August 2013 - Page 2 of 2 - The Cottage Mama

Oliver + S Summer Picnic Blouse and Shorts: Modern Yardage Fabric Giveaway

So now that I have finished my last four patterns, I am in back-to-school sewing mode for my girls. We start back in the middle of next week, can you believe it? I wanted to share this little outfit that I made for Matilda who will be in her second year of preschool this year. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom of the post because I have an incredible fabric giveaway for your as well!

I have so many patterns in my stash that I have been just dying to try. I have had this Oliver + S Summer Picnic Shorts and Blouse pattern in my collection for about three years now. And seeing as though the version of this pattern that I have only goes up to size 4T, I figured I better get this sewn (since Matilda is currently wearing size 4).

Matilda’s favorite color is blue. So when April (owner) from Modern Yardage asked me if I would like to sew some projects with their fabrics, I knew that ‘Poppy Hop’ by Cindy Lindgren for Modern Yardage in the Turquoise color-way would be perfect for this little outfit.

You might not have heard of Modern Yardage before, but they are a fantastic fabric manufacturer and to be honest, they are new to me as well. But I would like to tell you some things about them that set them apart from some other manufacturers in the quilting cotton fabric market.

All fabric designs available from Modern Yardage are available in three different scales. Seriously, this blew my mind. To me, one of the MOST important parts of designing a children’s outfit with patterned fabric is scale. Many times I’ll have pieces I want to put together, but if the scale isn’t right for the piece then I just can’t put those designs together. So you can choose just the right scale for each part of your garment.

All designs are printed on 100% pre-shrunk cotton (yes, I said PRE-SHRUNK) and for garment sewists, this is an amazing feature. No pre-washing….yay! The fabric is slightly heavier than traditional quilting cotton and has a wonderful feel (or hand). The fabrics are printed with environmentally-friendly, water-based textile pigments and they do not use any harsh acids or chemicals. Again, perfect for garments.

Finally, the fabrics are printed on demand. So when I got the three prints I selected for this garment, they were all printed out on one continuous piece of fabric. The fabric design is 44″ wide, but is printed on 58″ wide fabric, meaning the extra 14″ has maybe a new craft project idea, a message from a designer, a coupon for your next sale……..you never know…….it’s always a surprise.

Here is little miss thing wearing her new blue outfit. I really should show you all the faces she gave me during this photo shoot……..she was working it.

I didn’t alter the pattern at all, which is kind of strange for me. But it’s such a great design, I didn’t want to detract from the look with too many embellishments. And the fabric was pretty busy as well. The only thing I added was some white piping in the seam on the blouse in the front and the back and then the two little white buttons.

I always add a ‘The Cottage Mama’ label to everything I make for the kids. If you are looking for garment labels, you can read more about mine here.

I thought the fit was absolutely perfect. Matilda is spot on in a size 4 commercial clothing and I don’t think these pieces could have fit any better. The only thing I would do differently is that I don’t think I will finish the back elastic waistband the same as the pattern calls for next time. I wasn’t a big fan of being able to see some of the elastic on the inside of the shorts, but it was a great technique if you wanted to use adjustable waist elastic.

Oliver + S instructions are so easy to understand and follow. They come with black and white illustrations that are very clear. I’d say this pattern would be great for an intermediate or confident beginner.

And here is one more shot of Miss Matilda. Just so you know…….80% of my pictures of her end up with her in this position. Apparently she thinks this is her best pose. Silly girl.

So how about some fabric?

Would you like to win 5 YARDS of fabric of your choice from Modern Yardage?

If so, please enter in the rafflecopter below. Giveaway open until Sunday, August 11 at midnight (CST).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teaching………A Deeper Meaning

So I just got back from being away for nine days teaching at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion in Huntsville, AL. I had such a wonderful time, but rather than give you a recap of the whole event like I did when I taught in February, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk to you a little bit about what’s been on my mind the last few days.

