The Cottage Home

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:01:06 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!

Facebook 10,000 Fan Giveaway, Newsletter and a Little Housekeeping

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:14 PDT

Remember last week when I said we had reached 10,000 fans on Facebook and I would be doing a giveaway to celebrate? Well, today is the day!! We are now at about 10,200 fans and counting and I can't thank you enough for all your love and support. I absolutely love getting to know you all!

Before I get into the details of the giveaway there are a few little housekeeping things I wanted to talk about first. I'm sure you've heard that Google Reader will be no more come this summer. I find this to be such a bummer because Google Reader is how I keep up to date with the blogs I follow and I know many of you follow The Cottage Home the same way.

So what can you do to make sure you stay up to date?

One, you can head over and become a fan of The Cottage Mama Page on Facebook. I am always linking to the blog posts from over on Facebook. If you are already a current fan and don't think I post much over there, you just might not be seeing The Cottage Mama in your personal news feed. In order to make sure you are seeing the posts, you need to visit The Cottage Mama Page, and click on the 'LIKED' button and it will allow you to 'get notifications in newsfeed'. If there is not a check mark by this box, then you are not receiving notifications. See the pink arrow in the above picture? That's where you need to click.

Two, you can sign up for the new The Cottage Mama newsletter in the box above. In this newsletter you will keep up to date with blog posts as well as new pattern releases, sales and more!

Three, you can sign up for another Google Reader like platform such as Feedly or one of the many others that are out there online.

Anyway, I don't want to miss interacting with you, so if you get a chance make sure you transfer over The Cottage Home feed to a new reader, sign up for the newsletter or join us over on Facebook.

So, onto the good stuff. As a big thank you to everyone who supports The Cottage Mama and has joined us over on Facebook, I think I've put together a pretty nice giveaway for you all. This is a personal giveaway from me to you (no sponsor involved). Here it is.......

A Set of Four Sewing / Embroidery Books

I tried to put together a variety of books in this prize package that I thought you all would really enjoy. There is a little embroidery, sewing for kids, quilting and sewing for you / home.

I'm also including a big fat quarter bundle of 'Massai Mara' from Dear Stella Fabrics. This is a great bundle for a quilt or many of your home decor projects that you might have in the works.

Finally, I will be including 2 yards of each of the above prints for a total of 4 yards. I love this new fabric line called 2wenty Thr3e from Moda Fabrics and I hope you do too.

So one lucky winner is going to take home all the books and all the fabric in one big bundle!

What do you have to do to enter? Well, since this is a Facebook celebration giveaway, there are two ways to enter:

1) Become a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook (click HERE)

2) Sign up for The Cottage Mama Newsletter (you can do so above).

You can leave a comment for each entry. So that's two chances to win!!

Giveaway is open until Sunday, April 21, 2013 at Midnight (CST).

Repurposed Picture Frame Tray Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:16 PDT

About a week ago, several of my girlfriends and I headed to the flea market for a Mom's day out. When I attend the flea market, I am always on the hunt for sewing related antiques, furniture for the house, or unique antique decorative items. We happened upon this one booth that was filled with more garage sale like stuff rather than antiques, but this gold frame caught my eye. It was only $1.00 and the second I saw it I thought that it would make a cute little tray. So I scooped it up and told my friends what I had planned for this little beauty.

I think I saw a tray with this frame because the frame itself is a little angled, but you can give this project a try with any style or size frame you would like. This picture frame tray will take you minutes to complete and there is no-sewing involved (I know, kind of rare around here lately). Let's get started......

Repurposed Picture Frame Tray

by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

Supplies:

1 picture frame

1 scrap piece of fabric

Instructions:

Grab a picture frame. Use one you already have on hand or hunt for some inexpensive frames at your local flea market, garage sales or thrift shops. Like I said above, I liked that this frame was angled, so it seem to make a nice tray, but choose any frame you would like.

Flip the frame over and remove any hardware on the back. This frame was really easy to take apart, I simply popped the stand and hardware off with my hands. If you have a more stubborn frame, you may need to pull out your pliers.

Above is what the back of the frame looked like after the hardware was removed. If the holes bother you or you plan to give this as a gift, cover the holes with a piece of decorative paper or fabric. You could even write a nice note to the gift recipient. Adhere the paper to the back of the frame with heavy duty glue or mod podge.

