog.

Then let your girly pick her favorite pair to wear this summer!

We had a great time making these flip flops and there are plenty of other Summer Fun projects that I would like to do with my kids this summer break. Don't you just love summer? I'm so glad it's here!

You can check out plenty more summer DIY projects to do with your little ones in the Cape Discovery Catalog from Joann's. And if you want to stay up to date with Joann's, sign up for their Discover Connect and you will receive a 20% off coupon. Pretty nice, I'd say. You can sign up HERE.

Happy Summer!

Miss Matilda Dress and Top Pattern: Testers

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:30:00 PDT

I have such an incredible group of women behind the scenes that have been helping me test all my patterns to ensure a perfect pattern for our customers. Like I mentioned last week, they are an incredibly talented group of women and I am so proud to share some of their darling creations with you.

This is Crystal's (Stitched by Crystal) little cutie wearing the Miss Matilda Dress in size 12 month. We shortened the sash a little bit since these pictures were taken so that it didn't extend beyond the hem of the dress. Crystal chose a gorgeous eyelet fabric with solid lavender accents. So perfect for this sweet little lady!

This darling little outfit was created by Katie Romagosa from Leave You In Stitches. Her Miss Matilda Top is pictured with the Skip and Play Pants and Capris (Size 6 month - 10 Years) that will be released this week as well. Katie used several different patterned fabrics and added lace detailing to the top for added interest.

Here we have our size 10 tester, Christie Jones, who sewed this darling top for her daughter, Cate. My favorite part about this dress / top is that it looks sweet on a little baby girl and classy and sophisticated on a little bit older girl.

This beautiful blue and cream colored dress is from Serena GarciaDiaz. Serena had posted a picture over on Facebook of a dress she had made using the free 'Summer Picnic Dress' and I fell in love with her work. Her photography is just beautiful and the contrasting colors in the dress really bring great attention to the ruffles and sash.

Here we have the most adorable creation from the very talented Melissa Myers. This is the Miss Matilda Top paired with another variation of the Skip and Play Pants and Capris (Size 6 month - 10 years) that will be released this week as well. Melissa did such a wonderful job pairing all these different patterned fabrics and the buttons pull it all together!

The beautiful purple and blue creation pictured above is from the love, Trisha Parker from Sweet N Sassy Girls. Trisha did a re-test on our size 7 just to make sure we had nailed down a few details with the fit and I absolutely adore what she came up with for her little girl!

And finally, I'll leave you with the very talented Hayley from Mouse House Creations. Hayley used an additional fabric and incorporated it into the sash. The white ruffles and the pink sash are the perfect accents for this beautiful blue fabric!

Whew! That's a lot of cuteness going on! I wish I could share them all with you, but I'm sure this has been enough Miss Matilda inspiration for one day. I can't say it enough.......these ladies are just incredible and I am so thankful for the time and energy they put into helping me with these patterns.

If you would like to purchase the Miss Matilda Dress and Top Pattern (Size 6 month - 10 Years), you can find the pattern HERE.

Miss Matilda Dress and Top Pattern from The Cottage Mama: Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 03:30:00 PDT

Today is very happy day for me where I get to announce another new pattern from The Cottage Mama summer collection............

The Miss Matilda Dress and Top

SIZE 6 MONTH - 10 YEARS

The Miss Matilda is named after my own little Matilda (seen in these pictures) and is available right now in PDF and will be available in paper at the end of June. Like I said when I released the 'Georgia' pattern, I have been working behind the scenes on these patterns for months and am so thrilled to finally be able to share these designs with you.

If you would like to purchase this pattern, you can find it HERE.

MISS MATILDA DESCRIPTION: The Miss Matilda Dress and Top is the perfect, classic outfit for your darling little lady. It is feminine and sophisticated while still casual enough for every day. View A, the Miss Matilda Dress, is a knee length gathered skirt dress with a small ruffle running down the front bodice and around the neck. The dress buttons in the front and has a waist sash that ties in the front off to one side. View B, the Miss Matilda Top, features all the sweet details of the Miss Matilda Dress, but is cut at shorter length, below the hip, and can be paired with pants, leggings, shorts or jeans. View C, the Miss Matilda Dress simple variation, is a simplified version of the dress and top pattern. The simple variation eliminates the ruffles around the neck and along the front. This variation could be made with or without the waist sash and with piping throughout different seams in the garment.

All design variations have a fully lined bodice with contrasting fabric and French seams in the skirt for total comfort for your little one. This is great pattern for confident beginner sewers and offers many ways to get creative with your design!

And just so you can see how this dress transforms into a top, here are a few pictures from our testers (more to come later this week):

Miss Matilda Top and Skip and Play Capris

This darling outfit was created by Katie Romagosa from Leave You In Stitches. She used several different printed fabrics and lace trim accents. And do you see those capris? Those are the Skip and Play Pants and Capris (Size 6 Month - 10 Years) and they will be released later this week.

This Miss Matilda Top and Skip and Play Pants and Capris is from the talented, Melissa Myers. More pictures of the darling outfit she created coming later this week!

So there you have it......the second (and sneak peek of the third) out of four patterns in The Cottage Mama summer pattern collection. I hope you like them!

If you would like to purchase the Miss Matilda Dress and Top (Size 6 Month - 10 Years), you can find it HERE.

