Archives for February 2011

17
Feb

Fabric on Facebook

Sometimes I realize that I just have WAY to much fabric!  I always like to over-buy because I would much rather have too much than too little.  But sometimes, enough is enough and it’s time to clear out the shelves for new fabric shipments.  I just finished doing my second fabric destash over on facebook at near wholesale pricing for The Cottage Mama fans.  I love The Cottage Mama fans!!! 
Have you joined The Cottage Mama facebook page?  If not, you should come join us – we have lots of fun.   Click HERE to visit the facebook fan page – all you have to do is “like” the page to join in the fun!
Here are all the lovely bundles of fabric waiting to go to their new homes…………
I’d much rather see these fabric put to some good use than sitting on my shelves just waiting for me to get around to using it.  I can’t wait to see what these talented ladies create with these different fabrics.  There is a bunch of Amy Butler’s new line “Soul Blossoms”, Heather Bailey’s “Pop Garden”, Art Gallery’s “Paradise” and Riley Blake’s “All Star”.
As most of you know, the majority of my sewing is children’s clothing, so that means A LOT of scraps.  And yes, I’m starting to do a little quilting, but it would take me forever to use up all my scraps.  I did some destashing of scraps on facebook as well.  The pictures above are the 1 lb. scrap bundles that sell for $15.  Some pieces are larger quarter yards, some are smaller, but none are teeny tiny.  These are great for cutting bodices for dresses, using as pockets, quilting or for fabric hair pieces.  The scrap packs are 100% designer quilting weight cotton and include a variety of designers – Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Sandi Henderson, Art Gallery, Riley Blake…..just to name a few.
So we are done with this weeks destash, but if you are interested in further fabric buying opportunities, join us over on facebook.  You never know when I’m going to be in a purging mood!!
15
Feb

Winter Wonderland Dress Tutorial

Well, unfortunately this was my last week on Project Run and Play.  I had a great time and am so thrilled how far I ended up going amongst these amazingly talented women.  This week is the last week and I cannot wait to see the final three designers “wild card” looks.  But for now, I thought it was finally time to start sharing some tutorials on my previous looks.  You didn’t think I was going to leave you hanging, did you?
Of all five of the looks I completed, I’m going to have to say that the “Winter Wonderland Dress” was my favorite!  I love the fit, the whimsy, the warmth and coziness.  And I really loved that my daughter didn’t want to take it off!  This dress is a “one-of-a-kind” piece so I am going to give you my basic technique and how-to, but this is definitely something that you will want to make your own.
Winter Wonderland Dress Tutorial
Supplies:
1 adult cashmere sweater (felted) – I got mine for $1.00 at the thrift store
1 crocheted collar (already made or made by you)
3/4 – 1 yard of 100% cotton fabric (depends on size of your child)
3-4 yards picot edging
1 shank button covered in coordinating fabric
2 small accent buttons for sleeves
Sewing machine
Iron
Thread
Hand sewing needle
Directions:
1/2″ seam allowance, unless otherwise noted.
First, grab one of your little ones well-fitting long sleeved shirts.  You are going to use this for your pattern, but cut the bodice off below the chest.   I like to trace mine onto freezer paper for my pattern, cut it out and then use that for my pattern to cut on the fabric.  Trace the bodice and the arm pieces.  If the shoulders of the arm pieces are not gathered, make the arm piece 1-2″ wider to allow for gathering.  Also, cut arm pieces 2″-3″ longer to allow for gathering near the wrist.
Next, cut your pattern pieces out of the adult cashmere sweater that you have felted (see my felting tutorial HERE).  You do not have to use cashmere, you can use any fabric that you like.  If you are making this dress for warmer weather, try using a knit/spandex blend.  You could also use other sweaters that are made from natural animal fibers such as mohair, ect……you just want it to be soft and cozy.  Like I said above, I found mine for $1.00 at my local thrift store.
First you want to gather the sleeves at the shoulder.  Make marks towards the top of the shoulders about 3-4 inches apart.  See mine are in blue above (though they are hard to see).
Set your machine on a gathering stitch.  This is just a straight stitch set to the longest stitch length – in my case, 5.0.  Do not back-stitch at the beginning or end in order to gather.

