26
Apr

Sprightly Fabrics Giveaway

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:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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

23
Apr

Facebook Fan Giveaway Winner and Newsletter Info!

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!
22
Apr

Little of This and a Little of That: Flea Market, Painting, Ect.

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!
17
Apr

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

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).
15
Apr

Repurposed Picture Frame Tray Tutorial

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!
12
Apr

Easy Knot Dress Free Pattern and Tutorial

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 

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 theSummer 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!
To check out more sewing products and recommendations, click HERE!
11
Apr

The Cottage Mama Facebook 10,000 Fans Sale

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!
10
Apr

Creative Books for Girls

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.

  

Different Like Coco by Elizabeth Matthews
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!
9
Apr

Giveaway Winners ~ Violette Field Threads and Crafter’s Vision

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.

8
Apr

Patchwork Pillow Pattern and Tutorial

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!