Fabric Friday: Southern Fabric Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Fri, 31 May 2013 03:00:02 PDT

It's another Fabric Friday here at The Cottage Mama and we've got a great giveaway today from one of our lovely blog sponsors, Southern Fabric.

Southern Fabric carries a wonderful variety of designer quilting cotton fabric from some of my very favorite designers. If you've never visited their shop, you need to head over there and check it out.......but be careful, you'll want to buy one of everything!

They are having a great Memorial Day sale going on right now. Today is the last day to take advantage, so if you are in the market for some gorgeous new fabric, I suggest you head on over and check out some of the fantastic deals. You can visit Souther Fabric by clicking HERE.

I have had my eye on this line 'Happy-Go-Lucky' by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics ever since I saw a preview of it. I am really drawn to navy blue right now and I love the mix of brighter colors with some of the deeper blue tones in this line.

Speaking of navy blue.......this print from 'Cuzco' by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics also has my name on it. SO pretty!

On the more juvenile front, I love this print from the 'Apple Jacks' line. My little guy is really into all kinds of vehicles right now and this would be just perfect for him.

There are so many gorgeous fabrics to be found over at Southern Fabric. And today one lucky winner is going to win a $50.00 gift certificate to Southern Fabric to spend on anything you would like.

To stay up to date with new patterns, tutorials, giveaways and more, please sign up for the NEW The Cottage Mama newsletter starting in June.

Giveaway will be open until Monday, June 3, 2013 at Midnight (CST).

You can enter via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Georgia Vintage Dress: Testers, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Thu, 30 May 2013 10:22:23 PDT

Yesterday I shared the first round of Georgia Vintage Dress testers with you and today I'm back to share with you another great group of testers. All of these dresses were created from the Georgia Vintage Dress pattern by The Cottage Mama which can be found here.

This dress was made by Ellen Balzer (www.ellzabelle.com) who sewed View C of the Georgia Vintage Dress. This is the sleeveless variation that lends a more modern feel to the dress. She selected this gorgeous, bold print that works so beautiful on her little girl.

Here we have Miss Eliza wearing her dress made by her mama, Michelle from Handmade Martini. Michelle and I met when she took a class from me at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. I absolutely adore the fabric pairing and placement on this little dress. She actually just opened her Etsy shop and is selling some adorable new children's clothes. You can check out her shop here.

Here is a lovely version of the Georgia Vintage Dress by Trisha Parker (www.sweetnsassygirls.com). The colors and patterns used in this dress are some of my favorite and the pink piping and buttons bring the entire look together. Her daughter looks so precious in this look.

I adore this dress on a baby girl......it's just so sweet! This dress was made by Courtney Davis from Sweeter Than Cupcakes. The soft colors and light pink baby pom-pom trim make this a perfect dress for one of our smaller little ladies.

Both the baby and little girl (pictured above) were created by Cindy Nooner. These dresses just melted my heart. The darling apple applique on the bodice is simply perfect and it's made from the 'Apple of My Eye' fabric line from Riley Blake Designs. Such sweet perfection.

This beautiful red and white dress was created by Karen Evanoff (www.andthepiecesfit.blogspot.com). She used rick-rack trim in place of the piping and created rick-rack flowers with buttons in the center down the front. These colors are just perfect for summer!

And finally, I'll leave you with one of our tiniest little testers. This dress was created by Danae from Head over Heels and looks so sweet on this adorable baby girl. The mixing and matching of eyelet fabric and woven cotton and the addition of pearl buttons makes this dress perfect for a tiny little princess!

So I'll stop there, but will you believe me when I tell you that wasn't even all the testers? There were just too many to share, but they all did such a fantastic job and I couldn't be more proud of their creations!

Do you want to create your very own Georgia Vintage Dress? If so, you can find the pattern HERE.

Next week, I'll be releasing my second pattern in this summer collection and I can't wait to share with you! And check back tomorrow because we have a really great fabric giveaway coming up from one of our lovely blog sponsors.

Have a great day!

Georgia Vintage Dress Pattern: Testers, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Wed, 29 May 2013 06:05:04 PDT

As I announced in my post yesterday, the Georgia Vintage Dress Pattern (Size 6 Month - 10 Years) is now available for sale as a downloadable PDF and you can find it sold here.

One of the most important factors in pattern design is fit. It doesn't matter what the cover of a pattern looks like, but if the customers that purchase that pattern can recreate what's on the cover, then the pattern is a fail. In order to ensure a great fit and a well instructed pattern, I enlisted the help of a wonderful group of pattern testers. Some of them are bloggers, some have their own Etsy shops, and some are mom's and grandma's that just love to sew.

I went went through many different emails of folks applying for this open call that I made over on The Cottage Mama Facebook page and I was pretty certain that I had put together a good group. What I didn't know, is that I had put together a truly wonderful group of women. Not only did these women do a fantastic job testing and giving feedback on this pattern, but they are genuinely a kind, supportive and incredibly talented bunch. There are 43 of them total that are divided up testing each of the four patterns releasing over the next several weeks.

I am SO incredibly proud of what they created from the Georgia Vintage Dress pattern that I just can't wait to show you!

First up, we have our tester, Hayley, from Welcome to the Mouse House. In her version, she added in a fourth fabric and used jumbo rick-rack trim instead of piping on the bib. The colors and fabric she chose are just stunning and her little lady looks so adorable in her dress.