Run your gathering stitch in between your two shoulder markings.

Pull the bobbin threads to gather the shoulders of the arm pieces.

Next, open up the arm hole area of the bodice piece to get ready to attach the sleeves.

Pin the sleeves to the bodice piece, right-sides together.  The sleeves will be pointing in towards the bodice at this point.

Stitch sleeves to bodice.

Turn bodice inside out and stitch up the arm and down the bodice on both sides to complete the top piece. 

Add collar around neck-line.   I used a vintage crocheted collar from my Grandmother and used a straight-stitch to attach it.  You could make your own peter-pan collar or use no collar at all.  If you don’t use a collar, you will want to turn the neck line under if you have any raw edges and stitch in place.  You can always cut your neck-line wider to accommodate the side collar you have……that’s what I did.

Where the collar came together in the back, I added a fabric covered button that matches the skirt fabric.  You can find fabric covered button kits in the notions section of your fabric store.

Cut the pieces for the skirt.  Cut TWO rectangle pieces on the fold, each 21″ wide (so each piece once unfolded will be 42″ wide).  The length is going to vary depending on your child.  Measure your child from below the chest to right at the knee, then add an inch.  Stitch both raw edges of the skirt pieces together – right sides together.

Cut the pieces for the ruffle.  I cut these pieces about 2 inches wide out of the cashmere sweater.  The width of your skirt piece will be about 84″ total, so you want your ruffle to be 2-2.5 times that……..168″ or 210″ (depends on how full you want the ruffle).

Once you have cut all of your sweater ruffle pieces, you will need to sew them all together to make one large circle.

Sew each raw edge together to form the large circle of fabric.

To ruffle the fabric, run a gathering stitch down the center of the fabric.  Do not back-stitch at the beginning or end or the gathering will not work.  Pull the bobbin thread to gather the ruffle to your desired length.

Pin ruffle in place and run another regular straight stitch down the center of the ruffle to attach it to the skirt.  Hem the bottom of the skirt.  Turn under 1/4″ and then another 1/4″……….then attach picot edging to the hem if you are choosing to use this trim.

Now gather the top of the skirt.  Run another gathering stitch along the top edge of the skirt.  Pull bobbin thread to gather.

Now it is time to attach the skirt to the bodice.  Turn skirt inside out, slide bodice, right side out inside skirt.

Pin skirt to bodice, adjust the gathering on the skirt as necessary to fit to bodice.

Stitch skirt to bodice, then turn right side out and press.

Put dress on your child and measure how long you need the sleeves to be.  Mark with fabric marking pen.

Run a gathering stitch towards the bottom of the sleeve and gather the sleeve until you have reached your desired length.  Go back over the gather with a regular straight stitch to lock in place.

For the final touch, I reclaimed some of the buttons from the original sweater and added them on the top of the gather on each sleeve.

And there you have it – a one-of-a-kind “Winter Wonderland Dress”.  If you decide to make one of these fun dresses or interpret it to make your own, I always LOVE to see pictures!

Again, I had such a great time working on Project Run and Play and feel so blessed to have had this wonderful opportunity.  I couldn’t have done it without all of you, so a BIG giant thanks from me to you.  Love you guys!
14
Feb

Valentine’s Mail

Even though I am all grown up now, a wife, and mother with two little girls, my mom still sends me the most special care packages for the different holidays.  She always sends us beautifully packaged boxes with thoughtful things for the whole family.  I SO look forward to these packages!  We received a Valentine’s Day box from her last week with lots of fun Valentine’s treats, decorations and gifts and I just wanted to share a couple handmade gifts with you.