I simply flipped the back of the frame over and used the other side because the holes didn't show nearly as much. This little tray is for me, so the bottom didn't need to be perfect.

Measure the inside of the frame to figure out how large to cut your fabric. My frame had a paper insert inside the frame, so this was the perfect template for cutting the fabric. You could also use decorative paper instead of fabric, if you prefer. Cut the fabric or paper to size.

Insert the fabric into the frame and slide the back of the frame back into place.

And then step back and admire your sweet little tray.

I'm planning on using this as a jewelry tray, but the options are endless!

Easy Knot Dress ~ Free Pattern and Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:30:06 PDT

I love an easy sundress, don't you? It's still pretty cold and snowy around here in Chicago, but I'm already dreaming about spring. The minute I saw the Little Matroyshka fabric in the Riley Blake Designs catalog, I knew I must use this fabric for my girls. I love the little nesting dolls and the different coordinating prints. Savannah, my oldest, is becoming quite picky about her clothing loved this line too so I was happy to be able to use it to make her a dress for our upcoming (hopefully soon) warmer weather. But until then, she can still wear it layered with a long sleeved shirt and tights or leggings.

This Easy Knot Dress tutorial is an adaptation of my free pattern, the 'Summer Picnic Dress'. This dress comes together in an afternoon and is age appropriate for itty bitty girls and a little bit older girls as well. The free pattern is offered in size 12m - Size 4, but can easily be sized up or down by adjusting the chest width and dress length.

Pattern Adjustment (sizing up): I sized the dress up from a size 4 to a size 6 by simply adding 1" to the yoke and facing pattern pieces to the side that says 'fold', 2 inches to the length of the main dress and an additional 1" to the longer ruffle. By adding 1" to the yoke and facing pieces, that gave me an additional 2" across the chest because the piece is cut on the fold. Another great option when drafting a sewing pattern up or down, is to use a piece of clothing your child already owns and you know fits well and use that to compare to your pattern to make sure your adjustments are accurate.

Easy Knot Dress
SIZE 12 MONTH - SIZE 4

A Free Pattern from The Cottage Mama for Riley Blake Designs

MATERIALS:

1 - 1.5 yards of fabric (cotton, seersucker, linen, lined eyelet, denim, ect).

1/2 yard - 3/4 yard rickrack or other trim
Baby cording (if adding piping)
Double Sided Fusible Interfacing (i.e. Steam-A-Seam Lite 2)

Basic Sewing Supplies
For the Easy Knot Dress print the Summer Picnic Dress Pattern (print HERE).

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the easy knot dress you will need to print the Summer Picnic Dress Pattern (print HERE). Cut out the appropriate size and tape together the main dress piece. There are four pieces for the main dress that need to be put together. Overlap the pattern pieces at the solid lines to form the main dress pattern piece. See the final page of the printable pattern for a diagram.

If you have any trouble printing the pattern, please check your printer settings. I have printed it out many times on my own home printer, so it should print properly. Make sure your printer is set to NO scaling.

Cut all pieces according to pattern. You should have the following pieces cut using the pattern:

2 - Main Dress

2 - Yoke Pieces

2 - Facings

For the pocket, cut two squares according to these measurements:
Size 12 Month & 2T: 4" x 4"
Size 3T and up: 5" x 5"

For the straps, cut 2 rectangles according to these measurements:

Size 12 Month & 2T: 15" x 4.5"

Size 3T & 4T: 17" x 5"
*If you would prefer a shorter strap, by all means, just reduce the length measurement.

For the bottom ruffles, cut 2 ON THE FOLD* of each of the following:

Size 12 Month & 2T: 3"x 18" and 4" x 18"

Size 3T & 4T (also used for size 6, if sizing up): 4" x 22" and 5" x 22"

*The measurements for the ruffles given above are the measurement on the fold, not the long finished piece measurement. Again, cut 2 of each on the fold of the measurements given. You will end up with four pieces for the double ruffle.

ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES 1/2'', UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

For the pocket, cut your two squares. Find an item in your home with a rounded edge and use that as your template for cutting the two rounded corners. Round two of the corners on both pocket pieces.

Add the doll to the pocket. Apply double sided fusible interfacing (I like Steam-A-Seam Lite 2) to the back of a piece of the nesting doll fabric. Once you have applied one side of the interfacing, cut out the doll. Remove the paper backing, position on pocket and press to fuse the doll to the pocket. Using a satin stitch or your favorite applique stitch, sew all the way around the doll with embroidery thread.

