Lindsay Wilkes

Oct

Fat Quarter Tote Bag Tutorial

This is an easy afternoon project called the ‘Fat Quarter Tote Bag’. I fell in love with the fabric line, ‘Seaside‘, by Riley Blake Designs the first time I saw it at quilt market back almost 9 months ago in Houston, TX. The colors, the prints, the nautical feel……awwww, swoon. I knew I had to use this line the minute it came out!

The Fat Quarter Tote is a fully lined medium-sized tote bag made from six fat quarters (with a little bit of interfacing). Once you know how this sweet little bag goes together, you will be able to whip up several of them in no time. Let’s get started…….

Fat Quarter Tote Tutorial

by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

Materials:

2 Fat Quarters – Exterior Fabric

2 Fat Quarters – Lining Fabric

1 Fat Quarter – Top Band Fabric

1 Fat Quarter – Straps and Fabric Yo-Yo

1 Fat Quarter – Fusible Interfacing

1 button (optional)

Cutting Instructions:

Cut 2 on Fold: 15.5″ x 9″ – Exterior Fabric

Cut 2 on Fold: 15.5″ x 9″ – Lining Fabric

Cut 2 on Fold: 9″ x 6.5″ – Top Band Fabric

Cut 4 on Fold: 2.5″ x 10″ – Strap Fabric

Cut 4: 2.5″ x 20″ – Interfacing

Instructions:

1/2″ SEAM ALLOWANCE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Cut all pieces according to cutting instructions above.

Apply fusible interfacing to the back side of all four strap pieces according to package instructions. I know interfacing can be a little confusing, but the interfacing used in the project is nothing fancy. It is fusible on one side (not both) and will add a little strength to the straps. If you prefer to add a little more body to the tote bag, you could apply interfacing to the back sides of all the pieces.

Place two of the strap pieces with their right sides together and sew down both long sides.

Turn the strap right side out and press.

Topstitch down each long side of the strap in coordinating thread. Do the same thing with the other two strap pieces.

For the main body of the bag, cut 1.5″ squares out of two of the corners of the main bag pieces (pictured above). Do this on all four pieces (exterior and lining) If you would like a shorter bag but with more width then go ahead and cut a 2″ – 2.5″ square out of each side. Place the exterior bag pieces with their right sides together and sew down both long sides and the bottom (in between the two squares) leaving the top open and the squares open. Do the same thing with the lining fabric.

Press all seams open for the lining and the exterior main bag pieces.

Pinch the bottom squares of the bag and line up the two straight edges of the squares. Pin in place and stitch across the straight side. Do this for all four corners (two exterior and two lining).

Cut off some of the extra seam allowance to remove bulk and make sure the corners turn out nicely. Turn the exterior fabric right side out, but leave the interior fabric wrong side out.

Place the top band fabric pieces with the right sides together and sew down both short sides. Fold the top band in half (long-ways) and press.

Measure in 4.5″ from each side of the bag for strap placement.

Pin the straps in place and baste stitch them to the bag.

In the next series of steps we will be layering several pieces together. Slide the top band piece over the top of the exterior of the bag, lining up the raw edges.

We left the lining part of the bag with the wrong side out. Slide the lining piece over the exterior, band and straps. You are making a sandwich with the two different bag pieces, the straps and the top band.

Sew around the top, leaving a 3″- 4″ opening for turning right side out.

Turn the bag right side out by pulling the exterior fabric of the bag through the opening.

Topstitch around the top of the bag. Make sure to iron under the opening we used for turning earlier so that your topstitching will catch and close the opening during this step.

Pin the straps in place and sew them to the top band of the fabric. Do this by sewing a square around each one with an ‘X’ in the middle.

Hand sew an embellishment at the top of the bag. I made a fabric yo-yo with a button in the center. There are many tutorials online for fabric yo-yo’s, so I’ll skip that here. But you can use any trims or embellishments you would like to make your bag special.

And that’s it……you’re finished!

Here is what the bottom of the tote will look like. Like I said above, if you would prefer a wider base, just cut the squares out of the main bag pieces larger.

This is what the inside of your tote will look like once you are finished. Fully lined with no exposed edges….nice and pretty!

If you have your own sewing labels, then add one to the back of the tote.

Fat Quarter Tote Tutorial - The Cottage Mama

Happy Sewing!

Oct

Vegetable Rice Soup ~ Recipe

There is no doubt about it……..fall has arrived in the midwest. The leaves have changed colors and coats are definitely a must for outdoor play. For lunch the other day, the girls and I wanted something nice and warm and decided to whip up a quick and easy soup with some leftover rice.