This Georgia Vintage Dress was from Natalie Cooper. Her choice of more subtle fabrics in softer colors with these gorgeous floral buttons give a true vintage feel to this dress.

This dress was by Amy Fournier from Ellie-Jayne Designs and it actually fit both her girls. The first few pictures of Amy's daughter show the dress with a slightly longer hem (that has since been shortened) and this final pictures is of her other darling little lady. The use of contrasting fabrics really make all the details of this dress pop.

Here we have sweet Lily modeling the dress made by her mom, Julie from Crafts for Lily. She selected these gorgeous soft colors that look perfect on Lily. And her mixing and matching of patterned prints is spot on.

Ayelet from The Graceful Rose tested one of our larger sizes for her daughter using View B, a sleeveless variation. This lends a slightly more modern look to the pattern and the gorgeous Joel Dewberry fabric she used is fantastic!

This gorgeous dress is from Judy Brock who used a beautiful combination of white, yellow and blue for her Georgia Vintage Dress.

So what do you think? Didn't these testers do such a lovely job? I've got a whole other group of photos to show you tomorrow that I think you'll love as well.

The ladies created these dresses all on their own simply following the pattern instructions. Sometimes I think people feel my patterns can look a little tricky, like there would be no way they could recreate the look on their own. But you can! The instructions are straight-forward and enable confident beginners to create an identical design to the cover and will help you along with your sewing technique. If you've never tried a The Cottage Mama Sewing Pattern, I encourage you to give one a try.........I'm pretty sure you're going to like it.

If you would like to purchase the new Georgia Vintage Dress (Size 6 Month - 10 Years), you can find the pattern HERE.

And if you would like to stay up to date with current pattern releases, tutorials, recipes and more, please sign up for the NEW The Cottage Mama newsletter that will be starting next month! Sign up below.

Georgia Vintage Dress Pattern from The Cottage Mama: Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 28 May 2013 03:30:00 PDT

Can I tell you how hard it is to keep a secret from you all? It's the hardest because I just love, love, love sharing with you. I have been working really hard these last several months getting my next collection of sewing patterns ready to go and today I am thrilled to share my first of four new patterns with you! I will be releasing the four patterns over the next several weeks in PDF form and they will all be available in printed, hardcopy form by the end of June.

This first pattern, the Georgia Vintage Dress, is probably the pattern I am most proud of creating since I started designing sewing patterns. I hope you love it as much as I do!

The Georgia Vintage Dress

SIZE 6 MONTH - 10 YEARS

DESCRIPTION: The Georgia Vintage Dress was inspired by a favorite dress worn by my mother in the late 1950’s. It is a dress with many possibilities and options, yet has timeless classic appeal. View A, the Georgia Vintage Dress, features a piped bib front bodice finished with decorative buttons and sweet pointed collar. The skirt is double layered for extra fullness and has a waist sash that is gathered on the sides for a large bow tied in the back of the dress. Dress closes with buttons on the bodice back. View B is the Georgia Vintage Dress without the bib front. View C, features the Georgia Vintage Dress without the ruffle sleeve and View D, mirrors View A, yet features a single layer skirt. There are so many ways to use this pattern and you will have many opportunities to make it your own.

All design variations have a fully lined bodice and include French seams in the skirt for total comfort for your little one. This is great pattern for confident beginner sewers and offers many ways to get creative with your design!

There are four official variations included in the pattern, but there are so many possibilities! You can mix and match the different pieces to create a truly unique, one-of-a-kind look.

This is my little Matilda modeling the Georgia Vintage Dress, View A in Size 4T. When I photographed her in this dress, she just felt so special and pretty. I could tell by her demeanor. It was a sweet time for us.

View A, B and D all feature a sweet flutter sleeve. And View C is a sleeveless option that is perfect for the older little ladies or those that aren't a big fan of ruffles.

The front bib detail is trimmed out with piping on the sides and three sweet buttons down the front. You can choose to use any trim you would like in place of the piping or eliminate the trim completely. I can't wait to show you some of the pattern testers versions with different trim options. The sweet, pointed peter-pan collar really adds to the timeless, classic appeal of this dress.

All design variations feature a large bow that is tied in the back of the dress. It is gathered at the sides and makes this dress as sweet in the back as it is in the front.

The Georgia Vintage Dress Pattern is now available for sale in PDF form. If you aren't familiar with PDF patterns, they are patterns that you print on your home computer, tape the pieces together to form the full pattern sheet. The beauty of PDF patterns is that they are available for instant download, so no need to wait to get sewing and you can print them out time and time again (no tracing)! Plus they are a little less expensive then the printed version and you avoid paying shipping. The four patterns that are releasing over the next several weeks are also formatted for our international customers to print on A4 paper. Like I said above, the patterns will be available for sale in print at the end of June, so no worries for our printed paper pattern fans!

I have worked for weeks with an amazing group of pattern testers perfecting this pattern and throughout this next week I will be showing you some of their incredible Georgia Vintage Dress creations. I am always in awe of the talent that surrounds us here in the online sewing community and I think you will definitely be inspired by some of their adorable little dresses.

If you would like to purchase a PDF version of the Georgia Vintage Dress Pattern, you can find it HERE.

Coffee.......My Favorite Part of the Morning

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:23:34 PDT

The best part of wakin' up is...