Insert the rick rack into the pocket. This is completely optional as you can definitely skip this step if you would like. Line up the rick rack with the edge of the pocket and hold in place by using Wash Away Wonder Tape or pins. If you are using pins, baste stitch the rick rack in place before adding the other side of the pocket. But if you use the wonder tape, no basting is necessary.

Place the other pocket piece on top with the right sides together and sew all the way around the pocket, leaving a slight opening on the side of the pocket. Check the size of your trim. If you are using a larger or smaller rick rack then you might need to adjust the placement so that your 1/2" seam allowance will have the little edge of the rick rack poking through. If you are using standard rick rack, it should work just perfectly.

Clip the corners and notch out the curves of the pocket. Turn the pocket right side out by pulling the fabric through the opening.

Once your pocket is turned right side out, press it so that it lays nice and flat. Make sure to press under the little opening in the side of the pocket.

Pin the pocket to the dress. The placement is entirely up to you. Just place it where you think it would look good. Sew the pocket to the dress, leaving the top edge open. Make sure to sew some reinforcement stitching to the top corners of the pocket (kids can be really hard on pockets). Once you have sewn around the pocket, the topstitching will have closed the little opening on the side.

You will need two straps for the knot dress. For the ends of the straps, cut them so that they make a point. Fold the strap in half, with the right sides together. Sew down the long side and to one of the points. Leave the short, straight edge open. Turn the strap right side out and press. Topstitch or Edge stitch around the strap. Do this for both strap pieces.

If you would like to add piping in the seam between the yoke and the main dress, you can check out my piping tutorials. For how to make your own piping, click HERE and for how to insert piping, click HERE. I actually did not cut this piping on the bias since I knew it would be inserted in a straight seam and I already liked the diagonal of the fabric. If you were planning to make a lot of piping and wanted to use it in future projects, I would not recommend doing it the way I did......go ahead and cut it on the bias.

So for the rest of the dress construction, you can refer to the instructions for the Summer Picnic Dress. To find those instructions, click HERE. Just remember, you are only inserting straps in the back part of the dress, you need to make two small, 3/4" buttonholes on the front yoke and if you are doing the double ruffle, just layer the two ruffles together before gathering.

This is such a simple dress that your little lady will love to wear day after day. The design is pretty forgiving, so she should also be able to continue to wear it as a top once she gets taller.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and thanks so much for stopping by!

The Cottage Mama Facebook 10,000 Fans Sale

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:27:52 PDT

Just a quick post to let you know that we've reached over 10,000 Fans on The Cottage Mama Facebook page. In celebration of this milestone, I am offering a 20% off sale on all patterns (Paper and PDF) in the shop with coupon code FACEBOOK10 through Sunday 4/14. I don't do sales very often, but I am so thankful for all of the love and support you have shown me in helping me grow my business!

Next week, to continue the celebration, I will be offering a giveaway from me to you as a big thank you. If you're not a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook, please come over and join us. We have a lot of fun chatting about sewing, fabric, cooking and more!

Again, the 20% off coupon code is FACEBOOK10 and you can find the shop here.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Creative Books for Girls

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

Do your kids love books? Mine really do. They love reading stories every day and going to the library to pick out their new books. My husband typically does bedtime with the girls and I am in charge of bedtime for our little man, Caspian Finn. Usually about once or twice a week my husband has to work late at night and that means I'm on duty for the girls bedtime routine as well. And that means Mama is in charge of stories for the night.

The girls each get to pick out a story to be read before bed, so they usually get two stories per night. Since I don't do bedtime with them on a regular basis, I love to read them a special story that means something to me and to them. While I don't know if my girls will grow up and have an interest in the things I love.....sewing, cooking, crafting, decorating, ect. I do hope to share my love of these things with them, help to foster their creativity and encourage them to be independent thinkers. And I want them to know that's it's ok to be different.

Today I wanted to take a little time to share some books that I think are really great to read to the little ladies in your life. If you are reading this blog, I am going to guess that you and I have a lot in common, so these books spoke to me and my children, so I hope they speak to you and yours.

