Lindsay Wilkes

Mar

Happy 13th Birthday, Savannah!

Dear Savannah,

Happy 13th birthday! How in the world do I have a teenager now? No, it can’t be true! I started this blog before your 2nd birthday and now here we are….poof…..you are a teenager. The days are long and the years are short. That’s what everyone has been telling me and now I can whole-heartedly believe them. These years are flying by and I could not be more proud of the young lady you becoming throughout these years. Here are some things I would like to remember about you when you turned 13 years old and some things that you might like to know about your 13 year old self. [Read more…]

Feb

Lessons with Lindsay: Reusable Snack Bag Pattern

It’s that time again…….another Lesson with Lindsay. This week I’m sharing a very easy, beginner friendly tutorial for my Reusable Snack Bag Pattern. I posted a photographed tutorial of this project many years ago and it’s been a very popular free pattern here on The Cottage Mama. So I decided to make a video tutorial for all of you visual learners out there.

It was funny, as I was watching the edited version of this video (which, oh my goodness…..it’s always so weird to hear yourself talk), Josephine came up carrying one of the snack bags that I made before she was even born. She loves these little bags. Lately she likes to have her goldfish crackers in one. But when she walked up and saw me on the video, she said ‘Hey! That’s my bag!”. So anyway, my point in telling you this, is that A) These little bags will hold up for YEARS and B) Your kids are going to love them.

[Read more…]

Feb

Mary Jane Baby Shoes Pattern

It’s National Sewing Month and today I’m partnering up with Joann Fabric and Craft Stores for their #sewyourstyle blogger campaign and contest sponsored by Joann’s and Pellon. Today I have a free Mary Jane Baby Shoes Pattern to share with all of you as part of this series. We are due to have our fourth child, a sweet baby girl, in about 4 weeks from now so I’ve been busy nesting and sewing a few things for the new little miss. I came up with these Mary Jane Baby Shoes and have the pattern available for you for free here in size 6 – 12 month (this is a simple, hand-drawn pattern).

[Read more…]

Jan

Easy Magnetic Pin Holder Tutorial

I have been meaning to write a blog post for over a year about this Easy Magnetic Pin Holder, but as life would have it, I just never got around to it. But today is the day! My mom sent me this darling magnetic pin holder that she made last year and I use it so much in my studio. My mom and I have a thing for little dishes. We love to have little cute bowls and dipping dishes around for snacks, etc. We believe you can never have too many cute little dishes!

I like having multiple pin holders going at one time, so I can have straight pins within arms reach at all times. These Easy Magnetic Pin Holders are super-simple to make and would make great gifts for all the sewing friends in your life.

[Read more…]

Jan

Lessons with Lindsay: Summer Picnic Dress

Today I have a new Lessons with Lindsay video tutorial for you! This video is a step-by-step tutorial for my free Summer Picnic Dress Pattern. If you’ve never sewn my Picnic Dress before, I really think you are going to enjoy this video. I take you through every step of garment construction and share some of my tips and tricks with you along the way. Even if you are a seasoned sewer, I think we can all learn a few things from seeing the way someone else might put together a garment. So sit back, relax and enjoy today’s video……..

[Read more…]

Dec

Embroidered Towel Tutorial

Both my girls finished school a couple weeks ago. Savannah finished Kindergarten and Matilda finished her last year of preschool. It’s hard to believe I will have a 1st grader and a kindergartner next year! I wanted to create a gift for the girls’ teachers that I thought they might really use. I figure everyone can use a good beach towel, so I decided to take it a step further and embroiderer each of their teachers last names on the towel. I didn’t want to use their first names since then the other members of their families might not be able, or want, to use the towel. I’m excited to share with you exactly how I created these towels with this Embroidered Towel Tutorial. You might have had a little sneak peek, if you follow me on Instagram (@thecottagemama) with a video I shared of my machine embroidery. If you’ve ever been weary of embroidering on thick, bulky towels…….fear not……..it’s really very easy with a few basic supplies and a little know how. Let’s get started……..

[Read more…]

Nov

DIY Christmas Pillowcases

As I’ve mentioned before, this year we are having quite a few visitors during the holiday season. I decided to whip up a bunch of Christmas pillowcases for all of our house guests using my ‘15-Minute Pillowcase Tutorial‘. I thought it would be a festive and fun gesture to have new pillowcases for our house guests to use to rest their tired heads. [Read more…]

Oct

Children at Play Scalloped Pillow

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to film two episodes of Fons and Porter ‘Love of Quilting‘ PBS show and magazine. I already shared my Cottage Quilt Block with you that I made on one of the episodes. Today I’m sharing the project that I did on the other episode…….. Children at Play Scalloped Pillow.

[Read more…]

Oct

Halloween Trick or Treat Bag Pattern

Do your kids have special Halloween Trick or Treat Bags? I have been wanting to make my kids their own personalized Halloween Trick or Treat Bags for several years now. I have admired some of the cute ones I’ve seen in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and thought about ordering them several times. But my conscious always held me back since I knew I could make them very easily if I just took the time to create a pattern. So this is the year……..we are due with our 4th child in about two weeks and she will be the final little one to complete our family, so this was the perfect opportunity to creating coordinating bags for all four kids. And that’s why I created the Halloween Trick or Treat Bag Pattern.

[Read more…]

Oct

Happy Birthday, Josephine!

Dear JoJo,

Happy Birthday! Today you are six years old. Wow, time sure does fly when you are having fun! I can’t believe my youngest baby is six. Here are some things I would like to remember about you when you turned six years old and somethings you might like to know about your six year old self…….

[Read more…]