Picture me singing that first line and I bet you can finish the tune...

"The best part of wakin' up is Folgers in your cup"

I was born in 1981 and that little jingle was definitely a part of my childhood growing up. Even now, hearing it makes me feel all nostalgic, warm and cozy. I was recently asked by the folks at Folgers to write a blog post talking a little bit about coffee and my morning routine. Well, that's an easy one for me since coffee is kind of my life line throughout the day. For those of you who can go the day without drinking a cup of joe, you amaze me. With having three kids age five and under and running a small business, I need to stay on top of my game and coffee really keeps me going all day long.

Each night my husband sets our coffee pot to go off at 6:00am. Our little man, Caspian Finn, is like our little rooster and we hear him start talking around 5:45am. I know, it's a little early, but we've gotten used to it and the girls are usually up shortly thereafter. Typically my hubby will get the little guy out of his crib and we head downstairs to start the day.

There are some mornings that I am just so darn tired that the thought of coffee is the only thing that gets me out of bed. And the smell... oh, that wonderful smell. We bought these beautiful pottery coffee mugs from a local artisan earlier this year and they just make my morning coffee seem even more warm and cozy. I take my coffee with just a little bit of milk, no sugar (just in case you were wondering).

Once we've gotten downstairs, the kids get a morning snack and a drink (milk or water). Then we get comfy on the couch, turn on the news and have our morning cup of coffee. I check my email on the iPad and check in on a few of my favorite blogs. My husband then heads upstairs to get ready for work. While he is getting ready for work, I make breakfast. Once he heads out the door, it's all me for the next 12 hours (he has a long commute to the city). Our morning routine works really well for us and it's something the kids have come to expect each and every morning.

As the kids and I are getting ready for our day, we often like to turn music on the iPad to get us going. Sometimes it's something upbeat or sometimes it's something a little more smooth and mellow, like one of my favorite jazz singers, Diana Krall.

Music was a huge part of my life growing up. I grew up performing in musicals, singing, acting and dancing and attended Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music for musical theatre. And because music influenced me so much as a child, it's something I hope to pass on to my children whether it be through playing a musical instrument, singing, etc. I was really excited to see that Folgers is fostering the love and appreciation of music in others by hosting their very own annual jingle contest. The contestants have come up with their own original jingles about coffee. You have to go check out the top 10 finalists......I'm not kidding when I tell you that these folks are amazingly talented.

So that's a little bit about my morning routine, coffee and music... I think it's kind of fun to take a little look into someone else's morning routine. I hope you do too!

Vote for the best Top 10 Finalist in Folgers' Jingle Contest! Meet the Top 10! Take a look at Folgers® Jingle Contest Finalists, and listen to the tracks that earned them a spot in The Top 10. Cast your vote once every day through June 19th. You could win exciting prizes, like free Folgers Coffee, iTunes® gift cards, signed CDs from Gavin DeGraw, and even a $10,000 Grand Prize just for voting! Before you vote, follow the Road to the Jingle on Facebook to see how they traveled the U.S. to track down the Top 10 contestants! Remember, you can vote once a day through June 19th! Click here for official rules.

The Cottage Mama's Sewing Basket: Tube Turners

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:56:57 PDT

Today we are back with another fun, little tool from The Cottage Mama's Sewing Basket. These tube turners may look like a simple tool, but they will change your life. And if you don't have them in your sewing basket, I'm going to recommend you pick up a set.

What does this tool do? Tube turners are kind of like they sound. They make it easy to turn tubes of fabric right side out. Have you ever been working on a long sash for a dress or straps for a tote bag and found it took forever to turn the fabric right side out? Well, these little tools make such fast work of this. Here's how.....

Simply place the blue plastic tube down inside your tube of fabric (or sash) that is currently turned wrong side out. Take the wooden dowel and push it up through the finished end of the fabric and up through the blue plastic tube.

Continue pushing the wooden dowel up through the plastic tube until the fabric appears at the top of the plastic tube and is right side out. At that point you can remove the wooden dowel and just continue to pull the fabric out through the top of the plastic tube.

And there you have it.......a quick turn tube turner! Yes, you can most certainly turn tubes and sashes with something like a chopstick, but let me tell you......these are even easier and worth the small investment. You can find Quick Turn Tube Turners in the notions section of your local fabric and sewing store. They generally come in a pack of three with different sizes. I have the Dritz brand, but there may be other brands on the market as well.

There is also another handy-dandy tool used for turning completely open tubes (with no finished end), but we'll save that one for another installment of The Cottage Mama's Sewing Basket.

*I was not compensated in any way promoting the products and tools found in The Cottage Mama's Sewing Basket. These are all tools, notions and things that I love and use.

Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:47:43 PDT

So how about some giveaway winners?

The winner of the $100 Home Depot Gift card is........

And the winner of the Riley Blake Designs 'Bake Sale' Fat Quarter Bundle is........

Congratulations, ladies. Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact info. and we will work to get you those prizes as soon as possible.

Happy Monday!

Giraffe Love Top and Leggings

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:00:51 PDT

I have been so busy around here I can hardly see straight. I have four new sewing patterns that are under going pattern testing right now getting ready to release next month. It's very fun and exciting; however, it puts sewing for my own kids on the back burner for the time being.....or so it should.