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett

A Remnant Surprise by Vanessa Roam

Crafty Chloe by Kelly DiPucchio

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn

Different Like Coco by Elizabeth Matthews

Birdie's Big-Girl Dress by Sujean Rim

I've linked all of the titles underneath each book over to Amazon.com or the authors website so you can read the book description to find out more!

So tell me, what are your favorite Creative Books for Girls?

If you have any others, I'd love for you to share them with everyone in the comments section.

Have a great day!

Giveaway Winners ~ Violette Field Threads and Crafter's Vision

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:22:14 PDT

Wow, you guys really love our new sponsor, Violette Field Threads and one of our long-time sponsors, Crafter's Vision! We had about 1250 entries into the Violette Field Threads giveaway and over 1000 entries into the Crafter's Vision Giveaway.

The Crafter's Vision giveaway was about a month ago and while I picked the winners, they never made it into a post here on the blog. So don't worry, you didn't miss anything recent, but I just want to make sure everyone gets their prizes.

And the winners are........

Violette Field Threads (10 Pattern Bundle):

Crafter's Vision ($50.00 Gift Certificates):

Congratulations ladies! Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and I will make sure you get your prizes as soon as possible.

On another note, we are very close to reaching 10,000 fans over on The Cottage Mama Facebook page and once we hit that number, I have a big giant giveaway planned. So if you aren't a fan yet, please come on over and join us on Facebook! Click HERE to visit The Cottage Mama on Facebook.

Patchwork Pillow Pattern and Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 03:30:01 PDT

My mom's birthday was last month. She and Savannah actually share the same birthday, March 5th.....it's pretty special. Mom always comes to visit for the kids birthday and I wanted to make her something special for her birthday this year. She has really been into quilting lately and we share the same love of patterned fabric. I came up with this pretty patchwork pillow for her to put on the couch in her sewing studio. The 'M' is for Mom or her last name, 'Michel'.

The pattern I created for this pillow makes a fairly large pillow (20" x 20"), but you could certainly make it smaller by not adding the sashing around the edges or using smaller squares of fabric. Also, I used machine embroidery on a solid color fabric for the center panel, but if you don't have machine embroidery just use another patterned fabric or consider doing some hand embroidery.

Patchwork Pillow Pattern and Tutorial

by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

Supplies:

40 (2.5") squares of fabric in coordinating prints

1/2 yard fabric for sashing

Fat quarter or fabric scrap for center panel

3/4 yards fabric for pillow backing, cut 20" x 20"

1 20" x 20" pillow form or fiberfill for stuffing

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut the pieces according to the graphic pictured above. If you are planning on using embroidery on your center panel, do that prior to cutting out your square so you have plenty of extra fabric to place in your hoop.

Center Panel (Cut 1): 6.5" x 6.5"
Small squares (Cut 40): 2.5" x 2.5"
Top and Bottom Sashing (Cut 2): 14" x 3.25"
Side Sashing (Cut 2): 3.25" x 20"
Pillow Back (Cut 1): 20" x 20"

Step 2: Sew the pieces together. Look at the pattern graphic pictured above. I tried to color coordinate each step of sewing the pillow together. You will sew from the inside outward. The actual patchwork will not all be in the same color, but the colors above are for visual reference. Make sure you press as you go.

**All Seam Allowances 1/4", unless otherwise noted**

-Sew the pink squares together, then attach them to the center panel.
-Sew the blue squares together, then attach them to the center panel.
-Sew the yellow squares together, then attach them to the center panel (which will already have the pink and blue squares attached).
-Sew the green squares together and attach them to the center panel.
-Attach the bottom and the top row of sashing to the center panel.
-Attach the two side sashing pieces to the center panel to finish piecing the pillow top.

The picture above is what your pillow front will look like once you have pieced the entire thing together.

Step 3: Topstitch the pillow front. Feel free to get creative with this part of your pillow. I simply ran a line of stitching on either side of each seam on the patchwork section using a 1/4" seam allowance. And did one row of topstitching on the sashing around the border of the patches also using a 1/4" seam allowance. You could definitely add batting to the back of the pillow top to give it a more quilted look; however, I did not use batting for this particular pillow.

Also, since this stitching was purely decorative, I used aqua embroidery thread that coordinated with the machine embroidery. Just remember, you don't want to use embroidery thread in your seams, but it's great for decorative stitching because of the lovely sheen!