For Christmas I gave Mom, Amy Butler’s new book, Style Stitches, in hopes of getting her back into sewing.  Well, I think it worked!!  Mom is now taking a quilting class and has been spending her nights and weekends at the sewing machine.  Above is a little purse that my mom made me from Amy Butler’s new book.

I love the coordinating broach that she added to the bag – it’s just the right touch and the color matches perfectly.

The inside has lots of fun little pockets for storing all sorts of things.  The lining is a striped fabric that coordinates with the outer two.

The back of the purse has this super-cute handle.  You can either carry it or slide it around your wrist.

And finally, I must toot mom’s horn a bit – look at those pleats and that stitching.  Total and complete perfection!  I was inspired to start sewing with all the memories of my mom sewing when we were growing up so I am thrilled that she has jumped back into this hobby.

In the same Valentine’s Day package she include these two matching play aprons for Savannah and Matilda.  The girls love that they have pockets for them to carry around all their treasures.

We also received another fun package from my Grandma Ethel this weekend with lots of fun things and Valentine’s treats for the girls.  Grandma Ethel works at a thrift store in her retirement community and saves me all sorts of treasures that she finds.

I love this vintage McCalls apron pattern – I definitely think I’m going to have to make myself one of this.  How stylish will I look sporting this around the house??  I think the tic-tac-toe pot holder is too cute!!

Here is about 1/3 of the vintage linens that she sent me – such great finds!

I’m really loving these two vintage baby bonnets.  Not quite sure what I’m going to do with them, but I’m sure I will find something.  Perhaps the girls will like them for their baby dolls when they get a little older.

Thanks for letting me share some of my goodies that I received from my family.  I hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with love, hugs and kisses. 
Happy Valentine’s Day!
13
Feb

Baked Breaded Zucchini

I have had a taste for fried zucchini over the last several days, so today I tried my hand a making a baked version of this popular appetizer and I must say it was mighty good!  To be honest, I could not tell the difference between this baked version and the fried version that you would purchase in a restaurant.  I breaded these zucchini chips with panko bread crumbs which I think really added to the crunchy texture.

If you have a taste for fried zucchini, give this healthier version a try.  This is great as an appetizer or a side-dish.  Your kiddos will love these too because, who doesn’t love dipping things into ranch dressing or marinara sauce? YUM!

Baked Breaded Zucchini

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 (1 lb.) bag frozen zucchini chips (or 1 fresh zucchini)
2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Olive oil cooking spray


Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
For this recipe, I opted to use frozen zucchini since fresh zucchini is not in season.  The fresh was not on sale and can be kind of expensive this time of year.  Plus, the frozen version was already cut into circles!
Thaw frozen zucchini and allow the excess water to drain out.  If you are using fresh zucchini, you can omit this and the next step, just slice your zucchini into rounds.
You really want to make sure you get all of the excess water out of your zucchini so it becomes nice a crispy in the oven.  Place the rounds on a paper towel and place a second towel on top.  Press lightly to remove excess moisture.
Now it’s time for the breading.  I love to use panko bread crumbs – I think they add a crunchy texture that can’t be beat.  I use Trader Joe’s brand, but you can pretty much find them in all your major grocery stores these days.  They are sold in the same section as regular bread crumbs.
In one bowl, mix your panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning.  In another bowl, beat your two eggs.  I decided not to add any additional salt because I find the Parmesan adds enough, but if you like things a little saltier, then you might add a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.