I have had this giraffe fabric for about a month now. I ordered it for Miss Matilda since giraffes are her favorite animal. She was so thrilled when it arrived and has been wanting an outfit made out of it ever since she saw it. So, as I've been busily working on my new patterns, this fabric has been starring at me just begging to be made into something for my little lady.

So a couple days ago, I couldn't take it anymore......I just had to make this outfit for Matilda. Do you ever get an idea in your head that you just have to do right then and there? Well, that's where I was......I knew I would be thinking about Matilda's giraffe outfit forever until it was made. So I took a break from my patterns and whipped up this little outfit for Miss M in an afternoon. And I'm so glad I did.....she loves it!

The top is very simple. It's just a t-shirt cut off with fabric added to the bottom. I picked up a bunch of shirts on clearance last year for $2.00 each that have just been waiting for me to embellish them. I decided to use some knit and woven cotton for this outfit. My girls are all about comfort these days so I can see myself incorporating more knits into my sewing as they get older.

The skirt on the top was made from a woven quilting cotton, 'Giraffe Love' by Michael Miller fabrics. I made a ruffle around the bottom hem out of orange stretch knit (Heaven and Helsinki by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics) and added woven ribbon trim on top (from Renaissance Ribbons).

The great thing about knit is that it doesn't fray, so you can skip finishing the edges if you are going for a more casual look. I used the Go-To Leggings Pattern with my own ruffle legging tutorial found here. And I also added a yoga waistband because I thought that would be more comfortable. Again, the knit fabric I used has a good amount of stretch to it and is 'Heaven and Helsinki' by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics.

I'm really loving this outfit. It's perfect for play, but still cute and unique. And the most important thing is that Matilda loves it!

And I'll leave you with a picture of my little giraffe lover.

Have a great day!

Goat Cheese & Mozzarella Tomato Toast Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:13 PDT

I am a savory kind of girl. What about you? When it comes to breakfast, I much prefer something on the salty side rather than the sweet. This easy little breakfast or lunch is perfect for when you want something nice and satisfying to get your day started off right!

Goat Cheese and Mozzarella Tomato Toast

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices multi-grain bread (good quality, grainy bread)

4 vine-ripened tomatoes

1/2 -3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella (more, if you like)

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Garlic salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Lay out your multi-grain bread on a cook sheet. Try to purchase a good, quality bread in the bakery section of your grocery store.....that makes a big difference. Drizzle your bread with extra virgin olive oil.

Slice four tomatoes. Place tomato slices on top of bread. There should be one full tomato per slice of bread. Season with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of tomatoes and then goat cheese. You can use more or less cheese depending on how much you like. Season again with garlic salt and pepper and another little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Place in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until bread is crunchy and the cheese is melty and bubbly. Once you've taken your toast out of the oven, feel free to add any fresh herbs on top.

Serve two slices per person for a hearty breakfast or lunch or one slice per person if you are serving this with eggs for breakfast or a salad for lunch.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:00:07 PDT

I wanted to wish you all a very Happy Mother's Day and leave a special little note for the most amazing woman in my life, my mom.

I hope you all have a beautiful, amazing and fantastic day.

The blessing of children truly is one of the greatest gifts on earth.

Happy Mother's Day!

The Start of Spring.......and $100 Home Depot Gift Card

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:30:04 PDT

It's finally Spring here in Chicago. It felt like winter was going to last forever, but we have finally thawed out and I think the freezing weather is gone for good (or at least until next winter).

I love the beginning of spring, don't you? I get all these great ideas of things I want to do in the yard, flowers I want to plant, landscaping to be done. I don't usually get around to all of it, but I always make time for planting flowers on our porch.

Several weeks back I was asked if I would like to try some new Premium Plants from Miracle-Gro that were being sold exclusively in Chicago Home Depot's. Well, they didn't have to ask me twice for that one because I was just about ready to go buy my flowers for spring planting anyway.

I always use Miracle-Gro potting mix for my window boxes and pots on the porch because I really do see a difference in the flowers in comparison to the years where I just used the regular stuff. These Miracle-Gro Premium Plants are supposed to have extra nutrients in the soil and be set up for a great growing season. And if I'm really honest, I always seem to do great with my gardening those first few months or so, but then the weather gets really hot and the mosquitos come out and I start to lose steam......so I can use all the help I can get. And since they have a 3-month money back guarantee......I'd say I'm good to go through mid-August.

So guess what I'll be doing this Mother's Day weekend? Planting my new flowers on our front porch. I'm excited to see what these plants do this season. I'll have to give you an update later into the summer. Will they still be going strong? I'm going to guess so, since Miracle-Gro always seems to do the trick, but only time will tell.......

How would you like to go buy yourself some Miracle-Gro Premium Plants (if you're in Chicago) or something fun for spring?

How about I give you $100 Home Depot Gift Card so you can go buy some of your very own?

All I need you to do is leave me a comment and let me know what is your favorite thing to plant in your garden each year and what region of the country you live.

There will be one winner selected and the giveaway is open until Sunday, May 12, 2013 at midnight (CST).

Giant Fabric Match Up Giveaway ~ Win 24 Yards of Fabric!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:00:07 PDT

I am so excited about today's giveaway that I can hardly contain myself!

Have you ever wished that one of your favorite sewing blogger's would go fabric shopping for you?