Don’t you just love soup? We sure do. You can add just about any vegetables you would like to this soup and if you are vegetarian, try making it with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Also, if you have any vegetables that are on their last leg, chop them up and throw them in.

Vegetable Rice Soup

by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

2 – 2.5 cups cooked rice

1 box (3 – 5 cups) good chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Saltine crackers (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in heavy bottom soup pot. Saute carrots, celery and onion on medium-low heat until they are cooked through, season lightly with salt and pepper. Onions should be translucent and carrots and celery fork tender. Add in thyme and cook for an additional minute. Add season salt.

Pour in stock. You can add in 1 cup of water as well if you don’t have quite enough stock. Turn heat up to medium. Place lid on pot and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Take lid off pot and add cooked rice and frozen peas. Taste soup and add salt and pepper, as needed. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and crushed saltine crackers.

I served our soup with a grilled cheese made with munster cheese and apricot preserves. I cut the sandwiches in strips. For some reason my girls will eat the crust if the sandwiches are cut like this…….not sure why, but it works for us!

Also, if you don’t have already cooked rice, you could cook a bag of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice in the microwave for 90 seconds and add that to your soup. That would add some nice seasoning as well.

If you would prefer to make this a more Asian flavored soup, you could omit the thyme, add Jasmine rice and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish. So many options. I think that’s why I love soup so much, it’s so warm and cozy, it’s taste even better the next day and there are a ton of ways to get creative!

Oct

Sewing for Birch Organic Fabrics

Wow, this last week was probably one of the busiest I have had in a long time with all sorts of things going on……….whew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it. One of the projects on my to-do list was to finish some garments I designed for the Birch Organic Fabrics booth for International Quilt Market (which takes place in Houston at the end of the month).

Cynthia, the owner of Birch, sent me four different prints to work with and I honestly had no idea which fabrics she would be sending. It made it kind of fun……I’m so used to picking my own fabrics for specific designs, but this time it was the other way around.

I love working with the Birch Fabrics, they are absolutely lovely. Here are some of the pieces I created for them……

Isn’t this fabric the cutest? I couldn’t get enough of this one when it arrived in the mail. I have a few scrap pieces left of this print and I definitely think it will be added onto some of Mr. Caspian’s clothing. This line called ‘Camp Sur‘ and has a bunch of really great prints!

The shorts romper in the picture is my Run Around Romper pattern for boys and girls.

This is my Janey Jumper pattern with a ruffle down the front. I have had this vintage trim in my stash for a long time and I was so excited when I saw how perfectly it went with this fabric. In case you can’t tell from the pictures, the blue fabric has little fish on it…..too cute!

I wanted to use the camper fabric on a girls dress because I think the logical choice would be for a boy, but I actually love the way this works for a girl. It’s kind of a boutique, boho vibe (or at least that’s what I was going for).

And then again, I decided to use this otherwise ‘boy’ fabric for a girl twirl dress. This is my Charlotte Apron Dress pattern without the apron. The skirt was shortened and I added a ruffle around the bottom. The light blue and cream fabric looks like tree bark……it’s really neat. I also embellished the bodice with some vintage crochet trim, lace and buttons. This fabric line is called ‘Camp Modern‘.

I can’t wait to visit the Birch Fabrics booth at Quilt Market in Houston, TX. It will never get old seeing my pieces on display. It is such a honor to work with some of these great fabric manufacturers and I still can’t believe they ask ‘little ole me’ to create pieces for them.

By the way……..is anyone else planning on attending International Quilt Market at the end of the month?

It is a trade show and not open to the general public, but if you plan to be there, let me know. And if you see a mom (Grandma Jane) and daughter (me) duo walking around the convention center with their ‘The Cottage Mama’ bags, stop us and say hello……we would love to meet you!

Oct

Scrappy Ruffle Headband Tutorial: Project Design Team Post for Riley Blake Designs and Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway

Today I’m guest blogging over at Riley Blake Designs sharing a tutorial for the Scrappy Ruffle Headband. It’s a quick and easy project that requires very little sewing.

Click HERE to head to Riley Blake Designs and view the full tutorial.

I also made Miss Savannah an outfit to match her headband from the line ‘The Sweetest Thing‘. Here is Miss S. doing her little posing for Mama. She loves being in front of the camera these days.

Unfortunately, Riley Blake didn’t have the bundle of the line I used (The Sweetest Thing) to giveaway to you all, BUT I have an equally cute line that I think you will love just as much!

How cute and sweet are these prints? One of the cutest, I think!

