I’m really excited about today’s giveaway! Why? Because our lovely blog sponsor, Crafter’s Vision is giving away an amazing bundle of Batik’s that I think is going to make one of you quilters very happy. [Read more…]
18
Mar
Embroidered Aromatherapy Heat Bag Tutorial
I love being home…….I’d definitely say that I’m a homebody type of person. I just love our house because it’s so warm and cozy and actually it’s not a house, it’s a home. Sometimes when you’ve had a tough day, you just need something warm and comforting to make you feel better. Today I’m participating in Susan from Living with Punks ‘Home Sewn’ series sharing an Embroidered Aromatherapy Heat Bag. This was a project I worked on for Baby Lock Sewing and Embroidery Machines a year or so ago and I’m excited to bring it back here to The Cottage Mama.
12
Mar
The Party Dress Free Pattern: Re-release!
Today I’m excited to announce the re-release of the popular FREE Party Dress Pattern here on The Cottage Mama! I have been busy working on lots of different projects (probably why the blog has been a little quiet lately), one of which is updating this free pattern.
11
Mar
Newsletter Subscriber Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway
Today I wanted to announce that we will finally be launching The Cottage Mama Newsletter tomorrow!! And in celebration of this I wanted to offer a newsletter subscriber exclusive giveaway to you all. I am offering this gorgeous Fat Quarter Bundle from Riley Blake Designs called ‘Lazy Days‘ by Lori Whitlock. This line is bright, colorful, whimsical and perfect to get us into the spring spirit. This bundle contains 21 fat quarters and is perfect for quilting, home decor projects and more!
5
Mar
Happy 6th Birthday Savannah Rose!
Dear Savannah,
Happy Birthday sweet girl! Today you turn six years old. I can’t believe how grown up you’ve become in this last year. You go to ‘big kid’ school now and are becoming very independent. This last year has gone by so quickly. It’s true what they say……the days are long, but the years are short and the years only seem to be getting shorter.
There are a few things I would like to remember about you when you turned six years old………
24
Feb
The Perfectly Imperfect Me
I want to share something with you……something very personal. I want you to know that I am not perfect. My life is not perfect, my relationships are not perfect and my struggles are not perfect. But all of these things are what make me who I am and I’m pretty darn proud of who I have become. I know I have mentioned before, but if you are new here, then you might have missed it. I suffered from post-partum depression with the birth of my first daughter, Savannah Rose. So I thought I would share a little bit about my story with you……..I feel like you deserve to know.
13
Feb
Seams Unlikely
If you sew, I’m sure you know Nancy Zieman (aka Nancy Z.). Her name is synonymous with sewing as she has been making waves in the industry for many, many years. As a small business owner, I was very excited to read her new autobiography ‘Seams Unlikely’ to find out more about Nancy’s journey on her path to success.
4
Feb
Georgia Vintage Dress for Martha Pullen School
So this week I head down to Huntsville, AL to teach at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. I wanted to share one of the pieces we are doing in my pre-day class on Wednesday. If you follow The Cottage Mama on Facebook or Instagram (@thecottagemama) then you’ve already seen some previews of this dress. But if not, here are a few more details:
For this class, the students will be sewing my Georgia Vintage Dress pattern. The students will each have a kit with this beautiful fabric. I just love those little strawberries. This is ‘Briar Rose’ by Heather Ross for Windham Fabric. They will also have some of the trims pictured here. The piping is called Whipstitch piping and I purchase mine through Farmhouse Fabrics.
I will be showing the students how to add machine embroidery to the bib front of the dress. We will be using the built in alphabet on the Baby Lock Journey sewing machines that all the students will use in class. I added this fun rick rack to the top of the collar and I really like the vintage charm it adds to the dress.
I added this woven trim that I had in my stash to the overskirt. I thought the shade of pink was just perfect to match these fabrics!
Here is the back of the dress. I just love that big sash in the back. It makes the dress looks so girly and fancy.
And here is the final dress. I don’t know if it’s ok to say this (since I made it), but I’m really in love with this dress. I just like how the whole piece came together with the trims, the fabric and the embroidery. I truly enjoyed putting this dress together and I hope the ladies in class will enjoy having me show them how to make a dress like this of the very own!
And that’s going to be it from me for this week since I’ll be busy teaching. I’ve got more pieces to share with you when I get back!
Have a great week!
29
Jan
On the Cutting Table: Fabric Fun!
So right now I am busy behind the scenes working on all sorts of things. As you know from my post on Monday, I am working my way through the many assistant applications that have arrived in my inbox and I am so grateful for the many, many of you that are interested in coming to work for me. I’m still accepting applications through Feb. 1, 2014 so if you haven’t applied yet, there is still time! I’m also in the process of drafting and photographing my next round of sewing patterns as well as preparing to teach again at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion the first week in February (if you are coming, I can’t wait to see you!). I thought I would just share some of the pretty fabrics that are being played with in my studio since we all like fabric, right?
24
Jan
Knit Dress Pattern Review
I don’t know about you, but it seems as though as my girls are getting older, they are really wanting to make sure their clothes are nice and comfy. And since Miss Savannah has started full-day Kindergarten this year and she has informed me that she ‘doesn’t need to dress fancy for school everyday.’ What? Yes, of course you do! No, I’m just kidding. As much as I love to dress her up in all my fun creations, and she still loves wearing them for special occasions, she is wanting to make sure that she fits in at school. We also live in the Midwest and I think the way people dress their children a little more casual than where I moved from in Texas (insert sad face). So alas, in order to still sew for Savannah, I am gravitating towards more knits for her lately for school clothes.
Lindsay Wilkes is the owner and designer behind The Cottage Mama. She creates timeless, vintage inspired sewing patterns for children’s clothes. She is also a fabric designer for Riley Black Designers / Penny Rose Fabrics, author of the book ‘Sew Classic Clothes for Girls’ and can be seen teaching nationwide and online in her video series ‘Lessons with Lindsay’ sponsored by Baby Lock Sewing and Embroidery machines.