Or seen a project on a blog and thought, "Oh, I NEED that fabric!" If so, today is your lucky day!

Eighteen sewing bloggers picked out a yard (or two!) of a fabric from their stash and we're giving them ALL away today to one lucky winner!

To win this amazing stash of fabric loveliness, just match the fabric swatch to the blogger (*hint* - most of us have used the fabric we chose in a recent project, so our recent posts are your fast track to fabric matching success). The first person to correctly match all of the swatches will receive ALL of the fabric shown!

So what do you think? Want to play?

A- 1.5 yards, Mini Dot in Sunspray by Lotta Jansdotter
B- 1 yard, Paradise Garden in Periwinkle by Amy Butler
C- Florescent Pink & Gray Striped Jersey Knit
D- 1/2 yard Heirloom Tile Flourish in Garnet and 1/2 yard Heirloom Opal in Fuchsia both by Joel Dewberry
E- 1 yard, Houndstooth in black by Michael Miller
F- Pink/Orange Stripe knit
G- 1 yard, Orange and Light Heather Gray Stripe Cotton Jersey Knit
H- 1 yard, Light pink linen
I- 1 yard, Mustard and Ivory Stripe by Girl Charlee
J- 1 yard, Rally Cream/Grass by Dan Stiles
K- 1 yard Riley Blake Ombre Dots in Aqua, 1 yard Target Polka Dot Sheet Fabric, 1 yard Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet in Persimmon and Michael Miller Happy Tones Charm Pack,
L- 1 yard, Remix Triangles B/W by Ann Kelle
M- 1 Yard, Novella Rain Rayon in Aqua by Valori Wells, 1 yard, Lush Running Stitch in Purple by Patty Young, and 1 yard, Porcelain Tile Garden Wall in Olive
N- 1 yard, Mustard cotton sateen
O- 1 yard, Summer Totem in Grapefruit by Anna Maria Horner
P- 1 yard, Black and white chevron
Q- 1 yard, Parenthetical in Berry by Anna Maria Horner
R- 2 yards (1 yard each), ABC 123 by American Jane for Moda
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Here is the list of bloggers (just in case you have a little research to do):

Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy crafts

The Cottage Mama

crafterhours

Craftiness is not Optional

delia creates

girl. inspired.

icandy handmade

If only they would nap...

And just to sweeten the pot a little, every reader who submits a guess will be entered in a fabulous pattern bundle giveaway.

Here is the prize.......

~The Sugarplum Top + Dress pattern by See Kate Sew
~The Surfer Slacks Lounge Pant pattern by See Kate Sew
~The Casual Lady Top and Dress pattern by Go To Patterns
~Two "Winner's Choice" patterns by Blank Slate Patterns
~Pattern 5 Pack ("Winner's Choice") by Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop
~Riding Pants pattern by the Sewing Rabbit
~Roly Poly pattern by imagine gnats
~Ruby Ruffle dress pattern by The Cottage Mama

WOW........I'd say that's a pretty sweet prize package, wouldn't you?

Ok, here you go.....ready, set, match!

Good luck!

*Giveaway ends at midnight MST on Friday, May 11, US residents only.

Some Bunny Loves You: Easy Rag Quilt Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:09:18 PDT

My mom (aka Grandma Jane) is here today sharing a tutorial for these adorable rag quilts she made for my little ladies. Mom made these quilts for the girls when we came to visit for Easter. She had each of the girls quilts laying out on the guest bed upon our arrival. It was SO sweet. Even though they have bunnies on them, they can be used year round. The girls have been sleeping with theirs nightly because they are so warm and cuddly.

You are going to love this easy quilting tutorial.......definitely a great beginner project, but a fun one for seasoned pros as well! And here's Grandma Jane.......

The Cottage Mama and her family coming to Texas for Easter was certainly a reason to make a new quilt (or two) out of the darling AneelaHoey line, Posy, by Moda!

(This line can be purchased from several blog sponsors here at The Cottage Home)

I love the cuddly, soft look of a rag quilt and when you need a super quick project—a layer cake, 3 ¼ yards of flannel backing and about a yard of 96 inch wide batting (or scraps) is the recipe for a very nice size throw—just right for our little ladies, Matilda Jane and Savannah Rose. (Caspian got his I Spy Animals rag quilt this past Christmas so it was the girls’ turn.)

Easy Rag Quilt Tutorial

by Grandma Jane for The Cottage Mama

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut (42) 10” x 10”squares of backing flannel fabric.

Step 2: If you are not using a layer cake, you will need 3 ¼ yards of fabric to cut (42) 10 inch squares.

Step 3: Cut (42) 8 ½” x 8 ½” squares of batting (I used scraps and took care to use white for the light colored squares so the darker cream colored batting did not show through.)

Step 4: Lay a flannel square with wrong side up. Center a batting square on the flannel and top with a layer cake piece-right side up. You now have the wrong sides of the fabric together with the batting inside. It’s a mini-quilt sandwich! Pin together with at least two pins. Stack them up.

Step 5: Sew an “X” across each square. I marked mine with a ruler disappearing fabric marker as I sewed each square to keep things straight. This is your “quilting” so you could get fancy at this point in time and quilt some other design on the blocks.