So how about your very own Fat Quarter Bundle from this line, The Simple Life by Tasha Noel?

Here’s how to enter……

Do one or all of the following, leaving a separate comment for each entry:

1) Visit Riley Blake Designs and tell us what fabric line you like the best. (Click HERE).

2) Become an official follower of The Cottage Home Blog (Email, Google Friend Connect or RSS Feed).

3) Become a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook. (Click HERE).

Giveaway will be open until Friday October 5, 2012 at midnight (CST).

Oct

Seersucker Double Layer Twirl Skirt Tutorial

My name is Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama and I’m so excited to be here as part of the ‘Skirting the Issue’ series. What an amazing cause and I’m thrilled to be able to provide some handmade skirts for some very special little ladies. I make clothing for my children all the time and the idea of a child never having something special made just for them, breaks my heart. Every little one deserves to feel special, pretty, girly and loved and it is the least I can do to provide some skirts to hopefully bring those feelings into some little girls hearts.

[Read more…]

Sep

This and That……..and Giveaway Winners

This has been a good week. Lots of things going on around here, but all good. Gorgeous fall weather has swept through Chicago and I’m loving every minute of it. Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, how about you?

This past weekend it was the perfect weather for us to go on our annual apple picking excursion. Our regular orchard wasn’t open this season due to the unpredictable, crazy weather we had this last spring. But we decided to try a new one that turned out to be lots of fun…..

Gigi (Brett’s mom) came along on our fun apple picking adventure.

Earlier this week, we made a giant apple pie from the apples we picked. I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to do a crumble or crust on top, but I ended up doing a crust since our apples were almost falling off the top of the pie. This was only four of the apples we picked….they were huge! And the pie was delish!

Instagram Photo

(follow me @thecottagemama)

We also brought out all the fall decorations so our house looks nice and cozy. The girls had so much fun sipping hot chocolate and helping me decorate. We made this vintage yo-yo garland together and I think it turned out really cute.

These pretties arrived in the mail this week from Riley Blake Designs for my next Design Team Project. This is from the line “The Sweetest Thing” and the small little flower print is the new knit fabric they are carrying. I’ve already washed it and it came out beautifully. I can’t wait to start creating my next project!

There has been A LOT of sewing going on this week as I prepare for our first styled book shoot this weekend! I’m so excited to meet all of the little models and work with my book photographer. Fun, fun!

We have had quite a few giveaways in the last couple weeks, so it’s probably about time that announce the winners. Sorry to keep you hanging. Here they are………

Jo Totes Camera Bag:

Simply Color Charm Packs and Jelly Roll:

Modes4U Japanese Fat Quarter Bundle and Washi Tape:

Congratulations to our winners! Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get you your prizes as soon as possible! Don’t worry if you didn’t win, just keep trying. We have more giveaways coming up and you just never know when the random number generator might pick you!

So that’s what has been going on around here. Some of those pictures are from Instagram and if you want to check out our daily life around here, you can follow me @thecottagemama. I hope you all had a great week and are finally getting a little taste of this beautiful fall weather.

Happy Weekend!

Sep

Baby Lock and The Cottage Mama

I’ve been wanting to share my new machines with you for several months and now it’s finally time!

Meet the two newest members of The Cottage Mama team…….

The Baby Lock Ellegante 3 Sewing and Embroidery Machine

The Baby Lock Evolution 8-Thread Serger & Cover Stitch Machine

I was recently sent these amazing new machines from the folks over at Baby Lock and let me tell you that they are truly “dream machines”. I was content sewing on my Brother Sewing Machine (CS6000i) and Serger (1034d), but these Baby Lock machines take things to a whole new level. I kind of feel like talking to them and saying “Where have you been my whole life?” But the truth of the matter is that I just didn’t even know some of these fantastic features existed on the higher end sewing machines.

I am thrilled to be working with Baby Lock and to have them here as a sponsor. I will be doing some new tutorials and sewing projects for them over on the official Baby Lock blog, Totally Stitchin‘ coming up soon. You will be able to find a link to their blog under the sponsors heading in the right side-bar of The Cottage Home.

So let me tell you a little bit more about my new machines…….

First up is the new Ellegante 3 Sewing and Embroidery Machine. I guess you could say Miss Ellegante and I had sort of a ‘Love at first stitch’ experience when she first arrived. She is so quiet and just purrs along as I sew…..music to my ears.

Here are some of the features on this fabulous machine that I really enjoy:

Automatic Needle Threading. Just push the button and in 4 seconds the machine is ready to go.

Automatic Thread Cutting. Again, just push the button.