Next, coat your zucchini chips in the egg mixture and then dip in the panko mixture.  Coat thoroughly and add to a baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil spray or cooking spray.  If you run out of bread crumb mixture, that’s ok, just make up a little more.
I love this olive oil spray from Trader Joe’s.  If you can’t find this, then a regular cooking spray will do the trick.
Once all of your zucchini chips are breaded, spray the tops with olive oil spray.  Place in oven for 6 minutes, then flip zucchini and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve with ranch dressing (my personal favorite) or marinara sauce.  Enjoy!
Cottage Mama’s Note:  This same technique can be used to make eggplant Parmesan.
12
Feb

Week 5 Project Run and Play – Valentine’s Day Challenge

“Little Love Bug”

So this is the second to last week of Project Run and Play and I’m still in the competition!  Can you believe it?  I feel so honored and privileged to have made it this far.  Thank you guys so, so much for all your support – I couldn’t have done it without you.

For this week, we were told to come up with a Valentine’s inspired look.  The idea for this dress popped into my head several weeks ago.  I wanted to make something that could be worn for Valentine’s Day, but could also be carried through into spring/summer.  As I’m sure a lot of you know, it’s such a bummer to work really hard on an outfit and only have it worn once.  I thought the idea of “Love Bugs” (aka Lady Bugs) would shout Valentine’s Day, but would be neutral enough to wear on other days of the year.

I love a well-fitted, a-line jumper and this one fits the bill.  The jumper is fully lined with coordinating pink and red fabric.  There is baby ric-rac running in a curved shape up the front of the pink, inset panel and at each curve there is a little tiny lady bug button that is hand-sewn in place.  The pink, inset panel is trimmed with a 1″ red ruffle on each side and the bottom of the dress is finished with a matching red ruffle as well.  The dress buttons with two medium-sized, red buttons at each shoulder.

Finally, I wanted to add some accessories so I made a wide-brimmed, floppy style hat to coordinate with her dress.  The hat has a matching red ruffle, black baby ric-rac and is finished with curly, korker ribbons in red, white and baby pink.  My little lady is carrying her Valentine’s Day purse that has a variety of different trims.  To finish the entire look, I layered the jumper with a pink and red polka dot knit shirt and paired it with a pink, ruffled ballet flat.  There is no doubt that Miss Savannah is my “Little Love Bug”!

Here are a few more pictures from our Valentine’s photoshoot:

How, you might ask do I get my almost 3-year old to smile and model for me in this shots?  I’m not ashamed to admit it, the answer is two words – DUM DUMS!!
So now it’s time for you to head over to Project Run and Play and vote for your favorite look!
Click HERE to visit Project Run and Play!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
9
Feb

Sew Basics: Make Your Own Custom Piping

I think piping is one of the sweetest, most professional details you can add to children’s clothing.  It makes a some-what ordinary piece of clothing into something extraordinary.  There are many different colors and sizes of piping that you can purchase pre-made in the notions section of your local sewing store, but did you know that you can make your own?

Making your own piping is really fun, very easy, and super affordable.  I love tying a garment together with piping in a coordinated, printed fabric.  Last week in my vintage/retro “Project Run and Play” outfit, I added custom piping into the peter-pan collar and I thought I would share the how-to with you today.

Make Your Own Custom Piping
Supplies:
Bias cut fabric strips (1″-1.5″ wide)
Cotton cording
Sewing machine
Directions:
First, you will need bias-cut strips of fabric.  To cut your fabric on the bias, you will need to cut it at a 45 degree angle against the grain.  Do this exactly the same way you would if you were making bias-tape.  I cut my fabric 1.5″ wide and then cut it down after I make my piping based on the seam allowance I’m using for my design.  You could certainly cut it more narrow – say 3/4″ – 1″ if you know your seam allowance is smaller – I just like have more fabric to work with.
Also, you don’t need much fabric unless you are planning to make a lot of piping.  If you are making a large amount of piping, sew each bias strip of fabric together as you would when making bias tape.
Next you will need cotton cording.  The size of the cording is going to be up to you – it depends on how large you want your piping.  If you are inserting the piping into a children’s garment, I recommend a very small cord; however, if you are making piping for the edge of a pillow, you are going to want something much larger.  This cording can be found in the notions section or the upholstery section of your sewing store.
I’ve also heard that you can use a worsted-weight cotton yard as cording, but I have yet to give that one a try.
Lay your cotton cording in the center of your bias strip.  Fold the bias strip in half over the cording so that both raw edges are lined up together.
Next, you need to baste your fabric around the cording.  I use a straight stitch set at 3.5 for basting.  You want to run your stitching as close to the cording as possible without actually stitching into the cording.