Step 6: I substituted a white square with embroidery personalization on each quilt. If you do this, I recommend using a fusible batting or web to hold the batting in place for that square only as you do not have the secure “X” quilting across the block. This embroidery design was a built-in design on the Baby Lock Unity sewing and embroidery machine.

Step 7: Arrange your blocks six blocks wide by seven down.

Step 8: Stitch blocks in rows with backing sides together using a 5/8 inch seam. Yes, you will have the unfinished edges on the front of the quilt. Adjust your seam allowance a little if necessary but you don’t want to catch the batting in the seam allowance.

Step 9: Stitch the rows together and then stitch all the way around the quilt 5/8 inch from the edges.

Step 10: Now sit down in a comfy chair and get ready to do some clipping! These little spring-release clippers make clipping the seams much easier on your hands. Clip all seams and outside edge, evenly at about 3/8 inch intervals, taking care not to clip the stitching of the seam.

Step 11: I added an embroidered quilt label on the back and used the extra layer cake piece to frame it. Again, this was a built in font on my Baby Lock sewing and embroidery machine.

Step 12: Washing a rag quilt is really important to get the exposed edges fuzzy and make it all soft and cuddly. Caution! The lint created in your washer and dryer is really significant so make sure you clean out the lint trap. (If you have a really large quilt, it might be a good idea to take it to a Laundromat and use a commercial washer and dryer.)

Enjoy!!! I think you will love how quickly a rag quilt comes together. There are some really great looking ones out there done with strips of fabric, too. Note: Rag quilts are not the best quilts for babies and infants as the lint and fuzziness could be a problem for little ones.

~ Grandma Jane

Thanks so much, Mom! You are the best.....it's so fun to have you come on the blog. I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial, if you'd like to check out more projects and tutorials from Grandma Jane, you can click HERE.

Project Design Team Tutorial and Riley Blake Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:02:51 PDT

Today I am over at Riley Blake Designs sharing my Project Design Team Tutorial for this easy Scalloped Envelope Clutch. I hope you'll pop on over and check it out!

Click HERE to visit Riley Blake Designs.

And because I'm over at Riley Blake Designs, we have a little something special for you here. Today we are giving away a full Fat Quarter Bundle 'Bake Sale' by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs. I absolutely adore this line, well I pretty much adore anything designed by Lori Holt, but I think you guys are going to like it too!

So all you have to do is enter via the rafflecopter below. There are several chances to win. Do one or all of them, it's totally up to you.

Giveaway is open internationally! And will be open through Saturday, May 4, 2013 at midnight (CST).

One of the chances to enter includes signing up for the *NEW* newsletter. Remember, this is not the same as the email you receive with each of the blog posts. It's brand new and hasn't started yet, so if you haven't signed up, please do so!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sprightly Fabrics Giveaway Winner

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:09:57 PDT

I love how much you all love fabric. It's like we are kindred spirits or something. Anyway, with 902 entries into the Sprightly Fabrics giveaway, our winner (selected at random) is:

Congratulations Jennifer Oliva! I'm so excited for you......I know you will get some fantastic goodies with your $50.00 gift certificate to Sprightly Fabrics. Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact info. and we will get you your prize as soon as possible.

Don't fret if you weren't our winner, we have a fabulous giveaway from Riley Blake Designs coming up tomorrow, so make sure to check back!

Sprightly Fabrics Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:00:18 PDT

It's Fabric Friday here at The Cottage Mama and I am really excited to introduce our sponsor today, Sprightly Fabrics. They aren't exactly a new around here since they've been a sponsor for about three months, but they have been in the process of launching a new website, so we held off doing their giveaway until today. Sprightly Fabrics website is up and running and ready for business!

I am pretty selective when it comes to choosing fabric sponsors for this blog. I want to make sure they are in keeping with the style around here and are shops that I know you all will love and adore. And I LOVE Sprightly Fabrics. They carry some of my absolute favorite designers plus they carry more than just fabrics.

Here's a little bit about how they got started from the owner herself, Monique:

Let's see, about us... I guess I probably got started like many others, by selling handmade goodies! I learned to crochet at 8 years old and when my hands told me they'd had enough a few years ago, I had to find other creative outlets. Our first craft supply offered was die cut felt, which then evolved into fabric and other supplies. Along the way I roped my husband into helping out too. We're constantly inspired by what our customers, other crafters and designers create and love offering supplies that allow them to grow and encourage others!

I always thinks it's so fun to hear how other people got started in their businesses, don't you?

Before we move onto the giveaway, I wanted to share some of the things I have my eye on over at Sprightly Fabrics:

Carnaby Street Bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics

Be still my heart. These colors are absolutely gorgeous and if you've never sewn with Art Gallery Fabrics before, their fabric is absolutely perfect for garments.

Notting Hill Collection from Joel Dewberry for Free Spirit Fabrics

I have been thinking about getting some prints from Joel Dewberry's 'Notting Hill' collection for quite sometime and this red colorway is calling for me.

Cocoon by Valori Wells for Free Spirit Fabrics

I love this print! AND it's in the clearance section over at Sprightly Fabrics for $5.99 per yard, with your 10% off coupon code that's only $5.40 per yard. What a steal. I might have to go pick this one up if you don't.

Die Cut Felt Circles (136 included)

Not only do they sell fabric, but they sell felt as well. I think these circles would be fun for so many different craft projects. I am seeing some adorable hair clips for my girls out of these circles.