Two Thread Spool Holders

Drop-In Bobbin

Low bobbin thread indicator

Stitch memory library – Great for stitches that you use a lot such as gathering and machine applique. It saves the stitch width, length and tension for easy recall.

LCD Touch Screen that shows you your actual designs and stitch settings and also has a informational guide included so you never have to pull out the manual!

On Screen Embroidery Design Editing for combining words, pictures, frames and more.

531 Built-In Stitches – Everything from a wide scallop stitch, heirloom stitches to borders and decorative characters.

492 Built-In Embroidery Designs – Including 14 different font libraries for personalizing and monogramming, applique embroidery, gorgeous floral and seasonal motifs. I love that you can view the designs in the different size hoops before you actually embroider.

Gorgeous fonts, including a floral alphabet.

Direct connectivity to your PC and can be used with external drives (floppy, flash, CD)

Circular Sewing Attachment to make perfect circles with straight or decorative utility stitches.

More specific details on the Ellegante 3:

So not only did they send me the Ellegante 3, but I also received the Baby Lock Evolution 8-Thread Serger:

This serger is so easy to use. If you’re not familiar with Baby Lock, their sergers essentially thread for you and they don’t have tension dials to fuss with when you switch stitches.

You see those little holes in the picture above (the ones labeled U, L and C). Well, you put your threads in those holes and the machine sucks them in and threads it for you. It is incredibly cool!

Also, one of the biggest challenges with my other serger was that if I wanted to change out one of the threads or if one of them broke, I had to re-thread the whole thing from start to finish in the appropriate order. Well, not with the Evolution. If I want to just change out the upper-looper, I simply remove it, put the new thread in the hole, push the button and I’m ready to go!

I absolutely love not having to worry about the tension on this machine. I just pick my stitch and the machine knows how to adjust the tension for perfect serging every time.

Here are some more specifics about the features of the Evolution:

To say that I was excited when these machines arrived a few months ago is probably an understatement, I was ecstatic! I can’t wait to incorporate more machine embroidery, monogramming, serging and more into my designs. Like I said, these machines are truly a dream to sew on and I am so excited about my partnership / sponsorship with Baby Lock.

Look for upcoming projects and guests post over on the Totally Stitchin’ blog (the official blog of Baby Lock Sewing Machines and Sergers). Also if you have any questions about my experience with these machines, feel free to email or leave me a comment.

To keep updated with Baby Lock feel free to visit their website, blog and facebook page.

Sep

Goose Creek Candle Co. Giveaway

I recently had the opportunity to try out Goose Creek Candle Co.‘s lovely candles from their American Heirloom Collection. If you like scented candles, you are going to love these.

Goose Creek sent me my scent of choice and I must say that it was really hard to choose. I love all the smells of fall……pumpkin, apple, spice, ect., so I ended up going with Spiced Gourmet, but like I said, it was a tough decision.

Here are some of the fall scents that looked pretty wonderful:

I really liked the American Heirloom Collection candle that they sent. It had a pretty metal top with no label on the side so it actually blended into my decor a little bit better than the ones with the big labels. But they offer the candles in both styles.

The Spiced Gourmet smelled heavenly! I made sure to burn it for a week, so I could really tell you whether or not I liked it. The scent was just right……..some candles are a little much for me (and especially for my husband), but this one was great. It made my house smell so nice and cozy and was perfect for the start of fall. Also, I feel like I barely put a dent in it and I had it burning for quite a few hours.

So do you want one for yourself?

Well, luckily Goose Creek Candle Co. is giving away a 16 oz. American Heirloom Collection Candle in the scent of your choice to one lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

And, Goose Creek Candle Co. is offering a coupon code for 25% off your total purchase.

Enter code: 1050

Here’s how to enter:

Visit Goose Creek Candle Co. and come back and leave a comment on this post letting us know what scent you think you might choose if you win. (Click Here).

Giveaway will be open until September 30, 2012 at Midnight (CST).

Sep

The Delicate Art of Balance

The Wilkes Family – Apple Picking

September 22, 2012

The art of balance in ones life is something that I think we all struggle with on a daily basis. I am a firm believer that we cannot be all things to all people at all times. I cannot tell you how many times, I am hit with the phrase “how do you do it all?”, whether it’s via email, on The Cottage Mama Facebook page, or in real life with my friends and family.

I am always a taken back by this question, because the true answer is simple, “I don’t.” I wish I knew how to get it all done. But for that to happen, I would need two of me and a lot more hours in the day. I think you make time in your life for the things that are important to you. And somedays certain things are more important than others.