(If you would like to see more pictures from the school, please check out my February post…….since I taught the same curriculum. You can find it HERE).

Being away from my family is an internal struggle for me. My number one priority in life right now is raising my three little ones (5, 4 and almost 2 years old), being a good wife and keeping a nice home. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be where I am right now with writing this blog and having a full-on incorporated business selling sewing patterns, writing books, filming sewing DVD’s, being hired to teach sewing around the country. But here I am.

I am constantly plagued with guilt. It’s just my nature. I feel guilty if I don’t play enough with my kids, I feel guilty if my house is not spic and span when my husband comes home from work, I feel guilty that I don’t have enough time to create all the projects that I have in my head and I feel guilty being away from home…..the list goes on. These are all self-imposed expectations that I have put upon myself, but they are there in my head constantly nagging at me. And I continue to hear my mom in the back of my mind saying, ‘Just remember……..you can’t be all things to all people all of the time.’ (Whew, thank goodness for Mom, right?). But it’s still hard and I struggle.

When I had my children, the plan was for me to stay at home and raise them and for my husband to work outside the home. I am a girl who loves a plan and loves domestic life, so that sounded great to me. So when I discovered this gift of sewing after Savannah Rose was born (and I truly do believe it was a gift from God), I had no idea where it would take me. And sometimes life does not always go according to plan.

I don’t believe we should take the gifts we are given lightly. They are given to us from God for a reason. And we have two choices; to embrace them and see where they take us or put them aside. I have chosen to embrace the gift of creativity and have built a business that helps my family in a tremendous way financially, helps my children to see what you can achieve with hard work and has lead me to meet people I would have otherwise never encountered.

Which brings me to the point of why I’m writing today. This week at the Martha Pullen School I taught my regular three pre-day classes and then my four day school. The morning of the four day school an older woman came into my class, very quietly, sat down and said, ‘I may be in over my head with all of this, but I’m here’. Her name was Adaire and she seemed like she was going to be a quieter student in class. I had a smaller group of students this time during the four day school and it was the perfect environment to get to know one another. I certainly lucked out with an incredible group of women.

In getting to know Adaire, it turned out that her husband of 52 years had passed away 2-3 months prior to her coming to Martha Pullen. She began to open up to the students in class and her fun-loving, out-going personality began to show and she truly was the joy and light in our classroom. She was sewing beautifully and the darling clothes she was creating for her granddaughter, Grace, were like little works of art. The morning of our last day together, she said to the whole class that ‘After this whole experience, I finally feel like I can move on with my life and things are going to be ok, like it is the beginning of new chapter for me.’ She said her children had wanted her to go to a grievance retreat and instead she decided to come (by herself) to Martha Pullen. She said, ‘It was so nice to be able to walk around here, meet others and not have everyone say……..how are you doing? are you ok?’. She said, ‘I finally felt normal’. We all shed a few tears because you could truly see that this point in time was her new beginning.

So why am I telling you this story. I am telling you this because I believe Adaire and I were meant to be brought together at Martha Pullen. I have a different, slightly more relaxed teaching style than some of the other instructors (which isn’t a better or worse thing) and I think she was meant to take this specific school, with this amazing group of women. It’s what she needed. Had she been in another, larger, more strict class, she may not have had the support and love that she found within our group. And seeing as though I was struggling with the guilt of being away from my little ones and needed clarity as to my purpose and path, I needed to meet Adaire as she needed to meet me. It wasn’t my plan, it wasn’t Adaire’s plan, it was God’s plan.

It is a great thrill to me to have people see the pieces I create and give compliments, but it is in the connection with other sewists, the connection I have with my students, inspiring others and teaching that gives my gift greater and deeper meaning.

And though I missed my children and husband deeply during the week I spent away, I know in my heart that it was where I needed to be. I know I am on the right path and I will continue to think of a Adaire whenever guilt rears its ugly head.