Divine Twine

They also carry Divine Twine. I have so many spools of this twine. It's great for all kinds of things!

Another things about Sprightly Fabrics is they offer tiered pricing which is really nice if you tend to purchase larger amounts of fabrics. The price per yard goes down with the more you buy. They also have a 10% off code over on their website for your first purchase. Additionally they offer many other products such as colored elastics, embroidery hoops, patterns, books and more!

Today Sprightly Fabrics is giving away one $50.00 gift certificate to one very lucky blog reader! You can use this gift certificate to buy anything from their online store.

You can enter to win in the rafflecopter below......you can enter up to three times.

Giveaway is open until Monday, April 29, 2013 at midnight (CST).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Facebook Fan Giveaway Winner and Newsletter Info!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:47:10 PDT

Thank you so much to those of you who entered the 10,000 Facebook Fans Giveaway........I really appreciated all your kind words! I wish I could give this prize to all of you, but for this giveaway there is only one winner, one person who takes the whole cake and that winner is........

Congratulations, Joyce! I am so excited for you. Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com and I will get this prize in the mail to you as soon as possible.

Also, many of you mentioned during the giveaway that you were already signed up for the Newsletter. I just wanted to clarify that this new newsletter will not be the same thing as having each blog post delivered to your email box. It's kind of complicated 'blog talk', but right now those emails are delivered by Feedburner, which is apparently going to be going away soon just like Google Reader, so if you want to continue to stay up to date with The Cottage Mama, you will need to sign up for the NEW newsletter! I hope you will........I don't want you to miss out.

You can sign up below if you still haven't done so.

Check back on Friday as we will have a great fabric giveaway posted from our lovely blog sponsor, Sprightly Fabrics!

Little of This and a Little of That: Flea Market, Painting, Ect.

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:10 PDT

I just wanted to share a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.....you know, a little of this and a little of that.......

A couple weeks ago my girlfriends and I spent the day at our favorite flea market, called the Kane County Flea market. If you live in the Chicagoland area, it's a definite place to go if you love antiques, treasure hunting and one-of-a-kind pieces. They always have the BEST stuff and at amazing prices. You know those 'found objects' that you see in the Pottery Barn catalog? Well, this is where you can actually find those objects on your own and not pay an arm and a leg.

The flea market takes place the first weekend of each month, although I don't think they hold it during the super-chilly and snowy months of the year. My friends and I try to go in the spring since the weather tends to be pretty nice. We lucked out a couple weeks ago because it was absolutely gorgeous!

So I didn't get a ton of things this time, but I was really happy with my finds........

I got the Cracker Jack lunchbox to store the kids crayons and I was also excited to find this old little school chalkboard, so expect to see that make an appearance on the blog soon.

I love this mason jar filled with old spools. I am using it as a decorative item sitting on top of a stack of books in our built in bookcases.

I can never have too many old hankies. I found some really great juvenile ones with adorable little prints.

Here is some woven vintage trim that I can't wait to use on a pretty little dress. I got over 9 yards!

This was a table runner that I got for $3.00, but I am definitely seeing this being used as an apron on a dress or as part of a bodice. Plus I think it goes great with the trim picture above (even though I didn't buy them from the same vendor).

See that metal frame in the two pictures above? That's the frame I used for the Repurposed Picture Frame Tray. Another great flea market find!

I was really excited to find this chair! I wasn't really on the hunt for a new studio chair, but I have been wanting one for several years. I have just never come across the right one. When I saw this, I knew it was it! I have to have a chair with wheels in my sewing studio so I can go from my table over to my sewing machine and over to my serger. And I also wanted something that was a little antique looking. I might make a cute little seat cushion eventually, but for right now it's just right!

Also, we had some painting done recently. Before we had children we did most of the renovation work on our house ourselves, but with having the three little ones now, it was just much easier to hire someone to paint part of our sun room.

It's not the best before picture since I probably should have taken it with all our furniture in there and looking nice. Oh well......you get the idea. There was a wall of knotty pine and the ceiling was off white and dark brown. This sun room is opens up with french doors off our main family room. I call it a sun room, but it's part of the house......I think we call it that because it gets lots of light and it sounds nice, don't you think?

We used 'Simply White' by Benjamin Moore. I love this white! If you are looking for a good one, I will give this a big thumbs up. The painters started with a water-based primer, but it just wasn't covering the wood paneling so they ended up needing to use oil-based primer (Kilz). That really did the trick and we didn't have any of the stain bleeding through.

I am really into white right now. Many of our belongings have a lot of color, so I just love the way they pop off the white. Plus it brings a sense of freshness to our cottage. I'm not painting everything white, but it was a great choice for our sun room. I'll have to share a picture of the room with everything put back in it's place.

We also had our loft painted which is a much bigger space and where all The Cottage Mama pattern inventory, clothing samples and fabric bolts are stored, but I'll save that for another post.

Also, I just wanted to share a little sneak peek of an upcoming quilt tutorial. These quilts were made by my mom (Grandma Jane) for the girls and she will be sharing how to make one of your very own plus how to create a custom quilt label on your sewing / embroidery machine.

So that's it.....just a little of this and a little of that, that I wanted to share with you. I am trying to get my next set of sewing patterns drafted and sent off over the next few weeks, so it might be a little quiet around here........just so you know.

Have a great week!