When I think of balance my husband comes to mind. As I have mentioned here before, he is an avid home-brewer and makes award winning beers. Brewing is something he is truly passionate about and he makes time for it in his life. He leaves for work at 7:30 AM and is not home before 7:30 PM every single day. That makes for some longs days. So he does not get a whole lot of time to spend with the kids during the week. But on the weekends he is 100% devoted to having ‘Daddy Fun Days’ with them. If he wants to brew beer, he does it after they have gone to bed. He gives up sleep in order to achieve the balance in his life. I’m not advocating not sleeping to achieve balance, but it’s what works for him. He wants to make room for brewing in his life and that’s how he makes it work. My point being, is that you figure out a way to make time for the things in life that are important to you and sometimes you have to give up one thing for another.

But the truth is that balance is achieved through an ebb and flow in life. You cannot neglect one aspect of life completely and expect there not to be a negative reaction. Balance is a struggle. I don’t know if it is for you, but it is something I am constantly thinking about and trying to keep myself in check. I have a true sense of guilt when I am not doing what I feel I should be doing in certain aspects of my life. But sometimes it is important to release yourself from that feeling of guilt in order to maintain balance in ones life. If one of my kids is having a hard day, then maybe I don’t get to the dishes. If I’m trying to finish a project, then maybe we have frozen pizza for dinner. But you know what? That’s ok.

For instance, right now I wish I was posting tons of different projects and tutorials for you all. I have all these great seasonal ideas in my head that I don’t have time to share. Do I feel a little sense of guilt that I’m not making that happen? Well…….yes. But the reality is that I am working on my book and cannot share many of my projects right now. While I try to balance writing with paying attention to my family and my home life, it’s what has to give during this time in my life. And I know you understand that and I am now officially releasing myself from that guilt. Ahhh, I feel much better!

I read Sarah Jane’s post today and it just got me thinking, so I guess that’s why I’m writing this post today. To be totally honest, I think I do a pretty good job balancing all the different things going on in our life right now and it is constantly a work in progress. But there is one thing I would like you to know about me………I do not do it all. And that’s fine by me.

Sep

Jo Totes Camera Bag Review and Giveaway

I am excited to share today’s review and giveaway with you. If you aren’t familiar, Jo Totes, is a camera bag company that produces gorgeous, functional camera bags for women.

Here is a little bit more about Jo Totes:

We have been creating and sending camera bags to women photographers around the world since 2009. Our bags provide a fashionable way for women to safely carry their camera bodies and lenses, along with regular purse items, every day—whether it be to a photo shoot, while traveling, or just while out on a regular day.

The main compartment of each of our bags is lined with padding (around each side and on the bottom) to protect photography equipment. Movable interior pads are also included to allow for configuration around a variety of camera bodies and lenses.

Jo Totes let me choose which bag I would like (yes, blogging does have some perks) and let me tell you, it was so hard to choose. Here is the bag I ended up selecting:

I decided to go with the Betsy in Teal. My initial thought was to play it safe with some type of neutral color, but in the end, I decided to go bold. Besides, teal is my business color so I thought it was pretty fitting.

I chose this bag because it was on the larger size. I already have a smaller camera bag that my hubby bought me for Christmas one year from an Etsy seller, but it doesn’t hold all of my lenses. The Betsy bag holds all of my lenses, my camera, my ipad, wallet, cell phone and laptop. Pretty good right?

The top of the bag zips up nicely so that nothing will fall out. And all the hardware and materials are top-notch.

The interior of the bag is a light gray silky cotton. It came with three moveable pads that easily velcro where ever you need them. Also there is room for a laptop, but I put my ipad in that spot since it has a pretty large case on it. My camera fits in the empty slot, but I was using it to take these pictures, so that’s why it’s not in there.

The front pockets are nice and large. There is plenty of room for your phone, keys, business cards, ect.

The back pocket can be used for your ipad or wallet.

The bag comes with two different straps (I put on both of them here to show you the different lengths). One is a longer, adjustable strap so you could wear the bag across your chest and the other strap is a shorter, more purse-like strap.

So guess what?

Jo Totes is giving away a camera bag of your choice (up to $119.00) to one very lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

Want to enter to win? Here’s how:

Please do one or all of the following, leaving a separate comment for each entry:

1. Visit Jo Totes and let us know what bag you would choose if you won. (Click Here).

2. Become a Fan of Jo Totes on Facebook. (Click Here).

3. Follow Jo Totes on Pinterest. (Click Here).

4. Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.

Giveaway will be open until Sunday, September 23, 2012 at midnight (CST).