Here is what your piping looks like after you have basted it together.  Normally I would use a coordinating thread, but I wanted you to be able to see the stitching.  After this step, I like to cut the raw edge of the bias cut fabric down to the seam allowance that I am using in my design (whether it be 5/8″, 1/2″, or 1/4″).

If you are making lots of piping to save for future projects, I would recommend going with a wider cut bias strip and then cutting down the raw edge based on the seam allowance for each individual project.

Once you have your beautiful custom piping, you can follow my “Piping Tutorial” to insert it into a garment.
Click HERE to learn how to insert piping.
5
Feb

Week 4 Project Run and Play – Vintage/Retro Challenge

“1940’s Fun in the Sun Playsuit“

I made it to Week 4 of Project Run and Play! This was the week I’ve been waiting for – The Vintage/Retro Challenge!  Now here is a challenge that is right up my alley.  The hard part about this challenge was deciding what to make – I had so many options!!  But since I’ve decided to use this competition to challenge myself, I decided to try a brand new design with some sewing elements that were a little new to me.

This outfit has three components – a smock dress, a knicker bloomer, and a sleek bonnet.  I decided to use a vintage silhouette with a modern fabric choice.  Do you think I’m trying to will spring/summer to get here to Chicago?  You betcha! You can’t see the bloomers too much in the pictures, but they are super-cute poking out under the dress!

The bonnet is sleek in-style and has the fit of a structured hat.  Since Savannah is almost three, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too baby-ish for her so I resisted the urge to add ruffles.  Instead I added a tiny line of ric-rac around the entire front.  The fabric tie is threaded through the bonnet through two buttonholes on each side (4 button holes total).  The bonnet ties under the chin and is the perfect addition to this vintage inspired outfit.

For the pocket detail in the front, I added a red plaid gingham ribbon as well as a small, yellow piece of ric-rac.  The pocket has a contrasting blue and yellow fabric for the top accent.

I think little puff sleeves are definitely a styling choice for the 1940’s – 1950’s and I’ve always found these to be so sweet on little girls.  The dress closes in the front with four fabric covered buttons (again, another vintage-inspired choice).

I made my own corded piping and inserted that into the peter-pan collar.  You all know how much I LOVE piping so there was no question that it had to be part of this design.  I’ve got a tutorial coming soon about how to make your own corded piping!

So if you have a minute, head over to Project Run and Play and vote for your favorite look!
Click HERE to visit Project Run and Play!
3
Feb

Oilcloth Giveaway WINNER!

And the winner of the 1 yard (two half yard cuts) of oilcloth is…………
Congratulations Brittany!  Email me (thecottagemama(at)gmail(dot)com) with your address and I will get your oilcloth in the mail ASAP.  Thanks for entering everyone!!
1
Feb

Free Valentine’s Day Printables

I’ve had Valentine’s Day on the mind today.  I’m not quite sure why (my husband and I don’t do much for the holiday), but whatever the reason,  I decided to create some printable graphics/designs for you all to use for Valentine’s crafts, cards or whatever else you can think of to use these fun graphics for in your life. 

I hope you like them.  The first one is one of my favorites.  My husband and I just watched the movie “Julie and Julia” and I cannot get this quote out of my head.

The next two would be great to attach to a gift or for school treats.

The following five graphics are all similar, but I’ve changed the “us +” number in each one so it is customized to the number of kids you have in your family.

So just right-click and save any of these fun graphics to your computer.  I would love to see how some of you end up using these.  You all are so talented, so I know you will do some creative things!