Step 4: Attach the pillow front to the pillow back using a 1/2" seam allowance. Place the pillow front and the pillow back with their right sides together and sew around three of the four sides. Clip the corners to remove the bulk, turn right side out and press. Make sure to press out the corners with a point turner or a chopstick.

Press the edge that you left open under by 1/2" towards the wrong side of the fabric (this will make hand sewing the pillow close much easier in the following step).

Step 5: Insert the pillow form and close the pillow. My favorite closing stitch is a blind stitch because you don't see any of the stitching, but you can use any stitch you like.

If you've never done a blind stitch before, you should give it a try! My Grandma Peggy taught me how to sew one quite some time ago and I love it. My blogging friend Amy from Positively Splendid has a great tutorial found here for exactly how to sew a blind stitch. Also, if you would prefer an envelope style back (so you can wash the pillow cover), you can check out my friend, Delia's blog, for a 20" Easy Envelope Pillow Tutorial.

Now look......your pillow is complete!

A few other notes:

The 'M' design was a built in embroidery design on my Baby Lock Unity Sewing and Embroidery Machine. The colors for embroidery were all Gutermann Embroidery Thread with the colors being 7165 (aqua), 8595 (green), and 5136 (light pink). I just started getting into machine embroidery so I don't have a huge thread preference yet, but I think these turned out very nicely. I also used a tear-away stabilizer on the back of the fabric prior to embroidering.

The fabric I used was a 2.5" square mini-charm pack of "Marmalade" by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics. The sashing and backing were both cut from yardage of the same line of fabric. Several blog sponsors here at The Cottage Home carry this line of fabric and you can find the fabric store sponsors in the right side bar of the blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Easter 2013

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

I know it's a little late, but I wanted to share some Easter pictures with you all and fill you in on what we've been up to the last couple weeks.

The girls in their Easter dresses.

For Spring break / Easter we went to visit my mom (aka Grandma Jane) and Pepo down in Texas. It was just the breath of fresh air that I needed getting away from the cold, dreary Chicago winter. It gave me a glimpse of what's to come in the next few months weather-wise here at home. Oh, how I love warm weather and sunshine! I don't think most of the folks down there thought it was warm, but for us, 70 degrees was just perfect.

Savannah loved the Easter bunny this year.

I flew down with the three kids by myself (yes, I know, I'm crazy) and then my husband met us down there about four days later. The kids did such a great job on the airplane. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous (I mean very nervous) about how this would go all by myself. It's one thing to travel with three kids, but three kids age five and under is an entirely different beast.

I got some really great advice from a lot of you over on The Cottage Mama fan page, so I really appreciate all your great tips and tricks. I made sure I had all of our electronic devices (LeapPad, iPad, iPhone), some treats the kids don't normally have at home and some board books for the little man. Caspian sat on my lap the whole flight and never tried to get down (thank goodness). I just tried to stay one step ahead of him and what he might need. I knew what trick (or treat) I would be pulling out each time he got a little antsy. And the biggest relief was that no one needed to go potty or needed a diaper change on the plane. Woooohooo!

Caspian and Pepo (aka Grandpa)

Caspian's first real egg hunt.

We tried to get a picture with all the grand-kids, but this is as good as we got.

We had such a lovely trip. We took the kids to the children's museum, the Houston zoo, Chuck E. Cheese (they had never been before), played outside in the yard, played with bubbles and gardening tools. My mom's husband, Pepo, is a top-notch golfer. They had little toy golf sets for the kids and he taught them a thing or too when it came to golf.

Most pictures of Caspian look like this these days......he's always on the move.

The Easter bunny came to visit us in Houston. We attended my mom and Pepo's church and had a fantastic brunch and Easter egg hunt at their Country Club. It had an incredible spread of food and I love to eat, so I was in total heaven. There was every kind of salad you could think of, tons of boiled shrimp, smoked salmon, an omelet station, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and gravy, fruit, pastries, fancy cheeses, all kinds of fruit, pork loin, crab stuffed fish, roasted lamb, sliced beef, broccoli gratin, wild rice, roasted potatoes, cheese grits, roasted vegetables. Oh and the desserts.......red velvet cupcakes, pecan pie, tres-leche cake, coconut cake, chocolate cake and so on. Did I make you hungry? Can you tell I like food? I'm hungry just thinking about it all!

Savannah's Easter Dress

(Pattern: Children's Corner 'Mallory')

Caspian and Daddy

We really just had such a great time. I felt so happy in Texas. Every time I leave my mom, my heart hurts. Do you know what that feels like? It is my dream to live close to her someday. It just seems like life is so short that it saddens me that we don't get to spend more time together. I don't know if it will ever happen as life has us drawn us in different directions. But maybe it's true, absence makes the heart grow fonder? I'm sure that's true. But I'm sure my heart would be just as fond, if she were right down the street. Who knows? Maybe it will work out someday, but for now I cherish every visit I get to have with her. She is truly the best mom and friend that I could ever imagine.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and got the chance to spend some time with loved ones that are near and dear to your heart!

National Serger Month: Ruffle Dishtowel Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:16:31 PDT

Did you know that April is National Serger Month? My wonderful machine sponsor, Baby Lock Sewing and Embroidery Machines, has decided that the serger needs to be celebrated with a month dedicated to all things serger and I am in total agreement! There are very few things that I sew where I don't use a serger, even though I try to do projects on the blog where you don't need a serger. A serger is one of those tools that you might think you don't need, but then once you get it, you will be saying, 'Where have you been my whole life?'.

I am lucky enough to sew on the gorgeous Baby Lock Evolution serger and was asked by the folks at Baby Lock to share an easy project using one of my favorite features on a serger, differential feed. I chose to create an easy Ruffle Dishtowel. Throughout the month of April you can check out the National Serger Month website to check out a bunch of free projects made with sergers, learn more details about what they can do and enter to win your very own serger. And let me tell you.......Baby Lock sergers are the BEST!

Differential feed is a really fun component of your serger that you may not have thought about much…….until now. Your serger is set up with two sets of feed dogs; the differential feed dogs are in the front and the other set of feed dogs are in the back. When you are doing a regular 3 or 4 thread overlock stitch, your differential feed is set in a somewhat neutral position (N), meaning the feed dogs at the front are moving at the same pace / speed as the feed dogs in the back.

When you adjust your differential feed up and down, it will change the speed in which the differential feed dogs push the fabric through the machine. Increase the differential feed and your machine will push your fabric through at a quicker rate, causing it to ruffle!

Generally for a nice ruffle, I set my differential feed up to 2.0 (it is normally set a N). However, if you don’t want to gather your fabric as much, then you could set it at 1.8 or 1.5. Different weights of fabric will gather differently, so it is always important to give your adjustments a test run before actually sewing on your project.

The Ruffle Dishtowel is an easy, everyday project to add that special touch to that regular kitchen dishtowel you have hanging around. These also make great gifts!

Ruffle Dishtowel

By Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

for Baby Lock Sewing & Embroidery Machines

Supplies:

1 standard dishtowel

1 strip of fabric 2.5” wide x width of the dish towel + 1”

1 strip of fabric 4” wide x 2.5 times the width of the dish towel

1 piece rick rack trim as wide as the dish towel

Coordinating thread

Embroidery thread (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: If you would like to embroider a design on your dishtowel, now is the time to do so. Follow the instructions for your sewing machine in regards to the design you have selected. The bird design (seen here) is a built in machine design on the Baby Lock Unity. You definitely do not need to do an embroidery design, so it’s up to you if you would like to add that detail or not.

Step 2: Prepare the strips of fabric. Cut the fabric that is not being ruffled at 2.5” wide x the width of your dishtowel + 1”. Cut the fabric that is going to be ruffled 4” wide x (2 – 2.5 times) the width of your dishtowel.

Step 3: Prepare your serger for a rolled edge according to your machines instructions. On the Baby Lock Evolution, you should remove the left needle, set the stitch selector to D, the stitch width at 4 and the differential feed in the N position. I like to use Bulky Nylon on the upper looper for a fuller rolled edge. You do not need to do this but it adds a nice edge. Leave all other threads the same.

Step 4: Run the fabric that you plan to use for your ruffle through the serger to make a rolled edge on one side.

Step 5: Prepare your serger for gathering. This is where our differential feed will come into play. Every serger is different, but on the Baby Lock Evolution, you want to re-insert your left needle because both needles are used for gathering. Set your stitch selector to A, your stitch length to 4.0, your width at M – 7.5 and the differential feed at 2.0.

For this project I decided to use my gathering foot on the serger, but the settings are just the same if you aren’t using the gathering foot. To use the gathering foot, place the fabric to be ruffled with the right side up underneath the foot, place the fabric that is not being ruffled on top with the right side down. Slide the fabric through the middle of the foot. I like to use the hand-wheel a couple of times to make sure I’ve caught both fabrics with the needles, before I start sewing.

Begin serging. Your fabric on the bottom will gather and attach to the fabric on top. For tighter gathers, add a little tension to the top fabric by pulling ever so slightly. If you’ve only cut your fabric to be ruffled 2 times longer than the fabric not being ruffled, you probably don’t want to add any tension to the upper fabric. If you would prefer to have more ruffles, cut the ruffle fabric 2.5 times longer and you should be able to achieve a tighter gather. Always test before sewing on your actual project. It’s better to have too much fabric when gathering, than not enough…..you can always square it up if there is too much.

If you are not using the gathering foot, just run the fabric to be gathered through the serger and it will gather it for you based on the settings I gave you above. Then you will have one more additional step and need to attach the ruffle to the non-ruffle fabric using a ½” seam allowance. Place the two fabrics with the right sides together, lining up the raw edges and sew together on one long side.

Step 6: Add the rick rack trim. Using a medium size rick rack trim, line up the edge of the rick rack with the raw edge of the non-gathered fabric. Sew rick rack to fabric using a ½” seam allowance. Fold the rick towards the wrong side of the fabric and press.

Step 7: Serge or zig-zag stitch both raw sides of the rick rack, ruffle piece. Fold the raw edges towards the wrong side of the fabric making sure that they are the same width as the dishtowel. Sew both sides.

Step 8: Attach the ruffle piece to the dishtowel. Line up the ruffle piece so that it is straight and hangs below the edge of the dishtowel. This is going to be different for everyone depending on the size dishtowel you have selected. You just want it to look nice and straight.

Step 9: Sew all the way around the non-gathered fabric using a ¼” seam allowance.

Once you have sewn your ruffle piece to the dishtowel, just trim up any stray threads and your dishtowel is ready to go!

If you get a chance, definitely go check out the Baby Lock National Serger Month website, it is really a great resource for anything and everything about sergers. Plus while you are there, you can download a really nice printer-friendly version of this tutorial!

The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns Now Availlable in PDF / Digital Form!

noreply@blogger.com (The Cottage Mama) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:18:16 PDT

Just wanted to pop in and let you know that, by popular request, The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns are now all available in PDF / Digital form at www.thecottagemama.com. I know some of you who were living overseas didn't love having to pay international postage on pattern orders (I don't blame you). And some of you just love to be able to print out the pattern at home and have it right away.

What is a PDF sewing pattern? A PDF pattern is a digital file that you download and you can print out the pattern sheets and instructions on your home computer. It prints out on 8.5'' x 11'' paper and you tape the pieces of paper together to make the full sized pattern sheets. I will warn you; however, that one of the reasons I avoided PDF patterns in the first place is because some of my pieces are very large. A size 10 A-line is a large pattern piece, but if you don't mind putting them together, then it shouldn't be a problem. The nice thing about PDF's is you can put them together, cut out the size you need and if you want to make it again in another size, just print it out and cut out another size......no tracing necessary.

Charlotte Apron Dress

(SIZE 6 MONTH - 8 YEARS)

Run Around Romper

(SIZE 6 MONTH - 6 YEARS)

Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress

(SIZE 6 MONTH - 6 YEARS)

Janey Jumper

(SIZE 6 MONTH - 10 YEARS)

Ruby Ruffle Dress

(SIZE 6 MONTH - 10 YEARS)

I am a paper pattern girl at heart, so I will definitely still have the paper versions available for those of you that prefer patterns in that form. But if you love the instant gratification of PDF patterns, those will be available too! You can find all of the pattern available by clicking here.

Also, the blog and website will be undergoing a redesign this summer, so once that happens you will be able to instantly download the patterns directly from the website. It's going to be really nice.....I can't wait!

Finally, I will have a new pattern release coming up in about two months, so stay tuned for some new children's clothing designs. I had to take a break designing patterns this last year while I was writing my book. But the book is turned into the publisher and now I'm back designing individual patterns again!

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National Serger Month: Ruffle Dishtowel Tutorial

The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns Now Availlable in PDF / Digital Form!